By Clemente Lisi - NEW YORK, NY (Jul 9, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Four minutes.
That’s all the time it took for the US to score two goals against Honduras on Wednesday night at RFK Stadium to down the Central Americans and all but advance to the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup.
Although the match seemed destined to conclude scoreless – even though the winner would virtually punch a ticket out of the group stage – DC United midfielder Santino Quaranta used the home turf to his advantage and broke the deadlock with a magnificent goal in the 75th minute. Four minutes later, the US put the game away on a Brian Ching header. Game over.
The Americans, winners of the last two Gold Cups, lead Group B with six points heading into its final first round game Saturday against Haiti at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. A draw will be enough to win the group and ensure an easier road to the final. Honduras, stuck at three points, faces winless Grenada on the same night in Foxborough.
The game against Honduras, however, was about more than just grabbing three points – it was about creating team chemistry and testing new players. Indeed, the match in Washington, DC gave coach Bob Bradley a far better reading of what’s going on than the team's 4-0 drubbing of Grenada four days earlier in Seattle.
Even though the US’s Gold Cup roster is largely a collection of players from the “B team,” it was a pair of first team standouts who made the difference down the stretch. Bradley’s insertion of midfielder Benny Feilhaber and Davies – who both saw time at the recent Confederations Cup -- with only 25 minutes left to play turned out to be the right move. The fresh legs provided the US with the offensive spark needed to break down a Honduran defense that had stubbornly kept the Americans off the scoreboard.
In the 71st minute, Davies, a player who always gives it his all on every ball, nearly scored when goalkeeper Donis Escobar took too long to clear. When Davies blocked his weak attempt with his lower body, Escobar rushed back to retrieve the ball as it ever so closely spun toward the empty net.
Against the Grenada, the US’s domination was left to the four midfielders -- Robbie Rogers, Kyle Beckerman, Logan Pause and Stuart Holden -- who controlled play with ease with a combination of speed and smart passing. For Rogers in particular, it was clear that his give-and-go skills and long crosses were far too much for Grenada's defense to handle.
Even from my living room couch watching the Fox Soccer Channel feed I could see that Honduras did a solid job neutralizing Rogers on the left, forcing the US to come up with other ways – most notably the middle and right side of the field – to move the ball forward. As a result, the whole team was forced to come together, with the US defense pushing forward and the midfielders playing longer balls in an effort to stretch the Hondurans.
Holden sat on the bench the entire game with Bradley going with hometown favorite Quaranta. The switch allowed the US to play the ball with much ease on the right side (thanks to the team chemistry established in the Grenada match) as Quaranta used his ball handling skills to outmaneuver the Honduran defense and eventually score the go-ahead goal off a blistering low shot after Feilhaber fed him the ball. Ching, always dangerous in the air, provided the other goal off a brilliant cross from defender Steve Cherundolo to close out the game.
The goal dampened the mood of the mostly pro-Honduran crowd and sent US fans into an uproar. The late surge proved that this version of Team USA has gelled at the right time during this tournament. Bradley’s bench may be just a bit deeper than first expected with less than a year to go before the World Cup.
Clemente Lisi is the author of “A History of the World Cup: 1930-2006.” Contact him at: CAL4477@yahoo.com
