U.S. vs. Honduras play-by-play
My final thoughts on the game: A gutsy comeback win for the U.S. in what was a big, big win. Donovan, Clark and Spector stood out in particular tonight, and Feilhaber showed glimpses of his old form after coming on as a sub. The Americans as a whole deserve a lot of credit for the intensity and energy they showed all game long.
However, if I had to quibble, I'd say the lack of offensive imagination continues to be disturbing, as is the defensive inconsistency. The reality is that the U.S. still relies far too much on set pieces and long balls to generate most of its offense -- something that CONCACAF defenses have inexplicably yet to figure out how to deal with and something that higher-quality teams cope with far better.
Play-by-play
FULL TIME: U.S. 2-1 Honduras. The last few minutes of the game consisted of a lot of huffing and puffing from the Hondurans, but they were unable to manufacture an opening.
89 mins: Honduras press forward again and Figueroa gets the ball out on the edge of the box. There's a lot of space but he overhits his cross which is gathered by Howard. We're entering stoppage time.
88 mins: Bornstein is scythed down on a counterattack. From the free kick, the ball is worked to Feilhaber, who tries a long-range effort from outside the box. It's decent but straight at Valladares.
86 mins: Honduras trying to get something going, but the U.S. is harrying them all over the field and closing them down.
83 mins: Another missed chance for Honduras. Welcome receives the ball in the box with his back to the goal. He frees himself with the help of a nifty spin move to beat DeMerit but Howard comes out to narrow the angle. Welcome slides it past him but with not much power and it's cleared.
81 mins: After a few minutes of meandering and aimless play, Honduras finally get their act together. Figueroa, with a nifty step-over down the left, beats Spector and chips it to a wide-open Turcios who is all alone at the edge of the 6-yard box. He really should score but volleys a shot wild and high.
79 mins: A final throw of the dice for Honduras. Nunez off, Walter Martinez on.
75 mins:There's no question that the U.S. has improved in midfield since subbing out Mastroeni and bringing in Feilhaber. I'll be blunt -- Mastroeni was very good in his prime, but his time as a national team midfielder should be done.
73 mins: Another corner from Donovan creates panic in the Honduras 6-yard box as Honduras barely clears it. In the meantime, a defensive sub of sorts as Beasley comes on for Casey.
70 mins: Substitution for the U.S. Bocanegra, who appeared to pull his hamstring moments earlier with a sliding tackle on Guevara, is replaced by DeMerit.
67 mins: GOAL: U.S. 2-1 Honduras. From a corner by Donovan, Dempsey at the back post heads back across the Honduras 6-yard box where Bocanegra throws himself forward and heads it in. Brave play from the U.S. captain but horrendous defending from Honduras -- aside from Bocanegra, three other U.S. players were wide open in the vicinity.
65 mins: Double substitution for Honduras, Palacios and Pavon off, Georgie Welcome and Danilo Turcios on.
61 mins: Donovan gets yellow carded for what can only be described as an innocuous-looking tackle on Palacios. It was certainly a foul but the embellishment by Palacios is Oscar-worthy. It's safe to say I haven't seen the Spurs midfielder do that in the English Premiership; if he did, it's also safe to say he'd be hounded for that.
60 mins: What a miss. Feilhaber with a delightful cross to the far end of the Honduran box that Dempsey runs onto. He's all alone, 6 yards out and should score but badly miscues his shot and side-foots it wide.
59 mins: Nice interchange in midfield between Nunez and Guevara; they work the ball in a pretty weaving pattern before Sabillon whips in a dangerous cross, which Pavon just misses.
56 mins: This is a great spell for the U.S. Honduras has been penned in their own half for the last few minutes. Onyewu gathers at the halfway line and sends a long ball forward-looking for Altidore. Altidore is briefly clear of the Honduran back line but can't gather the pass and it goes out of bounds.
