It's been a rough last couple of days for the US National Team. Last night's final minute comeback to draw Costa Rica came with a sigh of relief as much as it did a triumphant yell. The Americans did well to win the group, save face after a terrible overall performance, and give themselves a chance to honor their seriously injured teammate Charlie Davies, though the reverberations of their home stand in Washington will be felt for months to come.
The focus, and rightly so, was on Davies and the young woman who lost her life in the fatal car crash; still, the game had to be played, and the Americans found themselves in the unenviable position of taking the field with heavy load on their minds. Emotions were obviously raw in the old DC stadium, and the Yanks seemed unable to channel it much of the night. Touch was poor, finishing terrible, and energy lacking at the back. The Ticos, desperate for a victory to secure automatic qualification, pushed hard and took their chances.
The comeback, such as it was, tasted sweet because of the grit and determination the Americans showed to make it happen; they fought, no matter being obviously off their game, and pulled out a result no one would have predicted when the emerged from the tunnel at half. Of that, we should all be proud.
But the negatives from the final World Cup qualifier and the events surrounding it clearly outweigh the positives. It begins with the Charlie Davies story, as the young striker is still not yet out of the hospital. He faces a massive challenge to regain his full health; the thought that we should be concerned about his absence from the team, and what it means for their chances, is slightly distasteful, even if it is the reality. To add to the American woes, Oguchi Onyewu stepped awkwardly on the RFK turf and ruptured the patella tendon in his left knee; it's being reported that he will now be out for at least three months, a setback which will damage the Yanks' ability to round themselves into form for next year's World Cup.
Bob Bradley now has his work cut out for him. He did the job, and got the US qualified, even if their were questions about his leadership during points in the process. He found away to get unexpected results and weather the storm of poor ones. He brought along young contributors, like Davies, and put a stamp on the team. To be far, it would be difficult to argue that he's done anything but a good job.
All of that goes out of the window next year if the team under-performs at the World Cup. As Bruce Arena found out, credit built-up over the course of qualifying only goes so far. Bradley's task, with new holes at both the front and back of his team, is to find capable replacements. No one the United States has available will bring dynamic elements of speed and athleticism that Davies did up front, and no one in the current player pool has the strength and commanding presence that Onyewu did in the back. Gaping, massive, mawing holes; Bradley's only saving grace is time, with the World Cup still eight=plus months away.
The joy felt after last night's victory, augmented by the outpouring of emotion over the plight of Charlie Davies, will only last so long. After the pleasant buzz of the champagne comes the uncomfortable hangover; winning the Hexagonal, completing a comeback full of heart, having the chance to honor Ashley Roberta while saluting Charlie Davies, and finishing ahead of Mexico are all sweet flavors. The loss of Davies, perhaps for good but almost certainly for the World Cup, and the injury to Onyewu are stark reminders that the hangover will be hell.
Share your thoughts on last night's match, what you think the loss of Onyewu for 3-4 months means, and the job ahead for Bob Bradley here.
