USMNT and Coach Klinsmann Have a Good Outing !

by Kevin McCrudden

The USMNT had a good result against Mexico last night 1-1. The first half was all Mexico and they probably could have been up by 2 or 3 goals, but the second half was equally controlled by the US men and they too could have had 2 or 3.

So, a 1-1 draw was a representative score for this game. Mexico won the first half 1-0 and the US won the second half 1-0.

Coach Klinsmann had some interesting choices on the field and promised to be more proactive. This was certainly the case in the second half. The first half however, was more of the same US soccer. Defensively uncertain and unable to mark tightly and quickly. Mexico continuously beat our defenders with through balls off the run. Our defense is either not reading the flow of play well enough or actually marking too closely, because we seem to not recover quickly enough when a through ball is pushed past us.

Offensively, we continue to lack flair, pace and the ability to put defenders on the defensive. We have some "horses" up front and young athletic strikers that must learn how to take men on and beat them. we are just not dangerous enough to make defenders respect us.

The second half provided glimpses of brilliance. Aguadella, Shea and Donovan looked great! Donovan in particular had flashes of brilliance, but he is not necessarily our # 10 playmaker. His speed and ability to beat defenders on the outside was apparent in the second half, but he does not control the middle of the field and distribute the flow of the game the way a #10 needs to. Who will step up to be America's Playmaker? Who is our Messi? Will Klinsmann's coaching and guidance make our strikers better attackers and Donovan a better player and leader in the center of the field?

Time will tell, but last night was an interesting start.