54 mins: Figueroa slips on the left and leaves Dempsey wide open in acres and acres of space. Dempsey carries the ball and slides it into the box early looking for Casey, but it's easily cleared.
53 mins: The U.S. hoof the ball long again and a poor headed clearance by Honduras falls straight to Altidore. He squares it to a wide-open Dempsey who tries his luck from about 25 yards out.
50 mins: The U.S. breaks with Altidore, who bursts forward before laying it off to Casey. Casey has the option to shoot or cross and opts for the latter, attempting to find Altidore in the box, but it's cut out.
49 mins: Again a raid down the left by Honduras, this time with Costly who tries to beat Spector to the byline. However, Spector recovers and toe-pokes it away from Costly before he's able to cross. Another good piece of defending by Spector there.
47 mins: Nunez goes on a weaving run down the right and squares to Guevara who lays it off to Figueroa, whose shot is blocked by Spector. Good defensive work there and the ball is cleared for a corner. Back-to-back corners for Honduras; the first was headed out by Onyewu, and the second results in a mix-up as Howard comes and fails to get the ball. It's headed toward the goal but Clark clears off the line.
46 mins. The second half is under way. Benny Feilhaber has come on for the U.S. in the second half. He's replacing Mastroeni. Can't say I disagree with subbing out Mastroeni, but Feilhaber is a gamble considering his injury problems and lack of playing time the past year or so.
HALFTIME: That was a frenetic first half for both teams. Honduras got off to a roaring start and dominated early, but then seemed content to sit back and defend. Credit to the U.S. for coming back strong and right now, the U.S. look to have regained control of this game.
45 mins+1: It's all U.S. now. Donovan bursts down the left again and clips a cross across to Altidore, who gathers with his back to the goal. He tries to make room and turn for a shot but is dispossessed and the ball is cleared.
45 mins: Mastroeni comes out top in a midfield clash with Palacios and the ball breaks to Donovan, who surges forward and is hacked down. Another free kick for the U.S. and again it's wasted; this time Donovan sends it straight into the stands. On the bright side, it's probably the first decent tackle Mastroeni has made tonight.
43 mins: Honduras almost strikes back straight from the restart. A long ball up is headed back by Costly to an onrushing Guevara just outside the U.S. box. Guevara has an opening for a shot but totally mishits it and doesn't trouble Howard.
42 mins: GOAL U.S. 1-1 Honduras. Donovan slams an unstoppable penalty kick into the top right-hand corner. Valladares went the right way, but he had no chance.
41 mins: Comedy defending from Honduras. A rather aimless long ball into the Honduras box, which looks like it will present no trouble at all, is foolishly and blatantly handled by Beata. Penalty kick for the U.S. and, frankly, a lucky break.
39 mins: Honduras counters with a swift move that sends Pavon free down the U.S. right. Pavon is all alone but somewhat strangely decides to hold the ball up, wait till a U.S. defender arrives and then send a furtive cross/shot into the side netting. Another reminder of why the Galaxy sent Pavon packing after a failed stint in MLS.
37 mins: Clark wins the ball in midfield, appears to lose it with a heavy touch, but somehow gets it back, bursts past two Honduran midfielders and goes on a lengthy run into the box. The ball is running away from him but Clark is taken out with a rather aggressive body check. That could easily have been a penalty, in fact I'd say it was -- the only possible mitigating factor in the referee's mind had to have been the fact that Clark had started to lose control. No idea what the Honduras defender was thinking there; that was reckless and unnecessary on his part.
34 mins: Another free kick for the U.S. Donovan sends in a high-arcing ball that is headed straight up into the air; Valladares contests the ball and drops it. However, it falls straight to Altidore who is 6 yards out at an acute angle. It might have been a better option to play it back across the box, but Altidore goes for glory and blasts into the side netting.
31 mins: I spoke too soon. A lovely move from the U.S. instigated by a beautiful Dempsey back heel that sends Spector free down the sideline. Spector bursts into the box all alone and sends in a dangerous-looking cross that beats Valladares all ends up. Casey is this close to sliding the ball into an empty net before a Honduran defender clears.
