By Ridge Mahoney in Port of Spain, Trinidad
The day after Carnival is known as Cooldown, and on an afternoon heavily laden with oppressive Caribbean heat that is what the U.S. did to the World Cup hopes of its hosts.
It will take an incredible away performance in the 2005 Hexagonal for the Americans to match this 2-1 victory. A nation still quivering from several delirious days of frantic celebration watched in dismay as its determined, passionate team fell short in tactical smarts and physical demands.
A first half largely controlled by the U.S. yielded another entry in the amazing goalscoring run of Eddie Johnson, and only after Eddie Lewis nailed a veering arrow into the corner for a 2-0 lead did the U.S. show signs of wilting.
The left flank buckled sufficiently deep into regulation time that Angus Eve snuck round the corner and victimized Kasey Keller from a bad angle but the staunch defending that had enabled the Americans to withstand most of T&TÆs attacks rode out the final minutes.
Coach Bruce Arena deployed Carlos Bocanegra at left back and paired Cory Gibbs and Eddie Pope in the middle. The U.S. back four moved well as a unit but on a field so wide preventing service from the flanks simply wasnÆt possible.
The Trinidadians didnÆt exploit their opportunities in the air as efficiently as did the U.S., thanks to yeoman work by Gibbs and Pope and Keller against a fleet of athletic attackers — Stern John, Cornell Glen, Kenwyne Jones — and so stretched was the Soca Warriors defense that far more of the chances fell to the Americans.
Those balls that were won in the air by T&T defenders didnÆt always defuse the situation. Pablo Mastroeni drove a first-time shot from a Marvin Andrews half-clearance that Hislop adroitly tipped over the bar and another poorly cleared ball allowed Donovan to sneak in and rip a low shot into the side-netting.
Carlos Edwards provided T&T with its best chance of the first half by whipping in a free kick that Dwight Yorke headed at goal. Keller left his feet yet saved comfortably. A Yorke header at the tail end of the first half forced a flailing Keller to tip it over the bar, but Yorke had crunched Gibbs to reach the cross from Leslie Fitzpatrick and Mexican referee Benito Archundia whistled the foul.
An earlier header by John carried less sting, especially when contrasted with JohnsonÆs powerful dispatch on the half-hour of a Cherundolo cross that skipped past T&T keeper Shaka Hislop before he could move.
By shifting Beasley inside, the U.S. left acres of space for Cherundolo to push forward, and no one hindered Johnson as he scored his sixth goal in just four U.S. appearances. Already he is tied for third on the all-time U.S. goalscoring list in qualifying play, trailing only Brian McBride and Earnie Stewart.
On the second U.S. goal, the chance again stemmed from the right flank; this time Johnson was the catalyst on the dribble. He ran the ball into the box and laid it square for Donovan. Donovan played it square again for Lewis to smash left-footed high to HislopÆs left from 23 yards.
It was a truly brilliant finish to a move that encapsulated the U.S. attacking strategy: Play the ball crisply forward and wide to keep the opponents shifting and sliding. Lewis, though, scarcely celebrated as his teammates rejoiced, for his heavy work on that side left him deeply drained. He would last only another few minutes and not long after his departure T&T substitutes Cornell Glen and Eve prized open that flank with dribbles and runs aimed at Bocanegra.
Fitzpatrick also found room behind Cherundolo, who didnÆt always have enough cover to secure the vast spaces of a surface at least 80 yards wide. The robust T&T midfielder had leveled Cherundolo in the opening minute and their mano-a-mano duels were among this sagaÆs more riveting subplots.
Eve had started the second half in the middle in place of Rougier, whose efforts to click with strikers John and Jones often broke down, since Yorke proved to be a pale shadow of retired playmaker Russell Latapy (a.k.a ôThe Magicianö). His ponderous touches and mistimed balls into space strangled T&TÆs attacks; better results were garnered when Fitzpatrick, Edwards and Eve got the ball in wide positions.
Jones seldom troubled the U.S. but once balls were played into the feet of John and Glen, a second and even a third defender were needed to scrape the ball away. Pope bailed out Gibbs after SternÆs turn had opened up a sliver of space, and substitute Clint Dempsey tracked back to clear with both Pope and Gibbs converging on Glen.
The hard, bone-dry field not only cranked up the pace — balls played low skimmed like flat rocks side-armed over still water — it generated dozens of slips and stumbles. Marlon Rojas faked Beasley off his feet, then skidded himself trying to whip the ball up the flank.
T&T deserved its goal, fluky or not. EveÆs low, driven ball from near the end line caromed into the net off KellerÆs right glove as Gibbs and John crashed the near post. Keller slumped in disgust at the only blemish of an otherwise flawless game; heÆd punched away a rising blast from Glen and stood his ground to block after Fitzpatrick strolled unattended into the penalty area.
Keller handled cleanly and also came off the canvas after taking an eight count to shake off a fierce collision with John as they lunged to reach a corner flicked on by Andrews.
Hislop, too, frustrated his foes. His save from Mastroeni, a sliding block on Donovan, and a reflex save of a remarkable effort by McBride to turn a ball nearly out of play onto the frame were all top-class.
Some of DonovanÆs best work occurred off the ball. His harassment and pressure stifled many T&T attacks and early in the second half he chased a dribbling Eve right into the zone of Mastroeni, whose slide tackle snuffed the danger.
Dempsey replaced a tiring Mastroeni midway through the second half and in his only his second U.S. appearance the lanky Rev cleaned up debris and used his touches well. At this rate, it wonÆt be long before heÆs the best Clint on this team.
Hexagonal 2005 started off much as the previous qualifying round unfolded: No home team won on Game Day 1. The wait Game Day 2, from Ash Wednesday to Easter, will delight the devout on either side of the border: those great rivals both have one road win already tucked away.
The most forbidding fortress in CONCACAF awaits the Americans, yet fear it they will not.