Nicaragua 0-3 USA: 3 things we learned
The USMNT beat Nicaragua 3-0 to move onto the Gold Cup quarterfinals. Here’s what we learned.
The U.S. Men’s National team needed to win by three goals against Nicaragua on Saturday in order to win Group B. More importantly, they would avoid playing Costa Rica, who have looked like the best team in the tournament, in the quarterfinals. The Yanks won 3-0. Job done.
The U.S. again struggled to take control of the game early. They pressed high and had quite a bit of possession but were unable to find the breakthrough, thanks in part to poor passing. A goal finally came in the 37th minute thanks to some fancy footwork from Joe Corona after a wonderful pass from Alejandro Bedoya.
Bedoya, in a man of the match worthy performance, would add another assist and draw a penalty against Nicaragua. Oh yeah, the USMNT missed two penalties – Dwyer and Corona – so the game should have been in the bag long before Matt Miazga finished off inch-perfect service from Graham Zusi in the 88th minute.
Let’s take a look at three things we learned from this match.
1. Alejandro Bedoya is a great asset for the USMNT
Bedoya may have fallen down the midfield depth chart over the last year or so, but his value was on full display against Nicaragua. And it wasn’t just his two assists or the penalty that he drew.
It was all the little, and big, things he brings to his team when he is on the field: constantly pressing and chasing, continually winning second balls, smart decisions, steady on the ball, great positioning. Mostly, you can count on him to bust his ass for as long as you let him stay on the field.
Bedoya is a wonderful asset for Bruce Arena to have. He won’t start every game and he won’t always make big plays. But he is versatile and competent and tireless.
During the broadcast, the announcers relayed the Philadelphia Union man’s comments regarding his playing time. He said he understands that there are a lot of good players in the U.S. midfield and he is ready to take on any role he is asked to take on. You have to have players like that. The USMNT are lucky to have Bedoya.
2. Kelyn Rowe and Matt Miazga should not be sent home
Bruce Arena is allowed to call in up to six replacements for his roster heading into the knockout round of the Gold Cup (the replacements had to have been named to the 40-man preliminary roster). It is being reported that five of the six moves are pretty much set in stone. Tim Howard and Michael Bradley were at the game in Cleveland on Saturday. Joining them will be Jozy Altidore, Darlington Nagbe and Clint Dempsey.
Arena calling in the big, and experienced, guns means he’s serious about winning this thing. It also means that some players have to go home. Kelyn Rowe and Matt Miazga should not be among those who are sent back to their club teams.
Besides Bedoya, Rowe has been the best midfielder for the U.S. in the Gold Cup. He has made himself a nuisance to defenses on the wing, taking on defenders and serving dangerous balls into the box. His goal tonight was a clinic in positioning as he fanned out into just enough space to receive Bedoya’s pass in the right spot to bang it home. He may just be a sub for the knockout round, but he deserves to be here.
Chelsea defender Matt Miazga hadn’t played a single second of soccer in the Gold Cup before getting the start against Nicaragua. He had a fine game as Matt Besler’s partner on the back line. The 21-year-old also scored the group winning goal, showcasing his size and athleticism to send a diving header home.
Arena seems to favor Matt Hedges over Miazga, at least leading up to Saturday, but Hedges had a horrible outing against Martinique. With none of the apparent replacements being center-backs, it seems pretty obvious that Miazga should stay.
3. It was ugly, but the United States got the results they needed
Their draw with Panama in their first Gold Cup match was poor. Their 3-2 win over tiny Martinique was even worse. There was plenty of times during their 3-0 win over Nicaragua where they looked really bad. But the USMNT grinded out the results they needed to win Group B.
Bruce Arena will certainly be happy about that, and he will enjoy the chance to call in some vets to make a run at the trophy. But the group stage was also very useful in that it allowed the U.S. manager to evaluate many players that he has not been able to spend time with since taking over last November.
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He should have a good idea about the overall depth chart and who he thinks can help out as the Yanks push for qualification to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He also knows who won’t be in the mix for playing time during the rest of this cycle (sorry Chris Pontious, Justin Morrow and Cristian Roldan).
Even taking into consideration how ugly and frustrating the group stage was at times, it has to be seen as a positive overall. Winning the Gold Cup would make it just a little more positive.