Aug 07
USA 1-0 Japan: 6 Points to Think About
I’m thrilled right now. The US won their first game of the Olympics, against the opponent that undoubtedly is the easiest to beat. It wasn’t the most beautiful win, but we have 3 points out of a possible 3 points and that’s all that matters. We still have to play Nigeria and the Nedtherlands, but I think there’s a sunny outlook for these Olympics.
Marvel Wynne
The man is amazing. I didn’t think he was all that good in Olympic qualification but he is proving himself to be something else. Not only did he provide the service for the only goal, Japan couldn’t attack down the left flank, he completely shut them down. When they got a step on him, he ran them down, when there was a 50-50 ball, he muscled them off the ball. Wynne was man of the match for me, and I’m sure for most of you who watched the game.
Sacha Kljestan
Without a doubt, Sacha is an excellent player, but against Japan, he was disappointing. He too often gave away the ball, and his passing was not as crisp as it usually was. I’d like to see Benny Feilhaber start the next match, but Nowak might not want to change the lineup they used today.
Midfield
Bravo! With the exception of some errant Kljestan passes, the US midfield was exceptional. Stuart Holden and Robbie Rogers were great up the wings, and Michael Bradley was on top of his game. The level of comfort the midfield has developed showed in their quick passing and smart play. A great day for the US midfield.
Freddy Adu
What happened to Freddy? We were all touting him as one of our few offensive hopes, but he wasn’t that affective today. He had a few decent attempts, but none of them were anything special. When he got the ball, he had trouble beating defenders. To his credit however, he was subject to double teaming a lot, but when that happens you have to be willing and able to pass to the open teammate, Adu struggled with that today.
Defense
As a whole, a strong performance by the defense. They played as a group, and didn’t allow to many good chances. The Parkhurst-Edu team worked well, and most of the attacking play was forced to the wings because of their strong presence. Michael Orozco wasn’t great today, probably due to the fact he’s playing out of position, but he wasn’t a liability. He was strong and poised and didn’t allow too many players to go up the right flank.
Brian Mcbride
He didn’t really get involved too much. It was a little disappointing to see McBride not get many balls, but it is difficult playing forward by yourself. McBride certainly starts again next game, but the question for Peter Nowak is whether or not he brings Altidore in to give him some support.
What were your guys’ reactions to the game? Who impressed, Who disappointed? Any thoughts on the game go below.
August 7th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Adu really needs to step up if we are going to advance out of the group stage. He seemed to be trying to do too much, taking on multiple defenders and all around making poor decisions. When he had the ball in space he normally can beat at least one defender and get a shot or cross off, but that was not the case. He didn’t make quick enough decisions for me. But on the bright side, our playmaker didn’t have a good game and we still won. I’m looking for Freddy to bounce back strong from this.
August 7th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
One thing is for sure, he’ll be key to any success we have again the dutch. If he’s off, our offense will struggle like it did today. The thing that impressed me the most was the grit the defense had. It’s essentially a bare bone make shift defense and they were rock solid. two of the four are playing in positions they don’t play in regularly and they were all very good.
August 7th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
how and when do I watch the next game?
August 7th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
All the US games are on MSNBC and Universal HD, as well as the Olympic Soccer channel (available on some cable providers). You can also watch every game live on NBC.com and if you miss it, you can watch it in its entirety even after it’s over. The US plays the Nedtherlands sunday at 7:45 AM, and they play Nigeria on Wednesday at 5AM on MSNBC, Universal HD and Olympic Soccer Channel.
August 8th, 2008 at 12:55 am
Actually, the next two games, against the Netherlands and Nigeria are on the USA network instead of MSNBC. I totally agree with your assessment of Marvel Wynne. He completely dominated his side of the field and was to fast, to strong, and to powerful for the Japanese to handle. The midfield was definitely our strength during the game, with Rogers and Bradley taking control. However, i think the defense was shaky, especially during the fist half. Japan should have had two goals before the break and possibly two penalties after the break. Edu is a fine player, and has played center back effectively in the past, but he could have cost us the full three points twice. I think McBride did what he could with the service he was provided. As you mentioned, Adu was almost nonexistent in the cross-providing department. Rodgers, who made great runs at defenders all day, had the best opportunities to cross and often decided to take the ball towards the middle. Overall, it was great to get a win in the opening match and we played good enough to beat Japan. I do not think that performance was good enough to beat the Netherlands. One thing is for sure, if we wanna have a chance at the medal round, we have got to find a way to get Jozy Altidore on the field more.
There is nothing like watching the beautiful game at 4am!