U.S. Men’s National Team v. Belgium, Salvador, Brazil, 7.1.14

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 31^st 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 82^nd 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.”