U.S. Men’s National Team v. Panama, Chicago, 7.28.13

The U.S. men’s national team—its supposed B-team—beat a highly disciplined and determined Panama squad 1-0 to win the 2013 Gold Cup. Much has been said about Landon Donovan’s excellent, stat-racking play over the last six matches, and he was (predictably) awarded player of the tournament.

Donovan’s performance and the U.S.’s victory in the final, however, were dampened by yet another injury to U.S. midfielder Stuart Holden. Holden tore his ACL in the first half against Panama. It was his third major injury since 2010. Unlike the last two, thank God, this was not a result of a gruesome tackle likely to be replayed tens of thousands of times on YouTube, though that will be cold comfort to Holden and his family. There’s not much to say beyond acknowledging the fact and attendant heartbreak and wishing Holden an Adrian Peterson-type recovery.

His replacement, Mix Diskerud, came on in the 23^rd minute and was, I think, man of the match for the U.S., primarily for his hustle and the strong defensive pressure he applied to Panama players in the middle of the field, during those rare stretches when Panama players controlled the ball. (The U.S. had about 70% of the possession.) Still, Diskerud didn’t appreciably stand out from his mates, and the U.S. should be commended—in the final game and throughout this tournament—primarily for putting forth a uniformly strong effort. The U.S. may have outclassed their opponents, which was expected in this competition, but they also outhustled them.

As a fan of the team, it was gratifying to watch that kind of effort, and I for one am tired of commentators disparaging the achievement due to the supposed flabby competition. Yes, we all know this isn’t the Euros. But the same commentators who, just months ago, were claiming the 2013 Hexagonal was the toughest collection of teams top to bottom in CONCACAF history are now claiming that CONCACAF “isn’t what it used to be.” This is all of course because the U.S. is in the midst of an historic 11-game win streak, is beating quality teams like Costa Rica and Panama, and crushing lesser teams like Belize and El Salvador.

But that is what good teams do: they crush lesser competition. Mediocre teams play down to the level of bad teams and play inspired soccer only when faced with high-quality opponents. We shouldn’t forget that just last year in World Cup group qualifying the U.S. needed a 90^th-minute goal to beat Antigua & Barbuda (!), tied Guatemala, and lost to Jamaica. And I wonder how Mexico players and fans feel about the current level of CONCACAF competition. They can’t seem to win a game these days and lost to Panama twice in the Gold Cup tournament.

Speaking of which, it’s remarkable how Mexico has, or seems to have, lost its luster after thrashing the U.S. 4-2 in the 2011 Gold Cup. In that game, Mexico seemed to have quality in reserve, the U.S. to be a bunch of plodding, workmanlike stiffs. The gap between the two national team programs seemed to grow in 2012, when the U.S. U-23s failed to even qualify for the Olympics and then Mexico went on to win the Gold medal.

The pendulum has now swung swiftly back in the U.S.’s favor, though the change may not be due to fortune or inevitability so much as hard work. On a recent podcast (I can’t remember which), Mónica González—the former Mexico women’s national team captain—lamented that the talented Giovani Dos Santos has turned himself into “half a player,” meaning that he can’t be bothered to hustle on defense. A good point. And the 2013 Gold Cup team was a reminder that players on good teams don’t just possess high quality, they also work hard.