Earlier today, we said that the United States Men’s National Team (MNT) needed to ‘bounce back’ in World Cup qualifying action in a Birmingham, Alabama tilt with upstart CONCACAF foe Guatemala. The 2-0 win may well serve as a springboard that sends the MNT flying high to the World Cup. A surprisingly pro-Guatemalan crowd tried to make things tough on the Americans, but the home team looked ultra-tough throughout.
American wunderkind Eddie Johnson, a day shy of his 21st birthday, scored his 8th goal in just 8 career international appearances in the 11th minute of play. European clubs are a bit enamored with the speedster, who currently plays for the Dallas Burn of Major League Soccer, and are expressing their interest in acquiring him. Fortunately for the home team, Europe can’t buy him away from national team eligibility.
The U.S. squad cranked out energy, passion, and creativity all night long. One stretch of the second half — kicked off by the apparent second U.S. goal of the night — was particularly telling. Landon Donovan made what seemed to be a perfectly timed run to get behind the defense and put the ball in the net, but a late whistle for offsides negated the goal. Replays confirmed that the call was incorrect. Shortly thereafter, a wild scramble during which the Americans got numerous shots off ensued. The scramble ended with a clear Guatemalan handball just in front of the net, but the officials missed the call again. The two officiating gaffes seemed to put the Americans into “finishing mode”, as they played the next five minutes with a vengeance. It was as if the home team said “the hell with this, we’re ending it now.” That ending came when Eddie Johnson set up Steve Ralston for a 68th minute tally that sent the crowd of just over 31,000 fans into a wild celebration.
The U.S. took 14 shots to Guatemala’s 3 in the first half, and could have easily put up six goals in the game. The Americans made a hash out of a number of point blank opportunities, making “ohhhhh!” the fan chant of the evening. Brian Ching deserves special recognition for his numerous shanks. The U.S. played without team captain Claudio Reyna and the speedy DaMarcus Beasley. Reyna was injured in the Sunday game in Mexico City; Beasley was serving a one-game suspension for multiple yellow cards.
The Americans got nice surprises in the other ‘Cup qualifiers of the night, as Mexico mustered only a draw at lowly Panama, and Costa Rica played Trinidad & Tobago to a listless, scoreless tie. Mexico now leads the pool with 7 points, followed by the U.S. with 6. Guatemala and Costa Rica are tied for third with 4 apiece. Panama and Trinidad & Tobago are considered no-hope outsiders to make the World Cup. The top four teams in the CONCACAF will go Germany 2006; the fourth place team gets a play-in match with an Asian team for another slot. Mexico, the U.S., and Costa Rica were the 2002 qualifiers. Guatemala seeks its first ever trip to the ‘Cup.
Nathan Novak at 12:06 am
