U.S. Men’s National Team v. Jamaica, Columbus, Ohio, 9.11.12

After a dispiriting loss to Jamaica in Kingston last Friday, the U.S. men’s national team dominated Jamaica in Columbus last night, beating them 1-0. U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann started five players yesterday who didn’t play much or at all on Friday: Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Jose Torres, Danny Williams, and Graham Zusi. Right back Cherundolo, apart from one or two bad crosses, looked particularly good on the ball. The U.S. is a much better and more dangerous team with him on the field. (It’s sometimes easy to forget how crucial outside backs are to a team’s success these days; like cornerbacks on a football team.) Williams also had an outstanding game, playing mostly at defensive midfielder but also moving to right midfield in the second half. In the 30^th minute, he hit a stunning shot from 35 yards out that slammed into the post and, unfortunately, back into the field of play.

The U.S. thoroughly dominated the first half. Williams’s strike in the 30^th minute was the third U.S. shot to hit the post to that point, and there were other near misses to boot. When the half ended, the soccer gods appeared set on tantalizing the U.S. players and fans and forcing them to settle for a scoreless draw and a single point. To the U.S. players’ credit, they continued to press Jamaica, chipping away at their defense until breaking through on a Herculez Gomez free kick in the 55^th minute. It was fitting that Gomez scored, as he’d worked particularly hard. But just as it’s difficult to think of any U.S. player that really distinguished himself in Jamaica last Friday, it’s difficult to single out a starter that did not perform well in Columbus last night. If I had to pick a man of the match, I’d probably go with Gomez, though Williams, and even Zusi (who hit the post twice and had two other near misses), wouldn’t be far behind.

In short, the U.S. put forth good individual efforts and also played well as a team. They played the way Klinsmann has envisioned and talked about them playing, with defenders pressing forward into the attack, players all over the field working hard to win the ball back once it’s lost, and the U.S. dominating possession and dictating the game. (The U.S. held the ball 69% of the time last night, as opposed to only 52% in last week’s match.) The only thing that was missing for the U.S. in Columbus was a goal scored in the run of play, but that was easy to forgive considering all the near misses and, ultimately, the important three points gained.

One sequence in the second half struck me as emblematic of the kind of soccer that the U.S. is striving to play on a consistent basis. In the 78^th minute, with the U.S. players tired and sitting on a slim one-goal lead, Jamaica got possession and strung together some passes near midfield. After Jamaica worked the ball into the U.S. half, Jermaine Jones and substitute Maurice Edu closed on the attacker and muscled the ball away from him. Edu first played a little one-two with fellow sub Brek Shea along the left sideline, then played a longish ball to Shea that the latter headed square to a waiting Gomez. Gomez played the ball back to Williams, who in turn switched fields to Cherundolo on the right. Williams made a run into the box and was rewarded by a deftly lofted pass from Cherundolo.

Williams couldn’t get a shot off due to some good work on the part of the Jamaica defense. But the buildup (not to mention the defensive pressure from which it sprang) was assured and positive, even stylish. It was the kind of buildup that sometimes leads to a goal, and the kind play that lesser teams are incapable of producing on that “consistent basis” mentioned earlier. Klinsmann must try to transform the U.S. team into a consistently dangerous, attacking side while also managing to qualify in the rough-and-tumble CONCACAF region. Last night’s victory was an important step that direction.