USA vs Italy
The Confederations Cup, in all it’s glory, has begun.
Team USA had their first test today against one of the best teams in the world, defending World Cup champion, Italy.
Final result Italy 3 – USA 1
It goes without saying that seeing a result like that, one might expect me to be upset or angry. On the contrary, I came into this tournament expecting the worst (especially after the last three world cup qualifiers the U.S. has played).
In fact, I was quite happy watching the first half of the match. The Americans went up against a world power and went step-for-step with them. Excellent.
The most important moment of the entire game was the straight red-card to Ricardo Clark. Let’s be honest, he didn’t deserve a straight red for that tackle, but I have to be fair, and Ricardo Clark is and always has been a liability at the top level. (It’s been over a year since the last soccerisfutbol post, but go read previous posts, you’ll find this same issue with Clark repeated numerous times!). The challenge was a desperation challenge in a part of the field where there was absolutely no need for any hard tackle. There was no breakaway about to happen and there was cover, plenty of it. Clark is a good player, but his sending off ruined the U.S. chances – yes, we scored after going down a man, but there was just too much time to be forced to play 10 vs 11 against the defending world champs, it killed us in the 2nd half, and due to lack of talent at the coaching level killed any chance we had after scoring the goal (more on this in a later post).
After the red card, the U.S team rallied and played some magnificent soccer which eventually led to a bit of individual skill from Benny Feilhaber finding Jozy Altidore with a great diagonal ball. Altidore then turned in his own piece of individual brilliance by cutting inside and making Giorgio Chiellini look foolish. Chiellini was forced to foul and the ever present Landon Donovan buried the PK for a 1-0 lead.
The boys in white went into the half with the lead, and the momentum, but that was soon to change, as a grand master tactician, Marcello Lippi went to work.
The tactical changes he made at halftime had an immediate impact on the play of the Italians. They had more time and space to work with, and this wasn’t due in part to the U.S being a man down. This was a tactical team change that enabled the Italians to create more opportunity for themselves and those around them. Within minutes, the Americans were lost and coach Bob Bradley panicked (ok, to be fair, the U.S wasn’t lost and Bradley didn’t panic. More like, the U.S. started getting beat, and Bradley went to what the “U.S. book of soccer coaching says to do in that moment” – but in essence, lost and panicked are the right words to use).
The U.S started playing in their own half, playing defensively and holding out for the win or a tie. Lippi noticed immediately when this happened and then stuck in the dagger, bringing on two, talented young attackers – Giuseppi Rossi and Riccardo Montolivo for two older midfield players Gennaro Gattuso and Mauro Camoranesi respectively. In fact, JP Dellacamera, of the moronic duo of Dellacamera and John Harkes, calling the game for ESPN was so astute in his shocked statement of “That’s a surprise!” when Gattuso, one of Italy’s team leaders and, wait for it, DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER’s came off for, wait for it again, STRIKER Giuseppi Rossi. Gattuso is the midfield enforcer, he breaks up plays, he gets in attackers way, he fouls at the right times, he does the dirty work. There was absolutely no reason for him to remain the field once the U.S. started playing in their defensive shield. His style of play no longer served a purpose.
Now, with all the raw attacking talent Italy had on the field all they had to do was force a mistake and capitalize. And they didn’t have to wait long. Rossi nipped the ball away from Feilhaber who held the ball a bit too long at his feet and proceeded to drive straight down the middle of the field, unchallenged, until hitting a 25 yard bomb that sailed into the upper corner. 1-1.
Minutes later, another failure to close down a player on defense led to another long shot hit low and found it’s way just inside the far post. 2-1.
Rossi capped off his night with a second beautiful goal late in the game. 3-1.
The U.S lost. But not for lack of effort, and not because they played poorly. They played well, very well. They lost because the level of individual skill from Italy was better than their individual skill. They lost because well intention Bob Bradley was outmatched and outwitted by a brilliant coach, Marcello Lippi.
All in all, I expected a result like that, and I’m happy to see the Americans play the way they did. A little more skill and better coaching…and who knows what might happen. Now the key is to find the consistency to play at that level or better game in game out. Something which has always been a problem in the past.
I’m dying to hear what you all think! Comments?
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