A red card 3 minutes in and a Nigerian team playing loose and aggressive combined to deny the US the draw it needed, and ended a promising Olympic campaign by the Americans. (Official recap.) The Nigerians were a fun team to watch. It would be nice to see how we'd fare 11 v11 for 90 minutes. The match was a microcosm of the troubles faced by the US in the tourney: poor decision-making at inopportune times, making worthless fouls that gain us little and cost us much, and not being able to mentally adapt to the changing dynamic on the field. It also showed that the US players are better technically than their forbears, can maintain possession and create chances against their international opponents, and are just a few tweaks away from making great strides on the international stage.
Overall the US did much better than I thought they would, and showed promise for the future of the full USMNT. They overcame listlessness to win their opening game, were seconds away from clinching their group in their second game, and held up well down a man when facing a relentless Nigerian attack. The coaching was adequate, but I think there are better choices for this age group.
As for the hometown connection, Stuart Holden was one of the bright spots of the team, showing composure defensively and creativity offensively. He looked like the guy McBride wanted to work with the most on field. His singular moments were the winning goal versus Japan, the dangerous run late versus the Netherlands that nearly got us the clinching insurance goal, and the unfortunate foul outside the box that gave the Netherlands the free kick in the dying moments that would deny us the win. At least he wasn't the one who jumped in the wall.
Ianni didn't see any field time, unfortunately. We only saw him in the post-goal celebrations.
And best of all, both players are uninjured and ready to return to help the commented on the Olympic Village, and his thoughts turned to the dining situation: Although we weren't able to sit together, it did give us a chance to mingle with some of the other athletes from other countries, which was pretty cool. I don't remember the names of the people I spoke with, but they were French track athletes and I was able to speak French with them. It went actually pretty well, and they obviously were big soccer fans. I also talked to a few Russian wrestlers, who I'm pretty sure I could take (kidding guys...good luck on a medal!).
He also mentioned that heroomed with Charles Davies, who subbed in for Stu in the 77th minute of the Nigerian match today.
In the same blog, Brad Guzan talked about the opening ceremonies and how POTUS recognized Stuie. Then we got to meet President Bush. I had never met him before but apparently Stuart is best friends with him. He walked down and took a group photo and met with all the athletes, which was pretty cool. He got to our team and Peter introduced him first to Brian and then to some of the other guys. He got to Stuart and President Bush did kind of a double-take and said "we've met before!" Oh, sorry Stu. I didn't know you and the President were so close!
Ives had some nice reflections on the pivotal draw with the Netherlands:
No, the U.S. team's comeback and 2-1 lead were no fluke, the Americans outplayed the Dutch for 65 of minutes. There was no bunkering, no hitting and hoping. The U.S. team moved the ball around, created quality chances and defended well for a majority of the game. It was a quality performance made more impressive by the fact that it came a Dutch team regarded as a medal favorite, and a Dutch team that came into the match needing a result...
What the Americans were guilty of on Sunday was not being used to a situation like that, beating a high-level opponent and knowing how to finish them off. The Dutch were a beaten team and ripe to be finished off, but the U.S. team didn't have the experience to do it. You only develop that killer instinct by putting yourself in those situations regularly, something we just might see if this young and strong generation of American talent continues to develop.
Grant Wahl loves the Olympics and he loves soccer, but he doesn't like Olympic soccer. That's mainly due to the ruling that clubs can hold onto their stars who would otherwise represent their countries. If the clubs can reject Olympic call-ups for their players, I think that should apply only to players who are older than U-23. I think clubs should be forced to release players who are U-23.
In US Open Cup news, the Charlestown Battery, the USL team that knocked the Dynamo out of the Cup, won their semifinal match versus Seattle in PKs. They'll face DC United in the final. DC is the presumed favorite, of course, but it would be kind of cool if the Battery capped off their Cinderella run by earning the trophy. That'd earn them some CONCACAF Champions League matches too, I believe. I'm just glad New England isn't going to repeat. They've got their SuperLiga trophy, that's enough for them this season.
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