Off Topic: US Men's National Team

That's soccer for you scrubs that don't know.

The US National Men's Team today defended their title as the Champion's of the Gold Cup, the tournament of North and Central America and the Caribbean. By winning the tournament, we are entered into the Confederations Cup in 2009. The ConFed Cup is played by the winner of the six FIFA Regional Tournaments, the World Cup winner, and the host country. The US has finished in third place twice in the ConFed Cup, in 1992 and 1999.

Now to the nitty-gritty. Through the tournament, the US looked sharp at times and a complete disaster at others. And as typical, the US was once again not sharp at finishing, which has always been our Achilles Heel. But our main problem throughout this tourney was our defensive lapses. I like Bocanegra back there, and Gooch is coming along, but anyone with speed on the wings (See: Mexico) gave us a ton of trouble.

In the Championship game, the US was playing our old rivals Mexico. Pretty much the only real rival the US has, playing against Mexico is always a big game for the US. It is, however, an even bigger game for El Tri (Mexico). So far this decade, the US is 8-0-1 on US soil against our border neighbors to the South. And going into the game Mexico had not scored on the US in 8 games.

However, in this game Mexico struck first, with a fairly easy goal from Guardado, off a pretty good run/cross from Castillo. Castillo, as would be the case most of the afternoon, was running circles around Gooch on the edge. I like Gooch and all, but dude isn't fast. There's a reason he's in the middle of the defense: He's slow and really tall. And he has a pretty big boot. (Stop snickering you perverts, it means he has a strong leg and can kick it real far. Juveniles...)

Early in the 2nd half, Brian Ching was awarded a penalty on a fantastic attempt at a turn-around shot inside the box. Landon Donovan scored on the penalty, coolly slotting it into the right side of the net as the Goalkeeper Sanchez stood frozen. The goal, Donovan's 34th in international play, ties him with Eric Wynalda for 1st all time in goals scored for the American side. Being as Donovan is only 25 years old, and is one the best players the US has ever produced, it's a safe bet he will surpass that amount. And soon.

The 2nd goal, about ten minutes after Donovan's PK, was a spectacular volley from Benny Feilhaber off a failed clearance by El Tri's defense. Feilhaber took a ball that traveled about 15 yards, and was probably 20 yards in the air, and blasted a one-timer into the top corner of the net, past the leaping GK Sanchez. It was one of the best goals i've ever seen made by a US player, and turned the tide of the game. Shortly thereafter, the Mexican goal-scorer Guardado and the US' Johnathan Spector were in a nasty-looking head-to-head collision going for a header. Guardado came back into the game, though afterwards was carted off on a stretcher with a neck brace. Spector looked completely dazed, and could barely walk or stand. I imagine he has a concussion and a pounding headache.

The combination of the second US goal and the Mexican Guardado not being the same after the collision killed any momentum El Tri had going, and in effect took them out of the game. From that point forward, until the last few minutes of the game, when Mexico was desperate for a goal, they looked out of synch and lacked the control and possession they had enjoyed much of the game. During this period, the US missed yet another chance to put away the game on a great counter-attack by Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley. In what was essentially a 2-on-0, with only the goalkeeper standing between them and the goal, Donovan played it perfectly, dribbling deep enough into the box to commit the GK, then slotting a perfect pass to Beasley on the far post from about 8 yards off. Beasley, with an open net, proceeded to clang the ball off the crossbar (A clanging noise heard often in the game from the US, with 3 balls going off posts), and rightfully so the look on his face was half disbelief and half sheepish.

Luckily for the US, the third goal was not necessary. With a 2-1 win, the US once again showed Mexico, and the World, who is the best team in their region. Mexico, for it's part, actually showed a little class and respect for the Americans. Custom after any international match is for players of the opposing teams to shake hands and swap jerseys. However, as is well-documented in the last decade, Mexico has repeatedly refused to take part in these post-game pleasantries with the US. But after the game today, there were a few Mexican players who swapped jersey's with the US, most notably Pavel Pardo swapping with Donovan. There was even, supposedly, one unidentified Mexican player who walked off the field with an American player arm around shoulder, a respect and sportsmanship not seen toward US from El Tri in many years.

Overall, it was a solid but still somehow lacking performance from the Americans. While they won, they still missed opportunities to bury a couple more goals. Tim Howard was once again nearly flawless in goal, the one goal against him was entirely the defense's fault, and not his. And he saved the Americans with a spectacular late save from point-blank range that he punched over the bar.

The US is doing as it should, kicking ass and taking names within its own region. Now they need to take that show abroad, and start showing the teams from South America and Europe that they are no longer a side to look past. While they head to South America this week for the Copa America, they are taking a very young team, with none of the traditional 'known' names in US Soccer like Donovan, Beasley, Bocanegra, Howard, Clint Dempsey, etc. I understand their want to get some rest for their main guys, who just finished winning their own tourney, but i would like to see how our new team stacks up against the likes of Argentina and Brazil.