Well the game certainly hasn't gotten any prettier, but thanks to a gritty US side we are headed to extra time. Uruguay took the lead right around the 75th minute mark after the US side failed to clear successfully. A bouncing ball near the endline was hooked into the center of the box, where it was headed toward goal by Uruguayan striker. It was well saved by Perk, but he gave up a rebound and a ball watching Valentin couldn't manage to reach the ball first as Suarez easily placed the ball in the back of the net.
However, the US responded with about 3 minutes remaining. A corner kick swung in by Adu was kept alive by Danny Szetela who then played a ball across the box. With Andre Akpan, who subbed on for the injured Josmer Altidore, pressuring it was bundled into the back of the net by a sliding Uruguayan defender.
Two substitutions have definitely changed the match for the US. Josmer Altidore left the game to be replaced by Akpan as mentioned, and Dax McCarty came on for Sal Zizzo. I can only imagine that Zizzo was injured as well (I thought I saw him hobble off a bit), as McCarty is certainly not the ideal replacement winger. Losing both these players certainly hurts the US. Altidore's physical presence was certainly missed as Akpan really had little impact, and McCarty just isn't a winger and has really contributed very little.
Extra time is about to start. Overall, a poor poor performance from the US, but a good team wins even when they play bad and hopefully the US can grind out a victory.
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2 comments:
You failed to mention that Mccarty's impact was lessened by the fact that he was forced to play out of position at right back.
McCarty went to right back during the overtime. I wrote this before it started, and while yes he was played out of position, the comment was more directed at a lack of depth at the winger position than McCarty's play. I can't expect him to play great in a position he is not physically or mentally inclined to play. No knock on him, just the facts. He's a CM will always be one.
Thanks for the comment though. Been lazy in writing my final thoughts on the match, which will be up shortly.
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