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The United States Men’s National Team was always supposed to beat Haiti, the 79th ranked nation in the world. They should have beat Haiti like they should have beat Honduras, except even more so.
So when Friday night’s match in Foxborough, Massachusetts finished 1-0, it was hard to not feel a little let down. The result was a mediocrity, but luckily for us, the result was not the only thing that mattered.
The United States had a stellar start to its second half, and it is no coincidence that the team’s best run of play came immediately after Gyasi Zardes subbed in for Jozy Altidore.
Zardes was positive as soon as he touched the ball, driving it upfield. He eventually lost it cheaply, but the forward-thinking run was a sign of things to come. In the 47th minute, Zardes made a run into the 18 and touched the ball towards the end line where he pulled it back for Dempsey who finished neatly. 1-0, and reason to never leave Bardes out of the starting XI for the rest of the tournament.
And really, I am not picking on Jozy; he was terrible. There was a moment in the first half when he had a clear shot on goal if he was just willing to shoot with his left from 12 yards out. He wasn’t willing, and turned the ball inside. It completely killed the move, never mind that it led to an incorrectly called off goal.
Speaking of moves, this game was back and forth, and the majority of that was due to the willingness of the Haitians to counter. They did it all game long, and they did it well. After the first half, possession favored the US, but they were getting thoroughly outshot by a Haitian team that was living lavishing winning the ball back and immediately putting pressure on a back line that was often left to fend for itself.
Fox Sports’ Stuart Holden put it beautifully at halftime when he said that the United Sates was playing a 5-0-5 at times during the first 45, and that lack of balance across the field is what led to Haiti’s counter attacking freedom. The addition of Zardes on the left wing remedied that imbalance right away.
The American’s offense clicked as soon as Zardes came on and Clint Dempsey moved to forward; it was uncanny, and it led to a second half in which the US dominant at times going forward. Aaron Johannson was the most consistent bright spot for the US across both haves, and his presence gelled beautifully with Dempsey and Zardes in the second. They still were constantly threatened on the counter, but their ability to attack limited that threat.
Brad Guzan also looked good. He made a clutch save when — you guessed it — a Haitian counter saw Duckens Nazon through on goal. It was a 1v1 in the ultimate sense, and Guzan smothered the opportunity. If he keeps making those kinds of plays, Tim Howard might not get his starting spot back when he returns from sabbatical.
The win puts the USMNT in first place in their group with 6 points. Panama is in second with 2. The USMNT is guaranteed to advance to the knockout stage. It plays its last group stage game against Panama on Monday, July 13th at 8:30 pm EST.
Follow Ivan on Twitter: @yetly
