USMNT: Guatemala Get A Mauling

July 7, 2013

Up and running. (photo: soccerbyives.net)

OTF’s Austin Fido sat down to write a quick review of USMNT’s 6-0 drubbing of Guatemala, but ended up with a song of praise to Landon Donovan…

That’s what friendlies are for.

Klinsi’s B-team found an A-game in San Diego. Not for the first time in the city where expense accounts go to die, the evening started with a well-mannered presentation: patient, modestly paced, possession football tempered by the occasional foray down the wing and some nice work on set pieces. Then everyone took a little break, put on their party clothes, and the night descended into a frenzied, the-next-round-is-on-me, dude-we-can-totally-walk-to-Tijuana-from-here excursion to the outer limits of indulgence. The first half was diffident; the second half, debauched.

Nick Rimando does not care to look into your stupid camera. (photo: soccerbyives.net)

We believe (because Jürgen Klinsmann told us so) that the starters for this pre-tournament warm-up will be the preferred eleven to start the Gold Cup. But after the jubilant five-goal fiesta of the second-half, this will strike some fans as an anti-climax. We want more of the heroes of the last 45: floppy-haired pass-master, Mix Diskerud; the loping, left-wing lunges of Brek Shea; even Chris Wondolowski’s penalty box poaching. And Stuart Holden, too long subdued by injury, finally returned with a blinkered passion for forward movement not seen since Lot fled Sodom.

We might see more of Shea (just added to the squad for the group stage as a replacement for Josh Gatt), but we’ll probably see Edgar Castillo start on the left wing in game one of the group stage against Belize on Tuesday. Despite evidence that Diskerud and Holden would shred the densely packed defenses of Belize and Cuba, we can expect to see Kyle Beckerman’s cautious, possession-hoarding and Jose Torres’ perfectionist vigil for an open channel.

A rare sighting of Brek Shea’s right foot. (photo: sports.yahoo.com)

It is perhaps to be hoped that Klinsmann will at least heed one lesson from this game: keep Landon Donovan central, with Joe Corona on the right. Not that Corona was outstanding in any position, but if he needs more time to find his rhythm within this team, let him do that on the wing. Because after a quiet start on the right, Landon made a move to the middle which was the tactical turning-point of the game.

LD’s mere presence in a central position was sufficient to drag the Guatemalan center backs toward him, which was the reason Jose Torres’s cross in the 42nd minute was flighted toward two US players and just one member of Los Chapines‘s back line. With the core of the Guatemalan defense intently watching Donovan (and the only remaining defender ineffectually covering Joe Corona) Herculez Gomez, unmarked at the back post, opened the scoring. 

The second goal was also down to Donovan’s movement in front of goal. A moment of savvy jostling in the six-yard box got him goal-side of Carlos Castrillo, and the gentlest hint of hands on his shoulder blades caused the USMNT’s all-time leading goal scorer to hit the deck. It was a soft penalty; there would have been no great scandal if the appeal had been ignored. As if to apologize, Donovan sportingly dinked a soft shot to the center of goal; easy enough to save had Ricardo Jerez not already committed himself to a full-length dive to his right.

The third was all Landon’s doing also. Picking up the ball near the center circle, Donovan dribbled unchallenged to the edge of the penalty area, then tried to slip a pass to Stuart Holden. The pass was just intercepted, but the rebound fell to Chris Wondolowski — a confident finisher, even during a dry spell.

Speaking of which, to those who want to hail Wondo’s first international goal as the arrival of America’s next goal scoring sensation, the man is in a slump, not a coma. Beating a ‘keeper without defensive pressure from twelve yards isn’t the mark of extraordinary striking talent — it’s the quality of a good penalty taker. Anyway, good for Wondo. He can, maybe will, score a lot of goals for USMNT, but few will be as straightforward as his first.

Scarcely a minute after Wondolowski added his name to the USMNT scoring chart, Landon Donovan popped up again to consolidate his place at the top of it. His second goal of the match, and 51st of his international career, was an emphatic volley off a Stuart Holden cross.

That goal, USMNT’s fourth of the night, was Donovan’s final contribution. Klinsi had seen enough, and it was now evident that this was a rout. The question of whether Landon Donovan still has something to offer USMNT had been answered: he most certainly does. The question of whether those talents can be successfully blended with the incumbent forward pairing — Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey — won’t be addressed this month though.

But Donovan (and Holden, Diskerud, and Shea) had shaken the Guatemalans. Stubborn and challenging opponents for the first 30 minutes or so, Los Chapines were rudderless by the last 15. In the 85th minute, an innocuous DaMarcus Beasley corner was knocked down by Oguchi Onweyu, and Clarence Goodson paid homage to his new club colleague by going full Wondo on a bouncing ball in the box. He hammered a volley into the ‘keeper, then collected his own rebound and powered a shot into the roof of the net.

Ricardo Jerez learns that just because you close your eyes, it doesn’t mean you’re dreaming. (photo: utsandiego.com)

Three minutes later, there was one more. Beasley chipped a pass inside to Holden, who first-timed a magnificent flick down the line for Shea. The big man’s cut-back rolled untroubled almost the width of the penalty area, before Alejandro Bedoya turned up on the right to net the capper.

For USMNT, it was everything that could have been hoped for from this match. The presumed first eleven got a suitably test work out against energetic and determined opposition in the first half — a period that exposed some communications issues in the back line. However, the occasional moment of panic notwithstanding, the Parkhurst-Onweyu-Goodson-Beasley defense held firm.

Nick Rimando’s greatest test during the game was his own lack of faith in his defenders; twice he hurried off his line too hastily. But, you play friendlies so the players can get to know each other.

Elsewhere on the pitch, this match confirmed what had been suspected about this US Gold Cup squad: there’s a lot of attacking ability on this roster, competition for places is robust, and high expectations are reasonable. Sure, Guatemala was not the strongest opponent, and the scale of the victory certainly masked some flaws, but watching whatever combination of this group Jürgie puts out over the next few weeks should be fun.

Nice work, Captain. (photo: sports.yahoo.com)

OTF’s Austin Fido needs a cold shower and a lie down after that match. Follow him @canetop.