Clemente Lisi takes us through what the United States will likely face against Cuba on Saturday (8pm - ESPN Classic and Galavision), where the primary advantage is the location.
By Clemente Lisi
MIAMI, FL (Sept 5, 2008) USSoccerPlayers -- US players got a taste of Cuba by training in Miami this past week. From the sticky weather to Spanish being spoken on street corners, the team got a slice of Havana in Florida.
But the players don’t have a clue what to expect when they fly 90 miles south to Cuba for Saturday’s historic World Cup qualifier. The Cuban team and field conditions of the 80-year-old Pedro Marero Stadium remain an enigma.
What the players do know is that the stadium seats 28,000 and will feature a Cuban team eager for a win after losing their last game to Trinidad & Tobago. How much of a hostile environment awaits the Americans remains to be seen.
”The atmosphere at these stadiums is always pretty intense,” said goalkeeper Brad Guzan. “That’s to be expected in a World Cup qualifier. We know going down there will not be easy.”
Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of soccer knows Cuba is no futbol power. Of all the CONCACAF countries competing for a spot at the 2010 World Cup, Cuba is one of two nations (hockey-loving Canadians the other) who don’t have a soccer tradition. The Cubans, ranked No. 80 in the latest FIFA rankings, are known more for swinging a bat than kicking a ball.
Soccer has been largely ignored by the communist regime, but the tide shifted in 1998 when state TV aired the World Cup for the first time ever. In 2002, FIFA donated $400,000 to build a national soccer training center and the benefits came in November 2006 when Cuba reached 46th in the FIFA rankings, its highest ever.
Although unlikely they’ll reach the World Cup finals, the Cubans shouldn’t be underestimated at home. The only advantage the Cubans have against the US is that home crowd. The game in Havana will be absent of any American fans since US citizens are barred from traveling to the communist-run nation as part of a trade embargo dating back to 1962.
The United State’s opening game in Guatemala two weeks ago serves as a template for how hostile road games can be. In that game, the players were able to ignore the crowd and win. They’ll have to do the same in Havana.
The US has not played in Cuba since 1947 when it lost in a friendly, 5-2. Overall, the US holds a 5-1-1 record against Cuba with 21 goals for and nine goals against. The last time any US soccer team traveled to the island was for the 1991 Pan American Games – although that was an Under-20 competition.
As for the team itself, Cuba is tactically suspect compared to the elite of CONCACAF. Cuba, who are coming off a 3-1 loss to T&T, were unable to maintain possession in that match and had a tough time generating scoring chances.
The team, coached by former German midfielder Reinhold Fanz, will bring a 19-man roster that is made up entirely of players from Cuba’s top league, where most players earn just $10 a month. Fanz favors a 4-2-2 formation and took over the coaching duties in March. Cuba often reverts to a 3-5-2 lineup in a bid to flood the midfield and bog down play. The US needs to avoid that trap and use its skill to move the ball along the flanks.
The Cubans recently prepared for the semifinal round of CONCACAF qualifying by going on a 15-game tour of Germany and Austria, where they picked up some much-needed experience. But progress has also been blunted by defections. The past two Gold Cups cost the team several key players, such as strikers Lester More and Maykel Galindo. Despite such setbacks, soccer is gaining in popularity and the National Team is getting better.
Given the large number of defections – 12 over the past six years – it has been difficult for the Cubans to retain its most talented players. Galindo, for example, now plays for Chivas USA and has emerged as one of the greatest Cuban player of this generation.
The Cubans are led by striker Reynier Alcantara, who has 10 goals in 16 appearances for the National Team. Alcantara, 26, made his national team debut in 2005 and was on the squad that participated at the 2007 Gold Cup, scoring two goals in three games.
Alcantara possesses a deadly left foot, but the US defense should be able to neutralize him. Alcantara is teamed up with Roberto Linares, who scored in a 1-1 tie against the US during an Olympic qualifier last March and gave the T&T defense a tough time.
In defense, Cuba has Leonel Duarte. Only 21, he has earned 14 caps and scored two goals. Duarte is joined by veteran defender Yenier Marquez, 29, who has played 72 times for the national team and is also a veteran of the 2007 Gold Cup campaign.
Marquez, who often pushes forward to aid the midfield and is dangerous on set plays, scored in Cuba’s loss to T&T. Although Duarte and Marquez are talented, they shouldn’t give the US attack too much trouble given their relative inexperience. T&T’s Cornell Glen had his way against the Cuban defense and a player such as Landon Donovan should be able to do the same.
Advantage United States, who should be thinking another road win in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying.
Clemente Lisi is the author of “A History of the World Cup: 1930-2006.” Contact him at: CAL4477@yahoo.com
