U.S. coach Peter Nowak made wholesale lineup changes and many of the new starters stepped up with strong efforts to help the Americans post a 1-0 victory against Panama on Thursday. Whether it was Michael Orozco's showing toughness and stability in the back, Stuart Holden and Eddie Gaven providing dynamic wing play two days after their teammates made a mockery of the flanks or Jozy Altidore's showing more flashes of why he's considered a star-in-the-making, Nowak's squad managed to breathe some life into a qualifying campaign that looked shaky after Game 1.
The best thing you can say about Thursday's performance is that the Americans never stopped playing. There was no real stretch of action in which the U.S. team allowed Panama to take over the match the way the Cubans stole the momentum Tuesday. It is a good thing the Americans didn't fall asleep, because Panama's attacking players looked much better equipped to pounce on miscues and lackadaisical play than Cuba did.
Thursday's match started slowly, with some of the same issues from the Cuba match emerging again. There were unforced turnovers from the midfield, and Altidore struggling to make an impact. The difference this time was the U.S. had a pair of wingers capable of breathing some life into the attack. Holden was the most consistent offensive player for the Americans against Panama, constantly providing an outlet on the wings and repeatedly taking on defenders with purposeful runs.
Holden's effort, as well as Gaven's, eventually created some space for Altidore to operate, and the 18-year-old striker made the most of it. When Gaven lofted a long pass to him in perfect position to race in behind the Panama defense, Altidore did the rest, racing in on goal and forcing Panama goalkeeper Jose Calderon to deliver a late challenge and give up a penalty. When Freddy Adu converted the spot kick, the Americans suddenly held the lead for the first time in almost 90 minutes of game action.
Unlike against Cuba, when the Americans fell asleep for a half and eventually allowed the Cubans to find an equalizer, the U.S. defense played tenaciously for most of the match, never allowing Panama many serious opportunities. The central defense tandem of Maurice Edu and Orozco was stellar all night, delivering tough tackles and thwarting every run by Gabriel Torres, Panama's lone striker, and staking a strong claim to being the first-choice center back tandem for the U.S. team's decisive Olympic qualifying semifinal.
The front six also made a strong bid to be Nowak's choices to start in the semifinals. Altidore struggled at times but still managed to show, particularly in the second half, why he is head and shoulders above the other strikers on the team. Adu was Adu, providing energy and skill as he did in Game 1. Holden and Gaven were solid on the flanks while Dax McCarty delivered his second straight quality performance in central midfield.
If there was a disappointment in the attack, it was the play of Sacha Kljestan, who made far too many uncharacteristic turnovers to be considered a lock starter going forward. Working in his favor is the fact that Kljestan has performed well before, as he did in the second half against Cuba. Having already played a game and a half, Kljestan will probably be rested against Honduras but should be strongly considered for the semifinal, assuming the U.S. team makes it there.
No, the Americans haven't qualified yet, but that appears a formality because the only challenge is Cuba, which is down to just 10 players after seven players left the team. Cuba fought valiantly in losing to Honduras, 2-0, on Thursday night, but expecting the Cubans to beat Panama with only 11 players after having just played two days earlier is a major stretch.
That leaves it up to the U.S. team to post the tie it needs against unbeaten Honduras on Saturday to advance. The Americans will be looking for the win in order to finish atop the group and, hopefully, avoid Mexico. With the Mexicans tying their first match of the qualifying tournament though, there is no guarantee they will finish atop Group B either.
Nowak will have some tough decisions to make Saturday. With several key players unlikely to be available for the Honduras match due to fatigue, the U.S. coach will have to call on some of the same players who struggled so badly against Cuba. He will need to give forwards Charlie Davies, Robbie Findley and Chad Barrett a look to see who is his next best option after Altidore. Nowak will also need to take a good look at winger Sal Zizzo, who showed some good signs as a late substitute Thursday.
As much as Saturday's match will be about trying to beat Honduras and win the group it will be about some players having a second chance to prove they deserve a start in the semifinals. It is going to take some special performances to unseat some of the top performers from Thursday and, more importantly, it is going to take some pretty strong showings to make Nowak forget about the disappointing performance against Cuba. Thursday's standouts have already done their part to make that happen.
