BEIJING -- Here are my thoughts on the U.S. versus Nigeria:
I suppose I should start with what I didn't see, which just happened to be arguably the game's pivotal moment. The traffic-infested streets of Beijing meant I didn't get to my seat until the eighth minute. There was no score, so I thought I hadn't missed much.
That is, until I noticed Robbie Rogers at left back. A quick call to Jeff Carlisle, and I learned that Michael Orozco had elbowed his international career onto the sidelines for a while. As I said, I didn't see it, but the consensus from talking to people who did -- including two members of the Nigerian squad, whom I met in the supermarket, of all places, after the game -- was that the U.S. left back was caught doing something he thought would go unnoticed. Even so, a red card that early was a bit harsh.
Anyway, down to 10 men in the oppressive humidity of the Chinese capital, Peter Nowak's side gave a good account of themselves and, with more luck and a little more savvy, still could have been in the tournament.
To this spectator, there were three main reasons the game went by the wayside:
1. Poor discipline. Orozco was the major culprit, but more seeds for Wednesday's loss were planted in the Americans' first two games when a key duo -- Michael Bradley and Freddy Adu -- picked up consecutive yellow cards, meaning they were not available versus Nigeria.
Regardless of your views of the disciplinary system, the rules are the rules. Playing aggressively is fine; playing stupidly is not. And getting booked for time-wasting (Bradley) and following through on goalkeepers (Adu) fall into the latter category.
Meanwhile, at the back, a different type of indiscipline hurt the U.S. On Nigeria's first goal, Michael Parkhurst stepped out to cover for Marvell Wynne and, when the Revolution man was beaten, Promise Isaac needed only to get ahead of the out-of-position Rogers to the cross.
The second goal had a similar buildup. In general, the Americans defended OK when they kept Nigeria in front of them. However, as it was on Ryan Babel's goal for Holland on Sunday, the back line was pulled apart when the Super Eagles used a more lateral approach to shift play quickly.
2. Striking selection. Brian McBride is a fine professional, and no doubt the younger players on the Olympic squad have learned much from him, but in this tournament, he looked like a 36-year-old that had not played competitively for three months. Should one of the many central midfielders not have instead seen his spot filled by a fourth striker?
The argument holds more weight when the inconsistent display of Jozy Altidore is considered. Bad ankle or not, he was so innocuous on the left side of midfield after Orozco's red card that perhaps Nowak should have subbed him and inserted Benny Feilhaber (who certainly was more effective than the Villarreal striker) when the initial reshuffle was required.
Meanwhile, the one forward who has been in form -- Charlie Davies in the Swedish league -- sat on the bench until the 77th minute. When he did come on, the Hammarby man was lively, and his direct style caused Nigeria problems.
3. Missed opportunities. Even after all that, and despite playing for so long with 10 men, the U.S. should not have lost this game. Stuart Holden, Sacha Kljestan, Feilhaber and Davies all had opportunities to get on the board. That they did not was down to bad luck but also poor finishing. Holden especially will think long and hard about his miss early in the second half.
How's your glass looking?
Half empty or half full? I'm taking the optimistic view and saying that, although the U.S. is out, it did better than many thought it would. Wednesday's defeat was the clincher, but the last-minute concession of an equalizer to Holland was the real heartbreaker for Nowak's young side.
My Chinese soccer takeaway
Aside from the entertaining action on the field, watching this game was a terrific experience. Beijing natives made up the majority of the 48,096 crowd, and their excitement for the game was infectious.
The neutrals seemed to be rooting for the red, white and blue, although I did wonder when a "U-S-A" chant was interrupted by the booing of Brad Guzan as he took his time over a goal-kick.
Among the other highlights was the scoreboard informing us that Jozy Altidore had been replaced by Promise Isaac at halftime. If you can't beat them, get them to join you. Later, they were at it again, as "Dax McCartly" entered the fray.
The second match of the doubleheader saw Argentina face Serbia (a 2-0 win for Argentina). Quite apart from the fantastic ability of the Argentineans, with midfielder Ever Banega standing out in particular, my main memory will be of the Chinese chant of "Meshy" (in tribute to Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi), which rang around the Workers' Stadium throughout the game.
Alas, the most the crowd saw from young Lionel was him joining in a not-so-energetic juggling game with his fellow substitutes at halftime.
A thing that made me go hmmm ...
Dear FIFA and the IOC,
By the time the 2012 Olympics roll round, please bang your heads together sufficiently to adequately address the future of men's soccer in the Olympic Games.
If you want to keep it, put it on the official international calendar, so the countries, not the CAS, can decide which players can take part. If you don't, call it off now, and let's avoid the name calling and cat fighting that blighted the buildup to this year's tournament.
Yours faithfully,
The many, many people who are thoroughly enjoying this tournament.
Andrew Hush
