Team USA pulls away from Trinidad & Tobago.

I only got to watch the second half of this one, but what I saw was enjoyable. Where did Jozy Altidore come from?

After sitting on the bench for European clubs during most of the season, the 19-year-old became the youngest American with an international hat trick, leading the United States over Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday night.

Making just his fourth international start, Altidore connected in the 13th, 71st and 89th minutes, all three times off passes from Landon Donovan. He also scored as a substitute in the 77th minute last Saturday to start the U.S. comeback from a two-goal deficit in a 2-2 tie at El Salvador.

While the US controlled most of the game, a couple of things bothered me. First, they could not finish a few build-ups that I thought were going to be sure fire goals. Second, at times, especially on quick counters, the defense seemed suspect (maybe out of position), often playing from behind to make a last second tackle or block.

On a positive side, the US did recover nicely after the El Salvador let down. When Donovan had the ball, he looked strong, creating opportunities for others (assists on all three Altidore goals).

Next up is a road challenge at Costa Rica (June 3). The US still heads the CONCACAF table by a point, and has the best goal differential at +5.

Share

Team USA escapes El Salvador. Heads CONCACAF table.

The US got extremely lucky last night, getting goals in the 76th and 87th minutes to pull even with a 2-2 draw against El Salvador. Not sure if this was a case of extremely poor play, looking past a clearly over matched opponent, shaky play in the opposition’s stadium, or some combination of the above. At any rate, escaping with a tie was much better than the alternative. The end result is that Team USA now sits at the top of the CONCACAF table with a one point margin over Mexico and Costa Rica.

Next up, Wednesday night (April 1) is Trinidad & Tobago. Team USA should take care of business, and control of the CONCACAF table as an early favorite to advance to the 2010 World Cup.

Share