Setting aside the cliche about Central American qualifying, Graig Carbino looks at what the US faced on Thursday night in Guatemala and what they should be expecting from the 2010 qualifying cycle.
By Graig Carbino
ALBANY, NY (Aug 19, 2008) USSoccerPlayers – Seven yellow cards, two red cards, 40 total fouls and a partridge in a pear tree. The United States 1-0 victory over Guatemala on Wednesday night had just about everything you could ask for in an international soccer match. There were close calls, elbows, rabid fans, flipping, flopping and two teams who battled until they had absolutely nothing left in the tank. In the end the US would claim victory but guess what? These games are tough.
It is so easy for fans and “experts” alike to say that the US must win any and all CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers in their path, home or away. Could they win the games? Sure. The question of should they always win is a whole different story. Take the total and complete circumstances surrounding this latest match with Guatemala into the equation before rendering your verdict. Here is a glimpse at what the US team went through in the lead up to the game:
Most of the US team assembled in Miami on Sunday afternoon with only Maurice Edu and Carlos Bocanegra yet to join the party. Edu has traveled from Beijing back to the US then onto London, Glasgow, back to the US, and down to Guatemala all in the past few days. That seams ideal.
The team was going to try to get a training session in before departing for Central America on Monday afternoon, but Tropical Storm Fay had other plans. They were able to push their flight ahead and jet out of South Florida on Monday morning before the bad weather began.
The team landed in Guatemala early in the day on Monday, took a few hours off, and then trained on a local field working on passing, technique and finishing. Then Tuesday arrived. Usually the day before international matches the away team is allowed the opportunity to practice on the game field. They don’t tend to accomplish much in terms of tactics but it certainly cannot hurt to get a feel for the, um…lets say “cozy” surroundings. Only the expected stadium access did not happen on Tuesday.
Heavy rain and questionable motives from the Guatemalan Federation kept the United States away from the stadium and, for a few moments at least, left them without a place to warm up the day before the game. That in it’s self is a disgrace, but it happens. It especially happens on the road in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. In the end a Guatemalan national from the US Embassy arranged for the team to train at the practice field of local club CSD Municipal. They got in about 45 minutes before the sun went down and it was time to collect the cones.
If the circumstances surrounding the US preparation for the match wasn’t enough, lets lay out what sort of atmosphere surrounded the stadium for the match. There is nothing like 100 special forces agents, 1,200 police officers, 1,000 soldiers, 250 transit police, 180 private security guards and an anti-riot squad to get you up in the morning. That’s the sort of heavy artillery that was on hand in and around Estadio Mateo Flores last night to handle the crowd control duties. I am not one to believe that this show of force is completely necessary, but just knowing that someone out there thinks it is has to be is a bit disconcerting.
Move to the field, and you get more reasons why these games are so incredibly difficult. From what I could make out on television, it appeared that the field was actually in decent shape. I write, “from what I could make out” because the lighting on the pitch was so horrendous that it was difficult to make out specific players. The light was so bad at both ends of the field that it appeared Tim Howard was standing in the dark as he tended the goal.
All of these factors combined make the United States 1-0 win last night over a spry Guatemalan side that much more impressive. There was nothing pretty about that win. It was a dogfight from the start and it was always going to be a battle of wills to secure a positive result. “But the US is better, they have better players and they need to win these games.” Not so fast.
These games, especially qualifying games, are never played on paper. When that first whistle blows and the first ball is kicked you can throw English Premier League players versus Liga Nacional players right out the window because it just does not matter. These games are won with grit and force. They are about taking no prisoners and sometimes spilling blood to get the result (ask Eddie Lewis).
Graig Carbino covers American Abroad and writes a weekly column for USSoccerPlayers. Contact him at graiger11@yahoo.com