29 mins: The U.S., as I've mentioned, has played with far more energy and commendable effort, but hasn't shown much in terms of attacking imagination so far. Most of its forays have been limited to a long ball down the wing, followed by a cross into the center. All too predictable so far.
27 mins: The camera pans to a shot of a pair of U.S. fans who are looking on in shock at the events so far. I haven't seen such a look of disbelief on an American face since the Green Berets lost to the Spetsnaz on "Deadliest Warrior."
24 mins: The game is being played at a frantic pace back and forth on both sides; at least the U.S. is playing with more energy than it did in Saprissa Stadium versus Costa Rica. Altidore just dropped back deep into his own half to win the ball back for the U.S. When a forward is back that far, you know they're being starved of service.
21 mins: Donovan goes on another weaving run down the left, taking on three Hondurans before being tackled. Undaunted, he gets up, sprints back and wins back the ball before passing it to Bornstein who lofts a nice cross into the box. Dempsey heads it back perfectly for Casey, who is 10 yards out but blasts his volley wildly over the bar.
19 mins: Dempsey earns a free kick with a dribble down the right. The following free kick by Donovan is dangerous and sails over most of the Honduras defense before falling nicely at the feet of Bocanegra. He's only 5 yards out and all alone but fails to control the ball and the chance is gone. To say that he displayed a leaden touch there would be an understatement. In the ensuing frantic fracas, Casey earns himself a yellow card for hacking down Costly.
17 mins: Right now, the U.S. is having a hard time moving the ball through midfield, often resorting to a long hoof. I said it at the start, but the lack of a central midfielder who can provide a link and supply to the forwards is proving to be a handicap. Not to mention that Honduras is packing the midfield and closing down the spaces very well.
15 mins: Honduras knocks it around nicely again. The move ends with a flighted cross from Nunez into the box, but Howard gathers it over the onrushing Costly.
12 mins: Donovan with a dangerous dribble is brought down just on the end of the Honduras penalty area. This is a free kick in a great position; can the U.S. capitalize? The answer is no, as Donovan continues his recent trend of poor set pieces with a low effort that doesn't even reach the goal and is cleared easily.
11 mins: Hendry Thomas' break down the right is halted by a Bornstein body check. The free kick is sent into the U.S. box but headed clear after a couple of attempts by Onyewu.
9 mins: Dempsey is dispossessed unceremoniously again in central mid, this time by Palacios. It's a free kick, though. The ball is flighted into the Honduran box and finds Casey, who has a glimmer of a chance, but his turning shot is blocked and cleared.
7 mins: Honduras are controlling the ball right now and full of confidence. The ball finds its way to Costly, who is obviously feeling it since he tries a rather optimistic 45-yard shot at goal. The ball trickles to Howard.
6 mins: That's better from the U.S., as Spector attacks down the right side. His square pass is knocked out for a corner, which amounts to nothing, with Valladares easily gathering.
4 mins: GOAL. U.S. 0-1 Honduras. Disaster for the U.S. Dempsey foolishly loses the ball in central midfield trying to dribble past three players and the ball breaks to Costly, who has the entire U.S. back line standing off him when he strikes a rifle shot into Howard's right-hand corner.
2 mins: Casey, with his first touch for the U.S., goes on a surging run up the left, but it's knocked out of bounds. Moments later, Donovan tries to burst down the left, but he's stopped in his tracks by a sliding tackle from Palacios. From the throw-in, Casey gets the ball in the Honduran box with his back to the goal, but his control lets him down and the ball goes out for a corner.
1 min: We're under way. Guevara draws a quick foul from Donovan as Honduras knock it around. Honduras attacks down the U.S. right before Guevara earns a corner; it's taken short, but nothing comes of it. The U.S. clears.
