As Coach Thomas Rongen said, it took “grandes, grandes cojones,” for the U.S. U-20s to beat Uruguay, 2-1, in their second-round match Wednesday night (extended video highlights). Conceding a goal with about 15 minutes to go, the Americans did not lie down and roll over, rather, they stuck to their guns, focusing instead on what was working: pressing forward in search of set pieces.
Indeed, little else was clicking for the U-20s in Toronto on Wednesday. It was a tense and erratic display from both sides, which is precisely why the U.S. knew it could come back even though Uruguay had scored in the 73rd minute. At that moment, said 18-year-old captain Freddy Adu, “I told them that we might fall behind, but that we had to fight.” Ten minutes later, Michael Bradley found himself six yards from goal after a defensive scramble from a corner. Though his driven shot was saved, the U.S. still pressed forward. Three minutes after that, Adu won another corner. His center led to another scramble Danny Szetela guided his shot across the six-yard line, which the unfortunate Mathias Cardaccio redirected into his own net.
The decisive goal came in the 107th minute of extra time from yet another corner. Adu was again the man with the delivery, and yet another failed clearance from the Uruguayans came to Julian Valentin who knocked the ball forward to Bradley, who made certain this time. It was fitting that Bradley should score the winning goal; he was probably the best U.S. player on the field last night — certainly the most consistent. But most impressive was the way Americans played within themselves to achieve the victory. As Adu said, “We knew set plays would be decisive.”