USA-England: Exhausted, Relieved, and Content

After waiting half a year for USA-England and listening to all the hype and build up, it was a relief when Saturday's Group C opener finally kicked off.  90 minutes of brow furrowing, yelling, clapping, and cheering later, I was absolutely exhausted but, most importantly, very content.  The 1-1 draw was a good result, a great one even, but not a euphoria-inducing outcome.  With that being said, my post-match mental state was mostly one of relief (though, don't get me wrong, there were a number of smug Englishmen that I know that I couldn't wait to talk to); it was as if I could finally just relax and enjoy the US' World Cup campaign, rather than anticipate a single match that in the end counts just as much as the other two in the standings. 

Though the English press is having a field day with Robert Green's miscue, the 1-1 draw was a fair result, with both sides blowing some chances to add to their total.  And while the US players' ability to go toe-to-toe with England's finest might not have been overly surprising, how many would have thought that it'd be Bob Bradley that would get the best of the coaching battle?  Both he and Fabio Capello took chances with their selections, but it was the Italian who was soon scrambling to correct his lineup.  Bradley has taken plenty of flak from US fans and pundits alike for his tactics, but there's no denying that the man does his homework and understands where his players are at.  That's what allowed him to cut Charlie Davies, that's what allowed him to select Robbie Findley, and that's what allowed him to make a smart decision about Oguchi Onyewu on Saturday.  Capello, meanwhile, was the one grasping for straws, starting a sick, out-of-form James Milner and a gimpy Ledley King before making two substitutions in 46 minutes to patch up those weak spots, ultimately leaving him handcuffed in the latter stages of the match. 

Bradley may have been a little slow to get Stuart Holden on, which finally allowed a visibly tired Clint Dempsey to slide up front, but all in all he coached his team up very well, using his defensive style to stifle Wayne Rooney to the point that the Manchester United forward was dropping back to midfield to get some touches on the ball.  The US' offensive approach was also fairly successful in maintaining decent spells of possession, if not finding the back of the net.  The purposefully narrow midfield coupled with effective jaunts forward by Cherundolo and Bocanegra helped create a numbers advantage in the middle of the park and allowed the Yanks to knock the ball around for stretches of time, taking air out of the English attack (and giving the US defense a break) while also creating a handful of good scoring opportunities.  This was a replica of their approach against Turkey a couple of weeks ago, and it was again a key contributor to obtaining a favorable result.

So kudos to Bob, who has once again showed us his propensity for game planning against a world-class opponent.  Whether you love him or hate him in-game, it's hard to deny that Bob does the work off of the field to prepare his team and maximize their chances of success.  With that being said, there are still at least two more matches left for the Yanks that will likely go a long way to shaping Bradley's USMNT legacy, so we'll just have to wait and see if he can continue to perform at the necessary level. 

Of course, though, a coach can only do so much, as the players on the field ultimately need to execute any plan that is put in place.  Tim Howard and company did not disappoint, rebounding from Steven Gerrard's early goal to shut down the Three Lions' attack.  I'll be the first to admit that I got a little nervous when Oguchi Onyewu got caught in no man's land on the opening goal, thinking that a lack of match experience was the culprit and that it could potentially come back to haunt the US once again.  Thankfully, that first goal was just a blip on the radar, as both Gooch and the rest of the defense tightened things up from that point on. 

Onyewu looked like his old self, winning countless aerial battles, making several well-timed lunging challenges, and even sprinting back well to put out a couple of fires.  Jay DeMerit, meanwhile, again rose to the occasion against a top-notch striker, helping contain Wayne Rooney to the point that you really didn't see the England star with many threatening offensive plays.  DeMerit, who will not be returning to Watford next season, gave his stock a nice boost ahead of the summer window with his performance on Saturday.

I have long been an advocate of Steve Cherundolo, and the Hannover right back once again proved his worth.  His 1 v. 1 defense was stellar throughout the match, shutting down both James Milner and Shaun Wright-Phillips, while his offensive play helped force the aforementioned substitution and added several good crosses in the attacking third.  Tim Howard, meanwhile, was the same world-class keeper we've come to know and love this cycle, making huge stops when called upon.

I could go on and on about each player, all of whom turned in good performances, but for brevity's sake I'll resist the urge.  And you may disagree with that last sentence, but when it comes down to it, everyone from Ricardo Clark to Robbie Findley to Carlos Bocanegra did their part in this so-called "1-1 win".  Though every player had their occasional miscue or misstep, there was always someone there to cover up, whether it was Howard making a breakaway save or Clark clearing a dangerous ball from the box.  It was just a great team performance all-around that got the job done.  The defense might not have been perfect, but when you consider the opponent, it was a praise-worthy performance in my book. 

That's not to say that it wasn't without its flaws; England's goal was the result of some pretty porous defending, and there certainly a number of attacks that sputtered because of unforced errors.  Ideally, the US will learn from those mistakes and minimize them next time around.  But for now, I'm just going to enjoy the fact that everything worked out in the end thanks to some grit, hustle, desperation defending, and preparation.  We were playing with house money on Saturday; as the underdogs, any positive result was a bonus.  So color me pleased that the US did walk away with a point and still have a realistic shot of finishing atop Group C when all is said and done. 

Now, the focus shifts to Slovenia, against whom I expect a lineup change or two.  The US will be on the opposite end of the expectations this time around, entering the match as the favorites against a team that would probably be content with a draw.  Let's hope that their up to the challenge once again.