More preamble
The U.S. starting lineup has been announced and it as as follows:
GK: Howard
D: Spector, Onyewu, Bocanegra, Bornstein
M: Dempsey, Clark, Mastroeni, Donovan
F: Altidore, Casey
Subs: Marvell Wynne, Beasley, Benny Feilhaber, DeMerit, Davies, Kljestan, Brad Guzan
On first impression, I can't say I like this lineup at all. For a start, it features the dreaded return of the double holding midfielder alignment, an alignment so ineffective in the past for the U.S. that various fans dubbed it the infamous "Empty Bucket" formation. Of course, that was when it featured Bradley Junior and Maurice Edu, who are an infinitely superior combo to Clark and Mastroeni. You can put the Clark/Mastroeni combo down for a couple of yellows, perhaps a red, lots of hard tackles, lots of fouls and lots of misplaced passes.
Who's going to provide the link from the back through the midfield to the forwards? This is questionable indeed from Bradley. To compound the situation, Freddy Adu and Jose Francisco Torres didn't even make the bench. Are Bradley's moves a sign of a desperate fear of losing this game or that of a shrewd genius? We're about to find out.
Having seen this lineup, I think I'll stick with my pregame prediction that Honduras will hold the U.S. to a draw.
Tonight, I will experiment once again with a reverse chronological order play-by-play -- let me know if you prefer it to standard chronological order. I'm of mixed minds, so I'll let the people decide.
In other news, Costa Rica beat T&T 3-2 tonight on the road, and El Salvador takes on Mexico. With the U.S. headed to Mexico next, a win for Mexico and a tie or loss tonight for the U.S. could put Bob Bradley's men under serious pressure for World Cup qualification.
Honduras' starting lineup is:
GK: Noel Valladares
D: Maynor Figueroa, Mario Beata, Osman Chavez, Mauricio Sabillon
M: Ramon Nunez, Wilson Palacios, Amado Guevara, Hendry Thomas
F: Carlos Costly, Carlos Pavon
The national anthems are out of the way and we're getting set for kickoff.
Pregame banter
So after the 3-1 meltdown in Costa Rica earlier in the week, it's safe to say that today's game against Honduras (8 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN360) has taken on a far greater significance. I'm not going to say it's a must-win situation, but clearly the U.S. needs at least a point. As for the "home" crowd, the game is a sellout but the crowd is expected to be pro-Honduras -- another classic case of home-field disadvantage for the U.S.
It's too bad that Michael Bradley is suspended for this game because of yellow-card accumulation (let's face it, this will probably be an ongoing issue for him for the next few years), since I was looking forward to a clash in central midfield between Bradley and Honduras' Wilson Palacios. It promised to be a heavyweight collision of two enforcers not seen in these region since Clay Aiken squared up to an unnamed woman on a random flight to Tulsa.
In other news, the call-up of Colorado's Conor Casey has been treated by some fans as the magic remedy to the U.S. team's problems. Either Casey miraculously switched bodies with Fernando Torres earlier this week, or he's still the same striker from years past, in which case I'd argue that those fans are being highly optimistic. Well, you say, what about all those goals he's scored in MLS? If not for the fact that at least half of them have been down to comedy defending, I'd say you would have a case. Not to mention that if scoring goals in MLS was any measure, then surely FC Dallas' Kenny Cooper would have been equally if not more deserving.
As for the lineup to face Honduras, I'd go with the following in a 4-4-2 if it were up to me:
GK, Tim Howard
D, Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra
M, Clint Dempsey, Rico Clark, Jose Francisco Torres, Landon Donovan
F, Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies
Bocanegra's not ideal as a left back, but given the lack of decent options there at the moment for the U.S., it's probably the safest choice.
Having said that, I think what we'll see is:
GK: Howard
D: Spector, Onyewu, Bocanegra, Bornstein
M: Dempsey, Mastroeni, Kljestan, DaMarcus Beasley
F: Altidore, Donovan
I'll be back just before the kickoff.
Jen Chang
