USA-Honduras: Quick Reaction

Saturday, June 06, 2009 | View Comments
I tweeted so much, I hit some kind of limit. Any of you following along might have though I had a heart attack or something; let me assure you I'm fine, and extremely happy with a US win tonight.

The US, despite conceding early and looking slow for the first fifteen minutes or so, turned things around and dominated most of the match. Chances weren't as abundant as they should have been, but possession and passing improved dramatically.

Three points is three points, and although they're expected at home, you never know what might happen. Honduras showed that they could create chances, and very nearly leveled the match towards the end.

The changes made by Bob Bradley seemed to work out for the most part, with Jonathan Bornstein and Jonathan Spector clear upgrades over Beasley and Wynne. Conor Casey had trouble finding his touch and his shot, but he did some good things. Combination with Altidore was never really there, however, and I would have preferred to see a more dynamic pairing to start the match.

Bradley also needs to be commended for realizing that Mastroeni was contributing nothing in the midfield, and most often times looked a step too slow for the international game. Feilhaber, though rusty, passed the ball fairly well and worked hard on the defensive end.

I'm happy for the win, and I'm glad that the specter of Costa Rica won't haunt the team any longer; but this was in no way a perfect performance, and without a careless handball to set up Donovan's goal from the penalty spot, we may have been talking about a depressing draw rather than an uplifting win.

The National Team will now get ready for the Confederations Cup in South Africa, and while the results there mean little, the performance and cohesion of the team will certainly be scrutinized. Let's hope this win carries over and provides confidence.
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