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The United States Men’s National Team cruised to a 2-0 victory over Panama in a friendly on Sunday afternoon in Carson, California. The U.S. men, currently ranked 27th in the FIFA World Rankings, was boosted by first-half goals from captain Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley to defeat the “Canalmen” (a hilarious and possibly offensive nickname our U.S. announcers used to describe the Panamanians), the 55th ranked team in the world.
It was a tumultuous week for the Yanks, as manager Jürgen Klinsmann had publicly criticized the lads for their fitness levels following a disappointing 3-2 friendly loss to Chile. Sparring with the media and former players (as usual), Klinsmann stuck to his guns and said that his players’ fitness levels needed to improve and even suggested that MLS move to an 11 month season in order to assist. The Yanks had also failed to win their last five matches (and had only won one of the previous nine), so with this match concluding the January training camp, it was essential that the U.S. come out swinging and put on a good performance.
The U.S. squad, made up almost entirely of MLS players (plus Tottenham’s DeAndre Yedlin), came out in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Jozy Altidore up top. Altidore was effective in the first half and was able to hold up play with his back to the goal on counterattacks, an element that the U.S. sorely lacked when Altidore was injured during last year’s World Cup.
The match also was another opportunity for midfielder-turned-center back Jermaine Jones to work on his central partnership with Matt Besler. Jones, who will still play in midfield with the New England revolution, looked solid in his new role, and worked together with Brek Shea to deny a goalscoring opportunity for the Panamanians in the first half when forward Blas Perez was through on goal.
Yedlin was a mixed bag for the United States, showcasing his blazing speed down the flanks, but also looked overwhelmed at times on defense. It was clear to see both why he has generated so much hype and why he still has a ways to go in terms of his development before he can be considered a top-notch left back. Yedlin was forced to exit the match due to injury in the second half, but was able to walk off the pitch under his own power, so hopefully it is nothing serious.
20,271 rabid American fans were in attendance at the StubHub Center, the home of the LA Galaxy (Photo: Twitter)
Michael Bradley opened the scoring in the 27th minute directly off a corner kick. Bradley’s kick made its way through the Panamanian defenders and beat keeper Jaime Penedo (the starting keeper for MLS champion LA Galaxy) on the far side of the goal. Jozy Altidore attempted to claim credit for the goal by alleging it took a glance off his head, but replays show that the credit is entirely Bradley’s. By scoring directly from a corner, Bradley achieved the extremely rare feat of scoring an “Olympic Goal,” a most unusual of accomplishments. The goal was Bradley’s 13th international goal.
Ten minutes later, Dempsey doubled the United States' lead following a counterattack. LA Galaxy’s Gyasi Zardes, a revelation in this match, put an incredible ball through to an onrushing Dempsey, who went around Penedo, and tapped the ball home to give the U.S. a commanding 2-0 lead with his 40th goal for the United States. Only Landon Donovan (57) has scored more goals for the U.S. than Dempsey.
The U.S. made a series of changes for the second half, bringing on Chicago Fire’s Sean Johnson in goal and Chris Wondolowski for Jozy Altidore up front. Wondolowski, who famously scuffed a chance in the World Cup match against Belgium that could have sent the U.S. to the quarterfinals, replicated the feat in this match, as he whiffed on a golden opportunity to give the U.S. its third goal in the 68th minute following an brilliant cross from Brek Shea.
Despite their opportunities, the U.S. was unable to break through and score another goal, but unlike previous friendlies, their defense held up in the second half and kept the clean sheet. Panama had few serious scoring chances throughout the match and Klinsmann will have to be pleased with the defensive effort.
Overall, it was a solid, if not spectacular, performance by the United States. It was a much-needed win following its recent drought, but the U.S. was a bit careless in front of goal in the second half and they easily could have scored 4 or 5 goals had their finishing been more clinical. The squad might be able to get away with that type of nonchalance against Panama, but as we saw in Brazil, it will have to be prepared to capitalize on every opportunity against the upper-echelon countries. They had a lot of success on long balls and Altidore’s return provides them with the type of striker that can hold up play and allow the other players to get forward on counterattacks, which is likely how the U.S. will have to play against the more talented teams.
As the U.S. breaks its training camp and its players get ready to join up with their MLS squads, they are able to do so with a win, which is always beneficial. The USMNT will next play a friendly in Denmark against the Danes on March 25th as it continues to prepare for this summer’s Gold Cup competition. Until then, we’ll have to watch our boys on their club teams when the MLS season begins in early March.
Follow Mike Smith on Twitter @thefootiegent
