The U.S. lost to
Belgium 2-1 yesterday to end their run in the 2014 World Cup. They exited the
tournament with a record of one win, one draw, and two losses. In some ways,
that unimpressive record belies the team’s level of play. The U.S. looked the
better team in its draw with Portugal. They lost by a single goal to Germany,
and had a decent chance to pull level at the end of that game. And the U.S.
took a strong Belgium team into extra time, mounting a furious push in the
game’s final fifteen minutes, pulling back a goal and nearly taking the game to
penalty kicks.
More generally, it’s
widely agreed that this 2014 team is a more talented group from top to bottom
than any past U.S. team, with more players—like young fullback DeAndre
Yedlin—who are capable of coming off the bench and making significant
contributions. Most also agree that the team, as a group, plays at a higher
technical level than past U.S. teams, that it is more dynamic, attack-minded,
and pleasing to watch. In these aspects, the team reflects the confident and
imposing personality of their current coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, who set out to
change the U.S.’s style of play when he took over in 2011 and has made some
progress in that area.
Taken another way,
the 2014 World Cup is evidence that U.S. soccer’s progression over the last
dozen or so years has been gradual at best, that the team still lacks
difference-makers on the level of Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne and Germany’s Thomas
Müller. You could make a strong argument that the U.S. was outplayed in three
out of their four 2014 World Cup games. Against the high-powered teams in 2014,
the U.S. reverted to form; they were back to playing the role of loveable,
outgunned underdogs who try hard until the end, rely on their keeper, and fall
short.
As results go,
there is little difference between this team’s showing and the 2010 team’s showing
in South Africa, when the U.S. won their group and lost to Ghana by a goal in
extra time. And certainly, the U.S.’s 2014 World Cup falls short of the 2002
team’s run. That group advanced to the quarterfinals, where they lost 1-0 to Germany in
a game that easily could have gone the U.S.’s way. Yesterday, against Belgium,
the U.S.’s best performance by a field player came from DaMarcus Beasley, who
was also on the 2002 roster. That fact underscores the dearth of true difference-makers
in the current U.S. program.
Speaking of older U.S.
players making a difference: This game will be remembered by U.S. fans—and likely
by many fans the world over—for the performance of 35-year-old U.S. keeper Tim
Howard. Howard saved 16 shots, the most in a World Cup game since 1966. Almost
immediately after the match, Belgium captain Vincent Kompany tweeted: “Two
words.. TIM HOWARD #Respect #BelUSA.” Unfortunately,
it would have taken a superhuman performance in goal, not merely a sublime one,
to prevent a U.S. loss. Belgium created chance after chance in this game, and the
goals were bound to come. Or, as Howard said after the game, at some point in
that kind of situation, the levee has to break.
U.S. fans got a
preview of Belgium’s quality last May, when they dismantled the Yanks 4-2 in a friendly
that probably should have ended in a score of 5-1. I thought De Bruyne was the
man of that match, and so he was again yesterday, when he had a goal and an
assist. De Bruyne and his midfield mates controlled much of the game in
Salvador, so much so that Jermaine Jones, who had been such a strong presence in
midfield for the U.S. in this World Cup, failed to have much of an impact. (I
see that at least one box
score has the U.S. winning the possession battle, which is baffling if true
and breathes new life into the term “meaningless possession.”) Michael Bradley
played better than he had in the U.S.’s three previous games, but that’s not
saying much. Apart from his spectacular assist on the U.S.’s late goal, and his
usual high energy, he did not play well, giving away the ball too cheaply, both
in the run of play and on dead-ball strikes. Alejandro Bedoya—another
midfielder I’d had high hopes for coming into this match—put in a similar
high-effort, mostly low-impact performance.
I mentioned
earlier that Beasley had the best performance of any U.S. field player against
Belgium, a performance that was eclipsed by Howard’s play and by the fact that
the game ended in a U.S. loss. But let me repeat that Beasley was remarkable.
He drew at least four fouls, consistently perfectly timed his steps to thwart
Belgium attacks, got forward frequently, and played some dangerous crosses into
the box. He saved the U.S.’s hide nearly as frequently as Howard did. Those who
watched the U.S. in qualifiers and in the 2013 Gold Cup (where Beasley
captained the champion U.S. side) know that his performance against Belgium was
no fluke. He’s been one of the U.S.’s most consistent and best players over the
last couple of years, which is all the more remarkable given that he’d nearly
fallen out of the national team picture in 2010 and 2011. His late-career run will
solidify Beasley’s status as one of the best U.S. soccer players ever.
Newcomer Yedlin
complemented Beasley’s strong performance on the back line. Yedlin played most
of the game at right back, after coming on in the 31st minute for an
injured Fabian Johnson. He attacked with visible confidence, getting forward
repeatedly and by my count sending in at least five dangerous crosses over the
course of the game. Perhaps even more impressively, he recovered well when the U.S.
turned the ball over. He twice tracked back after getting forward to stop Belgium’s
talented Eden Hazard, once in first-half stoppage time and again in the 82nd
minute. Klinsmann deserves credit not only for selecting the 20-year-old fullback
for the final roster, but for playing him in critical situations. Klinsmann
also placed confidence in forward Julian Green, who at 19 is now the youngest U.S.
player ever to score in a World Cup. Green played only for the final 15 minutes
against Belgium, but he changed the game, scoring a goal off a well-taken
volley with his first touch after coming on.
Green almost
didn’t get his chance. Remarkably given the run of play during the first 90
minutes, the U.S. nearly avoided extra time and won the game late in second-half
stoppage time. With about a minute remaining, Geoff Cameron found himself with
the ball about 30 yards from goal and lobbed a pass into the box. Jones headed the
ball to substitute forward Chris Wondolowski, who was standing unmarked at the
far post. But Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois closed Wondolowski down
quickly, and the shot sailed over the target. Reflecting afterwards,
Wondolowski neatly captured
the situation: “It is a fickle game.”
