Even though St. Vincent and the Grenadines took a 1-0 lead over the US Men’s National Team very early in the game, the USMNT got it together and pulled away to a 6-1 win with goals from five different players. “We train the same, we work hard, and obviously for me, [Friday] is a big night because us as a team, we want to get off to a good start in this qualifying campaign”.
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Altidore and Zardes combined to procure the fifth just before the hour as the gap continued to widen.
United States’ Bobby Wood (18) challenges St. Vincent and the… If Klinsmann is going to be The Guy, he needs to win the next two games and win them demonstratively.
Jurgen Klinsmann has displayed a winning touch and an ability to get the most out of his players since becoming usa national team coach in 2011. While T&T is a far better team and the game will played in a less than stellar surface, the USMNT should still be able to win. The US won its first World Cup qualifier of the new cycle, 6-1, thanks to 83% possession and excellent set piece routines. And soon. When asked if the game against a weaker team was an opportunity to test out new formations-to see how Johnson at midfield worked-the coach said that it was nice to have the option but that it was more a reaction to St. Vincent’s defensive formation. Add to that the loss by the under-23 team in the semifinals of the Olympic qualifying tournament, putting its spot there in jeopardy, and things are not good. Darlington Nagbe, a winger from the Portland Timbers who was born in Liberia, and Matt Miazga, the NY Red Bulls defender who could have played for Poland, both played in this match which means they can now only feature for the USMNT moving forward. Miazga, 20, also was eligible to play for Poland before Friday.
Looking at the USA roster, three defenders stand out. “A little bit of nerves, but that’s normal”.
The match began with a moment of silence for the victims of the coordinated terror attacks in Paris.
The match was played before 43,433 fans at the home of baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals.
The team does need to move on from the past, and Klinsmann is more than willing to take steps to make this happen. Panama, Haiti, Guatemala and Trinidad & Tobago are much improved. Other forwards on the roster include Jozy Altidore, Alan Gordon, Bobby Wood, Gyasi Zardes and Jordan Morris.
As the half-hour mark approached, Johnson stepped up to the ball after Jozy Altidore earned a unsafe free kick just outside the SVG 18. Altidore got a deflection to score his second goal of the game in the 74th.
Wood set up Cameron’s third worldwide goal on a looping header in the 51st minute following a corner kick, Zardes ran in alone to beat goalkeeper Kenyan Desmond in the 58th minute off Altidore’s pass, and Altidore scored the final goal with a left-footed shot following Jones’ pass.
Jones came off in the 84th after grabbing the back of his left leg, then re-entered and finished the match.
As much as it pains me to say the cliched, “Don’t look ahead to your next opponent”, that’s basically what I’m doing here, and largely what I expect Klinsmann to do as well.
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“I think sometimes it’s more about not telling them too much”, goalkeeper Tim Howard, who watched from the bench on Friday but stands to make his 30th qualifying start Tuesday night, said.
