USA-Spain Review

            

 

 

 

 

 It was truly a tale of two halves in Santander.  The USA went stride to stride with Spain in the first half, and they were a step slow in the second half.             

Patches of good play for each team marked the first forty-five minutes.  Spain established itself early, passing the ball around the back looking for holes in the US defense.  Spain found little success in this approach, as the US ran hard and limited Spain to two legitimate chances.  The US had spells of possession that resulted in good opportunities, but failed to make their good chances count.  Eddie Johnson ran past Carles Puyol, and shot at Casillas who put the ball out for a corner.  The few US supporters at the game thought the US had gone ahead when Freddy Adu played a ball into the path of Johnson who coolly chipped Casillas.  However, the dream start was not to be, as the replay showed Johnson was just offside.  Bob Bradley had to be happy with a 0-0 halftime score.           

The second half began with Adu making way for Beasley, and Hejduk replacing Cherundolo.  Whether it was the tired legs or something else, the US was not the same team in the second half.  The US began to bunker in early in the second half, and would live to rue the decision.  Spain possessed the ball without pressure within 30 yards of the goal.  Things became increasingly dangerous for the US as legs began to tire.  The US mustered one chance in the second half when Eddie Lewis crossed a ball in for Eddie Johnson who headed wide.  All Johnson needed to do was to put it on goal, but his header was wide and the domination of possession by Spain continued.  Xavi came close when his free kick from 25 yards banged off Brad Guzan’s crossbar.  However, Xavi was not to be denied.  He took a pass, made a nifty move by the first defender, ran by a flat-footed Oguchi Onyewu, and finished in clinical fashion.  Johnson had the final opportunity, but Casillas stopped his shot and Spain was the victor.             

The US found some success against a very good team, but faded at the end.  It was a great learning experience for the Yanks, and there were many positives that can be taken from the game.  Freddy Adu made his second international start, and he was the most dynamic player on the field.  Eddie Johnson was fed great balls for the entirety of the first half from Adu.  All balls going forward went to the feet of Adu, and he made good use of it.  He began most of the Yank’s opportunities, and was the sole source of creativity.  Bob Bradley needs to get Adu in the regular lineup for the US after his fantastic performance against Spain.

  Another thing that went well for the US was Maurice Edu partnering with Michael Bradley in the center midfield.  Edu controlled the ball well and allowed Bradley to get up the field and feed Adu.  Bob Bradley needs to allow Michael Bradley to get forward, and if Edu lets that happen, then he should play alongside Bradley.

  I understand that many of the US players just finished club seasons, but so did the Spanish players. Spain was constantly hustling to balls, and played hard and fast for 90 minutes.  The US played well for 55, and then Spain ran all over them.  To compete against the world’s best, you cannot play for just 55 minutes and expect to gain a result. 

 Overall, the US played well, but could not sustain their high level of play.  When the US play as well as they did against Spain, they can compete with the best.  That fact was proven in Santander.