Sometime you just have to knock the door down. After a game full of knocking on the door and getting locked out that is exactly what Landon Donovan (who pretty much secured the title of greatest American soccer player with his performance this world cup) did in the 91st minute on a goal that was a microcosm of their performance today.
The play started with Tim Howard wasting no time in sending the ball up field on a great throw to Donovan and the press was on. Running like it was minute 9, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore joined Donovan in the attack. Donovan squared the ball to Altidore who set up Dempsey's shot that forced the keeper to make a save and Donovan, still running, pounced on the rebound and put his side through to the next round.
That was the American's today, they kept running. Whatever the outcome Donovan and company seemed intent on leaving it all on the field. In a match that resembled a track meet or fast break basketball game at times, the U.S. never seemed to slow. Their persistence paid off in the end.
The only thing more impressive than their performance was the fact that they were firing on all cylinders in the second half knowing to advance they would have to win. England's first half goal added pressure to an already tense situation. The pressure made a good moment great. What was at stake made the tension breaking goal one of, if not the biggest, goal in U.S. men's soccer history.
All over the pitch players were giving their all against an Algerian team seemingly content with pulling the draw and dragging the Americans to the airport with them. Dempsey, Altidore, and Donovan were great but they were only ones to turn in stellar performances. Jay Demerit really took control of the backline and made play after play. Michael Bradley (who should start packing his bags for England in the fall) and second half sub Bennie Feilhaber showed energy and class all day.
Even with the great overall team performance the man of the match for me was Jozy Altidore. The youngest striker in the world cup played like a full grown man today. Using his strength and speed; he showed all his skills today. His ability to bring the ball down, turn, and run at the defense was integral in the attack all day. Altidore's performance was his best in a U.S. uniform and it was on the biggest stage.
Not only does the win get the U.S. into the knockout stages, it put them on top of the group finishing ahead of England on total number of goals scored. While history may be on England's side they deserved the second place finish. Outside of the first half of the Slovenia match, the U.S. was the best team in the group.
The biggest winner today is the American soccer community. Friends who have admitted to me that they are "soccer haters" emailed me today and told me how they felt so excited during the match. Today was a great commercial for U.S. soccer. Now they have everyone's attention. While today was a great stage, the stage will just get bigger and brighter and will have a much bigger audience.
So now we get to play Ghana this weekend. While Ghana is a good side that showed better passing today this is a match the U.S. can handle. However no team at this stage is an easy out. Every match will be tough and every match should involve two teams that are looking to push the pace. That is exactly what they need. These matches will keep the attention and excitement which is good news for soccer in America.
What are your thoughts on U.S. performance? Are you happy the U.S. avoided Germany? Are you starting to feel comfortable about the idea that the U.S. will be playing deep into tournament? Do you think this performance will boost soccer's profile in this country?
No comments:
Post a Comment