USA wins 3-2 over Costa Rica. A few details now available here: http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/NationalTeams/20030526121306/view Full match report coming there shortly. I understand a much different lineup was used today.
it was a much different lineup today. i just got home - it was hot out there, and it was a long drive, so i'm tired and will write more later. for now: there were a lot of shifts in the lineup. yesterday's midfield - memo gonzalez, ashe, and diraimondi - did not start. gaven moved back to the center mid, and had a very strong first half, including a brilliant strike on the 1st goal. freddy seemed much more interested in passing the ball today, although still was fouled a lot. his goal came on lateral run where he beat 4 or 5 guys on the dribble. it was classy. i got it on video, but don't know anything about uploading it, etc. i'll let you know if i'm able to figure it out. gonzalez added the third goal (after coming in late in the second half). left free on a through ball, he slotted it in the far post. he was playing more of a center forward when he came on, and seemed more comfortable up top than he looked yesterday in the midfield. it seemed like there was a lot more movement off the ball today, and that we were switching play well. also, although freddy got fouled a lot, it wasn't anything near as physical or intense, which may have added to our ability to get more into the flow of the game. we seemed to drift some in the second half until they tied it at 1-1, but then we came back strong. i was much more impressed overall with today's performance.
I'm a new convert in the Latter-Day Believers In Freddy Adu (who turns out to be a very nice, charming, well-spoken young man). Adu's goal was unbe-freaking-credible - it was a lot like Mathis' run through the Burn defense last year. If you do have it on video, blech, you're a lucky man. Just an astounding sequence. He was being pushed around all game, and still managed to roll right by the poor guys. Oh, and this was his second full game in two days. I hadn't seen Eddie Gaven before (also his second full game in two days), but I was really impressed with him. The good news is that with Adu taking most of the attention, guys like Gonzalez and Gaven are able to turn around and make defenses pay for it. As well as Adu being able to outlast his opposition. The bad news is a seeming inability to put teams away - they lost a lead to Mexico, of course, and allowed Costa Rica to get back a goal in the final minutes. [Barton Fink] We'll be hearing from those kids - and I don't mean from a postcard! [/Barton Fink]
Subbed out at halftime, so I didn't get much of a sense of how he did. Then again, Harrington was subbed out at halftime, and he'd gotten an assist, so who knows what the plans were. FlashMan - I did write up a report, so if you don't see it, it probably really, really sucked.
The U17s never had the lead against Mexico.I think it's more inconsistant play than anything. According to the two match reports I've read, Mexico scored first. U17s Drop Friendly to Mexico Despite Strike From Eddie Gaven U-17 MNT Falls to Mexico 2-1 In Lancaster, CA My take from the game today is that they can be a dominate side and that the goal for Costa Rica at the end was a consolation. USA U17s Defeat Costa Rica 3-2 on Goals from Eddie Gaven, Freddy Adu, Guilllermo Gonzalez U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team Defeats Costa Rica 3-2 I think the U17s might be inconsistant from game to game. Once in a game either they are behind, and could come back, or they get the lead and will hold it simply because they are so talented.
Suffered in the heat, like many Europeans do. I'm glad that these players are getting to play in hot conditions. It helps them learn how to conserve energy and be more economical with their touches. You can't just run around for 90 minutes in hot weather.
In the 76th minute, he set up Adu for the goal of the weekend. Adu received the ball from Gonzalez just past midfield out on the left flank. Accelerating past two midfielders, Adu raced towards the top of the box where he was met by Barbosa, the Costa Rica center back. Adu slipped by his tackle by sliding across the top of the box until he was to the right of the goal. With Cambronero coming out to cut down the angle, Adu used the outside of his left foot to curve his shot past the diving keeper and into goal at the far post for a world class goal, giving the U.S. a 2-1 lead. I can't even picture what that looks like. He's to the right of the goal but uses the outside of his left to get it to the far post. Sounds very difficult.
Did anyone do the "double"? Attend this game and then travel up to SJ and watch the Wales' match? If you did, it must have seemed like soccer nirvana. First Adu does the magic thing with a fantastic run, then you see Donovan do his "Maradona" impression and beat the Wales defense for 60 yards (too bad he missed the shot!). Lucky you!!!
i was just watching the tape i have of this goal. receiving the pass back from gonzalez, adu was close to the left touch line. move 1: adu faked to the outside, then cut back sharply to the middle. his move gave him enough separation to pull away from the defender (#5) who was on him at the time. just as #5 tried to slide tackle him, Adu pushed the ball a step further with his left foot, and lept over this first would be tackler. move 2: he slowed his pace, and basically had 3 costa rican defenders flat footed. slightly faking outside again (back to his left), he suddenly accelerated to his right, pushing the ball through the two closest to him. (a very nice change of pace). the one closest to him (#?) tried another slide tackle, to no avail. (i couldn't get his # because he was on his back on the ground). the one trailing (#19) was not close enough to do anything, and the third (#2), was in more of a sweeper position, and had bought the fake back out to the outside. move 3: still dribbling laterally across the field, two new defenders (#3 and #11) converged on him, one from the left, the other from the right. he again slowed his pace, before accelerating past both of them, continuing his way across the field from the left to the right. neither had much of an opportunity to make a play, and they almost collided into one another. move 4 (the shot): there was now no one left but the goalie. Adu was probably almost to the far post (from where he started), and the goalie (#1) was charging to cut off his angle. he again slowed his pace, and stepping past the ball with his right foot, passed it with the "inside" of his left foot back to the left post. the goalie was totally faked out, and was diving the other way. move 5: nothing spectacular on the goal celebration. he went to the far corner, completing his journey completely across the field from the left to the right, and his teammates ran over to congratulate him. he didn't pull his shirt off, or anything else. acted like this was an everyday occurrence, which was pretty "cool" under the circumstances. none of the moves was individually spectacular, but the entire time he dribbled the ball over this distance it was never more than a foot or two away from him (until he shot). it really was like there really was a string-like or magnet-like quality going on between his shoe and the ball. most of his key touches were with his left foot. and, the key, seemed to be the way he slowed and then accelerated, a concept that extremely difficult for players to get. related to it, the threat that he might cut back to his left at any moment (and set his left foot up for a blast), seemed each time to provide him with the separation necessary to move past his opponents to his right. really, really nice.