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MOTD- USMNT 2-0 Azerbaijan: Live Report

By on May 27, 2014

There are undoubtedly many reasons why the US Men’s National Team struggled tonight to break down Azerbaijan, the 85-ranked team in the world.  In part it was because The Yanks’ captain Clint Dempsey had to withdraw from the lineup at the last minute due to a groin injury. Dempsey was replaced by Chris Wondolowski, who, for all his talent, was poorly coordinated with Jozy Altidore, constantly finding himself checking in for the same balls and making the same runs as his partner up front. Another problem was their disjointed defense. But is seemed as if US Soccer’s decision to host the match at Candlestick Park in San Francisco ahead of Stanford Stadium (due to costs) hurt as well. The stadium is about to be torn down for a reason; the cold SF temperature was in the fifties, Fahrenheit, but in wind tunnel-like Candlestick it felt much colder. It was no wonder the side, which had been training in the sunny heat of Silicon Valley for two weeks prior to the game, looked heavy-legged.

It’s not as if the US hasn’t played in the cold before, remember their World Cup qualifying match against Costa Rica in a blizzard, but it will certainly not prepare them for the heat and humidity of Brazil.

Also deterred by the cold was the atmosphere at Candlestick. Not only was the top level of the stadium completely empty, but the lower levels weren’t sold out either. The crowd numbered less than 29,000 fans, and it wasn’t as if those not at the match missed much action. Though there was a fast-paced start to the match, as Wondolowski saw two early headers saved by Azerbaijan goalkeeper Kamran Aghayev, one straight at the goalkeeper while the other forcing a magnificent save, the US played down to the pace of Azerbaijan.

Almost all of the play was in the Azerbaijan half, yet the US could not break down their opponents’ physical, but less skillful, defense. Jurgen Klinsmann’s side was forced to attack through the wings, instead of the middle, and Michael Bradley was solely holding the ship together much of the time. Only when Omar Gonzalez, Timothy Chandler, and Brad Davis were brought on at halftime, did things change.

The Yanks, while still below par, at least created a handful of chances following the three halftime substitutions. Bradley curled a free-kick inches over the crossbar two minutes into the second period, before blasting a twenty-yard effort over ten minutes later. Altidore then whipped a volley from the edge of the area well over, but the US still couldn’t break the Azerbaijan defense firmly parked in front of their own goal. And certainly, if they ended their training camp at Stanford with a 0-0 draw to Azerbaijan, Germany, Portugal, and Ghana would not be given much to fear from the US at the World Cup.

Finally, though, the US took the lead. Seventy-five minutes in the Group G World Cup team launched a long free-kick into the box, and after a short period of ping-pong in the box, Bradley had his low volley cleared off the goal-line, the ball fell to Mikkel Diskerud, and the forward tapped it home from close range. It wasn’t the most beautiful of goals, but it at least saved the US from the embarrassment of a draw.

Aron Johannsson capped the win off with a second goal, heading an eighty-seventh minute corner into the top right corner after losing his marker, yet even that cannot fully mask an overall disappointing performance from the US.  It was not a performance that supported Klinsmann’s decision to leave Landon Donovan off his 23-man World Cup squad, nor was it a performance likely to earn the US even a single win next month in Brazil.

At least they have time to prove themselves in the two more friendlies they are set to play before the World Cup.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.