Live The Pitch

The USA secured their spot in the 2009 Concacaf Gold Cup with an exhausting 2-1 overtime victory over Panama.  The win puts the USA in the semifinals where they will rematch a tough Honduras squad.  Honduras defeated Canada 1-0 in the opening match of the night.  In bracket play, the U.S. defeated Honduras 2-0.

The U.S. proved to me that they are able to dig deep and play with heart in this match.  I applaud Bob Bradley for a great coaching job in this tournament.  With the squad the U.S. has fielded, he has done a masterful  job managing the new players into the national team system.

Panama struck first in the 45th minute with a goal from Blas Perez.  It was not a great opening half  for either squad.  The U.S. had a few opportunities but did not capitalize going into the half down 1-0.  The U.S. was in need of a motivational speech from Bradley if they were going to take this match.

It didn’t take long for the U.S. to get even when Kyle Beckerman found the back of the net in the 48th minute off the assist from Davy Arnoud.  It was clear the U.S. came out with a purpose in the 2nd half to take it to Panama.  Throughout the remainder of the half the U.S. was constantly pressuring the Panama defense just missing the back of the net a few times.

In overtime it would come down to who wanted the victory more.  Both teams had chances but neither could capitalize until the U.S. was awarded a free kick when Kenny Cooper was fouled in the box.  Cooper stepped up to the ball and drilled it home.  The remainder of the match was very heated with Panama not wanting to go out without a fight.

Overall it was a very ugly match with both teams fighting hard to get the spot in the semifinals.  Game ball goes to Bob Bradley on this one.  I would imagine he is going to bring in some national team regulars for the next match with these players absolutely exhausted after this match.

The semifinals will take place next Thursday, July 23, at Soldier Field in Chicago.  Go USA!

In their second match of the 2009 Gold Cup, the U.S. defeated Honduras 2-0 in front of 29,000 fans at RFK Stadium.  Both the U.S. and Honduras came into this match looking to clinch a spot in the next round.  After coming off a 4-0 victory over Grenada, the U.S. was looking to prove they could play at the same level against a stronger opponent.

Bob Bradley made a few changes to the the roster from the game played against Grenada.  His best move was allowing Santino Quaranta to get a shot at the international level. Adding Ching to the roster also proved to be a great move by Bradley, but besides the late goal Ching seemed lost most of the night.

The match started with both teams getting into each others boxes but neither could manage to get a great opportunity at goal.  With his incredible pace on the ball, Robbie Rogers again proved why he should be considered for the qualifying games in August.

The first real chance of the game came in the 22nd minute when Ching fought hard inside the Honduran box to beat his defender. He tried to flick it past the Honduran goalkeeper, but the ball went just wide of the goal.  The play didn’t result in a goal, but it was a nice look by Kyle Beckerman to find Ching at the top of the box.

In the 30th minute Honduras found a gap in the U.S. defense when a long through ball found Martinez who had beat the entire defense.  The Honduran had acres of space but sent his attempt at goal off the side netting.  Honduras definitely missed a golden opportunity to get on top when Martinez missed the fast break.

The U.S. then missed a great chance in the 33rd minute when Freddy Adu found himself wide open in front of goal, but sent his header right to the Honduran goalkeeper.  It was a great ball served right to Adu’s head with no pressure on him.  If Adu wants to impress the coaching staff he has to finish these opportunities.

Both squads had a couple of decent chances at goal throughout the rest of the half, but neither team could break the 0-0 deadlock.

The second half started slowly with neither team wanting to make a mistake,  but within ten minutes the U.S. had set the pace for the remainder of the match.  It was only a matter of time before we saw the ball hit the back of the net.

Bob Bradley made the perfect coaching move in  the 64th minute when he brought in Benny Feilhaber and Charlie Davies off the bench.  Freddy Adu took a seat after being  a non-factor in the midfield for the U.S.  Overall it was not a great performance by Adu.

In the 73rd minute the USA found the back of the net off a great finish from Santino Quaranta.  It was excellent combination play by the Americans.  Feilhaber played a great ball to Davies at the top of the box. Davies then made a quick touch to his right where a streaking Quaranta blasted the shot home.  Truly a great goal by the USA!

Brian Ching put the nail in the coffin in the 79th minute with a header that deflected off the Honduran defender before beating the helpless goalkeeper.  Steve Cherundolo played a great match at right back. He also assisted the second goal with a perfectly bent ball to the back post.

It was a great win tonight for the USA against a Honduran squad that looked like they had something to prove.  The U.S. showed us that they are capable of playing great soccer at times.  The Livethepitch.com man of the match goes to Santino Quaranta.  Other players that played well were Rogers, Beckerman, and Cherundolo.

The Final of the FIFA Confederations cup was a great game in the making.  The two squads facing off for the second time each had something to prove to the world.  For the USA, they wanted to prove that they belonged in this match.  For the Brazilians, they wanted to prove that they are a World Cup favorite for next summer.

The first half started with a bang for the U.S. when Clint Dempsey redirected a cross from Johnathan Spector in the 9th minute.  Dempsey just put a slight touch on the ball that changed the path of the shot beating the Brazilian goalkeeper.  It was a great way to begin the match for the U.S.

To the surprise of everyone the U.S. made it 2-0, with Landon Donovan scoring a brilliant goal in the 26th minute.  Charlie Davies played a great ball into the middle of the top of the box finding Donovan, who then made a sick touch to beat the Brazilian defender to put himself into position to find the back of the net.  Donovan made everything of his opportunity by firing in a left footed shot into the side netting.

Tim Howard made his presence known the entire first half making save after save keeping Brazil off the scoreboard.  By the 35th minute Brazil had settled into the game, and set the pace for the remainder of the match.  The Brazilians were showing us why they are one of the best teams in the world with fantastic combination play and possession.

The second half began with Luis Fabiano getting Brazil on the board finding the back of the net in the 46th minute with a great finish through the helpless Jay Demerit.  It was an excellent turn and finish by the Brazilian.

In the 60th minute, Kaka found himself wide open on the back post when he headed the cross on target that clearly crossed the line before Howard cleared it.  The referee crew definitely missed the call on this one.

Brazil then tied the match in the 73rd minute at 2-2 when Luis Fabiano netted home his second goal.  Kaka showed why he is considered one of the best players in the world by toasting Spector down the right side before sending a perfect end-line cross into the six yard box.  Robinho was the first Brazilian to get to the cross hitting the crossbar from point blank with Fabiano heading in the rebound.

Throughout the second half the Brazilians were dominating the match missing chance after chance.  Brazil finally made the comeback official in the 83rd minute when Lucio headed home a corner kick.  Elano served a great ball into the back post when Lucio found himself wide open to direct the ball into the net.  The Americans looked confused and left Lucio unmarked on the back post.

Overall as a U.S. soccer fan I am impressed that we can actually compete at this level now.  I am really looking forward to seeing how this team competes at the Gold Cup next month with a lot of new players getting into the mix.  Going into the match no one gave the U.S. a chance at winning this final and they almost shocked the world.  Almost.