U.S. gathers momentum for Mexico showdown
It hasn't been pretty and it hasn't been convincing, but now Bob Bradley and the United States are now just 90 minutes from resurrecting their summer and getting the national team back on track.
Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Panama in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal in Houston was a third consecutive win following a shock defeat to the same opponent in Tampa last week, and suddenly Bradley's critics are starting to quiet.
Bradley will never be universally loved – far too many American fans crave a big-name foreign coach for that – but a championship is a championship, and a win against rival Mexico in Saturday's final at the Rose Bowl should be enough to guarantee he remains in charge until the next World Cup.
Say what you like about the mild-mannered 53-year-old, but he generally responds well to adversity, and if nothing else there has certainly been a renewed spirit about the squad in the knockout stages of this regional tournament.
The relief and delight when Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey combined for the winning goal with 76th minutes left at Reliant Stadium was palpable. Those two players, the most accomplished duo in the squad, had courted controversy by being given permission to leave the team to attend the weddings of their sisters Saturday, returning a few hours before the quarterfinal against Jamaica.
Donovan's low cross from the right was perfect, the Los Angeles Galaxy playmaker holding the ball for an extra second to allow Dempsey to time his run to the far post, remain onside, and slide the ball over the line.
Panama's resistance, feisty and organized if overtly defensive, was broken. The Central Americans had bargained on making life uncomfortable for the hosts, and it nearly worked. Bradley's formation is at its least effective when opponents are determined to shut up shop and focus on resolute defense, with the coach preferring a counterattacking style against an offensively aggressive foe.
Bradley took the unexpected step of bringing on Freddy Adu late as he tried to create the breakthrough. Adu, the former boy prodigy of whom so much was expected, had not featured for the national team in recent memory and is now playing club soccer in Turkey.
However, he may still be the most naturally gifted player in the United States, and showed some clever touches during a brief cameo that suggested he may get more opportunities.
That chance may not come in the final, which is the real challenge that lies ahead for the Americans. Everything in the Gold Cup now converges on Los Angeles this weekend, with Mexico the only other team in this region against whom a result can be said to have real international significance.
Forget about Mexico needing extra time to get past Honduras in its semifinal. Forget about world rankings that have the USA 22nd and Mexico 28th. This version of El Tri is seriously good and has confidence and a free-flowing mentality coursing through its lineup.
No team in the world would relish facing Mexico right now, and no defender enjoys the prospect of containing Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, who has blossomed from a player of promise into a genuine superstar in one season with Manchester United.
This shapes up as an epic final and a critical point in the intriguing and ever-evolving rivalry between the two soccer nations. It is the game the tournament needed, and a victory the USA desperately requires if it is to build in the right direction heading toward the next World Cup.
