Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Great start
The US was able to triumph over TNT (Trinidad and Tobago) in their first World Cup "hexagonal" qualification match today. There are 6 teams left, and the top 3 automatically go into the World Cup. The 4th needs to win a play-off with an Asian team to make it.
The final score was 2-1, with the 1 TNT goal coming right before the 90th minute. It seemed to be a solid effort all around, although the back line could have done a bit better as Keller was forced to make a good number of saves. Youngster Eddie Johnson scored, a good sign for the future. While a win over TNT seems like an expected result, consider this:
- The US drew at TNT in the 2002 qualifying. So they are already 2 points ahead of the game from last time;
- The US only won one game on the road in the 2002 qualifying;
- TNT is a tough place to play. The field was beat up from Carnivale just ending, and it being a cricket field. TNT uses Belichick-like tactics, keeping the grass short and the dirt patches plentiful, to maximize the team speed.
- The US, because of the labor dispute, hasn't really played together in some time. They used a lot of players who play in Europe right now to make sure they were fit, but the team chemistry couldn't have been at its best.
The magic number in 2002 was 17 points. That is what both the 2nd and 3rd place teams put up in 10 games to qualify. I'd say 16 points really will be enough to qualify. With 3 points on the board, and all five home games remaining, the US is looking good. They remain the favorites to take the group.
Next match: @ Mexico, on Easter Sunday. Should be wild.
The final score was 2-1, with the 1 TNT goal coming right before the 90th minute. It seemed to be a solid effort all around, although the back line could have done a bit better as Keller was forced to make a good number of saves. Youngster Eddie Johnson scored, a good sign for the future. While a win over TNT seems like an expected result, consider this:
- The US drew at TNT in the 2002 qualifying. So they are already 2 points ahead of the game from last time;
- The US only won one game on the road in the 2002 qualifying;
- TNT is a tough place to play. The field was beat up from Carnivale just ending, and it being a cricket field. TNT uses Belichick-like tactics, keeping the grass short and the dirt patches plentiful, to maximize the team speed.
- The US, because of the labor dispute, hasn't really played together in some time. They used a lot of players who play in Europe right now to make sure they were fit, but the team chemistry couldn't have been at its best.
The magic number in 2002 was 17 points. That is what both the 2nd and 3rd place teams put up in 10 games to qualify. I'd say 16 points really will be enough to qualify. With 3 points on the board, and all five home games remaining, the US is looking good. They remain the favorites to take the group.
Next match: @ Mexico, on Easter Sunday. Should be wild.
# posted by Darlucky @ 4:49 PM 
