The U.S. males’s nationwide crew appeared to surrender on their coach Tuesday night time in San Jose, failing to play with any kind of objective and falling 4-0 to the Ticos in a disastrous World Cup qualifier.
BY
John Godfrey
Posted
November 15, 2016
8:55 AM
SHARE THIS STORY
HOW WOULD THEY RESPOND?
That was the query on everyone’s lips after the U.S. males’s nationwide crew misplaced on a late objective Friday night time towards Mexico. Would the gamers dig down, outwork their opponents, and discover a technique to safe some extent or three in Costa Rica? Would they make American supporters proud?
Not even a little bit.
The U.S. fell 4-0 to the Ticos, giving up a late first-half objective after which failing to point out up after intermission in a dreadful 45-minute stretch of play. Jurgen Klinsmann did not have the solutions, and maybe didn’t have the gamers both. The People regarded inferior to Costa Rica on each degree, and the rating was an correct reflection of the motion on the sector.
In actual fact, it may have been worse.
Costa Rica got here out with weapons blazing and almost hit the goal within the early going. Within the eighth minute, Johan Venegas nutmegged John Brooks—who had a horrible, horrible day—and moved in on Brad Guzan’s objective. Thankfully for the U.S., the Middlesbrough backup made a sliding save to maintain the sport scoreless.
Costa Rica got here shut once more when Clint Dempsey’s former teammate at Fulham, Bryan Ruiz, discovered himself on the sting of Guzan’s six-yard field with the ball at eye degree and his again to objective. The artful midfielder leaned again and blasted a mini-bicycle kick that slammed straight into Guzan’s face. A couple of inches to the left or proper and Costa Rica would have taken an early lead.
The Yanks’ first legit likelihood got here within the twentieth minute when Jermaine Jones dispossessed a Tico midfielder and promptly handed the ball to the supremely gifted Christian Pulisic. Working down the left flank, Pulisic moved ahead, created area for himself, and related with a streaking Bobby Wooden, who nudged the ball towards objective however was denied by Costa Rican goalkeeper Keyor Navas.
Wooden returned the favor within the forty first minute, from the other facet. Streaking down the suitable facet, he moved previous his marker and delivered an ideal move throughout the face of objective. Sadly for the U.S., Pulisic was a step or two behind the play and couldn’t convert.
The Ticos outplayed the Yanks all through the primary half, as Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley did not affect the sport from the middle of the pitch and Jozy Altidore couldn’t set up any kind of offensive rhythm.
Within the forty fourth minute, the Ticos lastly scored the objective they deserved.
The play appeared innocuous at first, as a hopeful previous bounced slowly towards the top line midway beween the nook flag and Guzan’s objective. Christian Bolanos raced to retrieve the ball however his marker, Omar Gonzalez, jogged over to cowl him. The additional few seconds Gonzalez gave Bolanos allowed the Costa Rican to pick Venegas, who outhustled Brooks and headed the ball previous Guzan into the far nook of the U.S. objective.
Similar to that, proper earlier than the half, an ineffectual American facet fell behind 1-0.
Defiant as all the time, Klinsmann elected to go away the identical 11 on the sector regardless of the whole lot. Sacha Kljestan might need introduced some possession to the midfield, however no. Aron Johannsson may have added some method instead of Altidore, however Klinsmann caught with “his guys.”
Twenty minutes into the second half, Klinsmann’s method proved ineffective. With no possession, no assault, and no freshideas, the Yanks regarded completely hapless.
After which Costa Rica put the sport away.
The house crew’s second objective got here on a counterattack, because the Ticos pounced on a turnover after which pushed down the suitable flank. Ruiz made the decisive play, zipping a beautiful left-footed cross that flew previous Brooks and straight to Bolanos, who beat Chandler and headed the ball previous Guzan.
Within the seventy fifth minute, substitute Joel Campbell took benefit of a sloppy contact from Brooks, took possession of the ball, slipped previous the Hertha Berlin defender simply, walked in on objective, pushed shot to Guzan’s proper, and put Costa Rica up by three targets.
After which Campbell scored one other to make it 4-0.
How dangerous was it? It definitely appeared that the gamers had given up on themselves, and their coach. Few gamers demonstrated coronary heart or resolve, and because the second half moved to an in depth, you could not assist however marvel if Klinsmann was heading for the unemployment line.
Sunil Gulati would definitely be justified in making a change, however it’s an open query as as to if U.S. Soccer’s prime govt views the German coach as a part of the issue or a part of the answer.
For now, nevertheless, the U.S. is in lifeless final within the Hexagonal with zero factors after two video games.
It will be a chilly winter in America.
