Union Jacked

You can't fake results at the World Cup.

Just ask Australia, who were at the receiving end of a 4-0 drubbing by Germany (and many "experts" felt Germany was lacking this year). The fact is that the pressure is too high and the talent too great. You may be able to luck into a goal here and there, but the result - for better or worse - is earned.

So, while a 1-1 draw is not the prettiest of scores, the US team should hold their heads high.

But, whoa man, did it start ugly. As I expected, Coach Bradley opted for the "empty bucket" midfield. That refers to two offensive-minded wingers (Donovan and Dempsey) and two stay-at-home central middies (Bradley and Clark). For some reason, Bradley believes his team requires this extra shot of defense. I suppose the US team has won more than it's lost, so perhaps he's onto something. As a fan of the game, though, I cringe. Jose Torres is a perfectly capable central midfielder that offers much more offensive acumen than Clark. Further, Torres has that rare ability to hold the ball in traffic. Honestly, the US hasn't had that type of player since Claudio Reyna. Yet, Bradley believes ball possession to be overrated, and there's some definite truth to that. Teams that rely solely on the counter-attack often win the game. The problem is that I was raised on the Red Wings. The other team can't score if they don't have the puck. Possession IS important. For stretches against England, the US rarely crossed their own midfield. And in the opening few minutes, Clark lost his man, Steven Gerrard. England's Emile Heskey fended off Onyewu and sent a diagonal pass to the onrushing Gerrard. Immediately, Gerrard was one-on-one with Howard, and he neatly placed the ball into the net.

So, the guy who was brought on almost exclusively for defense (Clark) got beat in the first four minutes. I was not pleased.

England continued to pressure. The US backline of Cherundolo, Demerit, Onyewu, and Bocanegra faced repeated attack. For the most part, Onyewu did well against Heskey, and Demerit hounded English wunderkind Wayne Rooney all game long. The power of the English attack was in midfield with Lampard and Gerard. They regularly found space in the middle of the field, but they had moderate difficulty in the final third.

With increased English pressure, the US counter-attack sprang to life. Altidore did well fending off his defender as he almost equalized twenty minutes in. Thanks to some excellent work from Donovan and Cherundolo on the right flank, Donovan sent a long cross to Altidore who headed the ball just wide. Dempsey was also on the doorstep and narrowly missed deflecting it in. That near-goal seemed to wake the US up, and the game was more even from that point out.

Cherundolo worked extremely well with Donovan and Michael Bradley. They had little difficulty controlling the ball and at least working it up for a cross. Donovan switched sides with Dempsey perhaps to mix things up a bit, and Dempsey found himself with some space in the 40th minute. Dempsey ripped a left footed shot that skidded across the ground toward the keeper. As you all know by now, the keeper inexplicably muffed the ball and then watched in agony as the ball trickled into the net. It was a shocking turn of events.

The US goal was not completely against the run of play. The US had worked a few chances prior to Dempsey's shot. Sure, the goalie completely mishandling the ball was super-lucky, but the fact that the US had a decent shot on goal was not.

The early 2nd half was all England. Apparently, England Coach Fabio Capello must've told his team to exploit the US's weak left flank. Left defender Carlos Bocanegra is a central defender by trade, and he's not the most fleet-of-foot. Nor is left midfielder Clint Dempsey terribly committed to defense. England took this to heart. Aaron Lennon started to abuse Boca with shifty runs into the box. At one point, he was free at the touch line, but his low cross somehow flew behind everybody. English defender Glen Johnson also joined the attack on the left flank. He had numerous chances from the left corner, though his shots and crosses never hit the mark.

The best England chance came from Heskey who found himself alone on Howard after beating an offside trap. With the US defense desperately hurrying back, Heskey shot from about 18 yards out, but the ball was directly at Howard. Howard smothered the ball. No rebound. The save was even more impressive considering Howard was likely nursing a broken rib from an earlier confrontation with Heskey.

It seemed only a matter of time for England. Yet, there was a glimmer of hope in the 60th minute. The US worked a long ball to Altidore who out-muscled his man for the ball. Altidore burst toward goal from the left side. He shot from about 8 yards out. The goalie got a piece of the ball and it then deflected off the post across the goal. It was a bit unfortunate for Altidore. England then responded with a long-distance shot from Lampard that Howard parried over the crossbar. Then Rooney, in his only real chance all night, worked himself free about 25 yards out and let loose a wicked shot. The ball curled toward the far post. Howard dove left and ushered the ball out of bounds.

It was, as JoKo said, "heart attack time." With about twenty minutes to go in the half, the US was having difficulty stringing passes together. Three times they sent relatively easy passes out of bounds. It was clear they were gassed. This is where they truly pay the price for the empty bucket formation. Because they have no possession player in the middle, they're forced to defend for 90 minutes. Donovan and Altidore, however, found some extra reserves late in the match. They had a few rushes toward the English net that no doubt sent the British faithful to down another pint of Waggledance.

Strangely, the game ended with the US actually looking the more likely to score, as England seemed resigned to the draw. No doubt the English players expected a better result. They outshot the US team 18-12 and were damn unlucky on that Dempsey goal. The US players were pleased with the draw and should take heart that their bend-but-don't-break defense ultimately held (albeit barely).

I should also note that this was perhaps best officiated game I've seen in years. The referee did not go crazy with yellow cards and was consistent throughout. The US did catch a minor break when a Demerit hand-ball might've resulted in a red. Demerit was the last line of defense, and his hand-ball may have prevented an England breakaway. I've seen the US on the receiving end of those controversial calls in the past, but Demerit escaped with a yellow.

Grades:

Howard - A

Sublime.

Boca - C-

Repeatedly abused by Aaron Lennon in the 2nd half. Yet, Boca's still the best option for left defense.

Demerit - B

Was out of position on the England goal, but did a tremendous job shutting down Rooney. Hard to ask for more.

Onyewu - B

Let Heskey beat him once in the 2nd half but otherwise a great game for the central defender. His first competitive match since September! A healthy, effective Gooch is key going forward.

Cherundolo - A

Tremendous game for the savvy veteran. England obviously did not do their homework on the little right back, as he had no problem finding space. It was a game that showcased his great footwork and crossing ability.

Dempsey - B-

He gets an upgrade due to the goal. Otherwise a pretty nondescript match for the normally wily middie.

Clark - D+

Clogged up the middle. Otherwise, he did little of value.

Bradley - B+

Very good game for the consistent Bradley. He did a great job finding the open man. Almost every US scoring opportunity began with Bradley.

Donovan - B+

At times, the only good attacking player. Tireless. Does a great job finding seams in the defense for Jozy. Could use a better shot, though.

Findley - F

Who? A guy named Findley played in this game?

Altidore - B

Unlucky not to score on that second half rush. Could've done better on a few headers in the first half, though. Still, an impressive performance for the 20 year old.

Coach Bradley - B+

Got a favorable result but, as a fan of the game, he does me no favors. The bunker-mentality is so ugly to watch.

P.S.

Local sports radio personality (and admitted soccer fan) Sean Baligian is still too scared to talk World Cup. Baligian this morning: "I know you guys don't like it."