U.S. Men’s National Team v. Panama, Seattle, 6.11.13

Some sports-related clichés are meant to describe a situation in which an athlete’s physical talents, fitness, intelligence, and confidence mystically coalesce into a dominating performance. A player is “in the zone” or “locked in” or “letting the game come to him.” I don’t know if those clichés applied to Jozy Altidore in the U.S. men’s national team’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Panama last Tuesday, but I do know this: The man was feeling it.

I’ve never seen Altidore play with such self-assurance as he did against Panama, in particular during the first half. He hustled, as in the 10^th minute when he won a ball at midfield on a strong defensive play. He used his body to stonewall defenders, as he did in the 27^th minute when he started a nice sequence for the U.S. that nearly led to a chance. He exuded comfort and confidence on the ball, as he did in the 32^nd minute when he worked in a tight space near the flag to win a corner.

And after ten or fifteen minutes you just knew he had a goal in him. It appeared that that goal would come in the 34^th minute, when Altidore, standing with his back to the goal, received a long pass from left back DaMarcus Beasley. Altidore thoroughly schooled Panama defender Román Torres, muscling him off the ball, turning and splitting Torres and fellow defender Leonel Parris en route to the goal. Torres made a lunging, clumsy tackle, taking down Altidore about ten yards inside the box and whiffing on the ball. The referee, though, missed the call and signaled for a Panama free kick.

After the takedown and call, cameras showed Jurgen Klinsmann furiously barking complaints from the sideline. And while I’m no fan of berating refs, it was hard to blame the U.S. coach. The soccer Gods agreed, and quickly rushed to balance the Karmic scales. Within a minute, Michael Bradley picked up the ball at midfield and ran at the Panama defense, eventually sending a pass into space for U.S. left winger Fabian Johnson. Johnson, who’d played a poor cross into the box just five minutes earlier, made no mistake this time, sending a flawless cross towards the back post and just out of reach of the Panama keeper. Altidore was waiting to side-foot a shot into the back of the net and celebrate with the overwhelmingly pro-U.S. crowd of 42,000 in Seattle.

Speaking of which, this was the U.S.’s first time playing at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field; judging by the result and the U.S. players’ reactions, it won’t be their last. Bradley, not known for his verbal effusiveness, said this afterwards: “Obviously for me you can’t talk about the game without talking about the crowd—unbelievable. The best crowd I’ve played in front of in the United States without a doubt. From all the players, a big thank you to everyone who was here in the city who makes this a special night for us. People should know the difference it makes when you play in an atmosphere like this.”

The only dubious aspect of the venue was its surface, which is normally FieldTurf (i.e., plastic). For the Panama match, though, the plastic surface had been covered in sod, and players from both sides slipped frequently, especially early. In the sixth minute, two Panama players separated by a few yards made a cut and slipped simultaneously. It looked choreographed. Later, and more significantly, U.S. right back Brad Evans was beaten badly for speed. But the Panama attacker, with no direct pressure, slid and fell on the surface. I mention all this in part because I don’t care for watching games played on artificial turf and wish there weren’t so many of them in this country, all the way down to youth leagues. And artificial turf is of course the reason that the patchwork, slippery sod had to be laid down in Seattle for the Panama game in the first place. As Beasley said before the match, “It’s obviously not the best or the same as regular grass, but I'd 100 percent rather play on this than on [artificial] turf.”

Ah, Beasley. In the space of a few games, he’s now my personal favorite player on this U.S. roster, and he turned in another stellar performance against Panama. He got forward so often and so effectively that he might as well have been playing in the midfield. His crowning moment should have culminated in a goal. In the 80^th minute, still running like a fitness addict ten years his junior, Beasley perfectly read a U.S. buildup, came streaking into the Panama box, received a nice through ball from Altidore, and deftly got off his shot, which glanced off the outside of the post. He was picked up off the turf by Clint Dempsey and calmly ran back to his defensive position, equally calmly flashing a thumbs-up to Altidore for the through ball.

Beasley is pure class, and I can’t get enough of him. Unfortunately, he received a yellow card in this match and so will have to miss Tuesday’s qualifier against Honduras. I fear this bodes ill for the U.S., even against a depleted Honduras side. Along with Bradley, Beasley is indispensible to this current U.S. roster. He’s the only U.S. defender with recovery speed, his soccer IQ is second to no U.S. player’s, and he can attack better than any other U.S. defender, including Fabian Johnson, who will no doubt replace him on defense against Honduras.

But that’s not the note to end on. With the exception of Evans, who was picked on by Panama and looked vulnerable, the U.S.’s performance against Panama was uniformly good, excellent even. Along with Altidore, Beasley, and Bradley, Geoff Cameron deserves praise. Cameron played a remarkably solid game at holding midfielder in Jermaine Jones’s absence. (Jones sat out the game after suffering a concussion against Jamaica.) Cameron broke up a significant number of Panama buildups with well-timed tackles. He also looked good on the attack. His perfectly placed ball over the Panama defense in the 53^rd minute promptly led to a goal by Eddie Johnson. Johnson, playing in his club team’s stadium, also played notably well, filling in for Graham Zusi (unavailable due to an accumulation of yellow cards) in the midfield. Johnson’s takedown of Cameron’s pass on that play was excellent, as was his finish.

In case you missed it, the USMNT quote sheet has a good picture of Johnson acknowledging the crowd after the goal, a smiling Beasley clinging to his back.