United States 1, Italy 0: A turning point for Klinsmann

In what was an international matchday rife with high profile clashes in Europe, none was bigger on this side of the Atlantic than the USA's venture into Genoa to take on an Italy side that had never fallen to the Americans in ten previous meetings dating back to the 1930s. Given the absences of such notable players as Landon Donovan, Jermaine Jones and Oguchi Onyewu, the US could have been forgiven and even commended for coming away from this game with a close loss, but such moral victories weren't exactly what Klinsmann and his men had in mind. Instead, they had every intent of leaving Genoa with a more positive result in hand.

Although the likes of Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano were likewise missing for Italy, this was an Italy side that was still as dangerous as ever up front, and in the opening fifteen minutes or so, Juventus' Alessando Matri and Parma's Sebastian Giovinco looked like the most likely men to score at some point, even as they continuously flirted with the linesmen and their offside flags. With the ageless Andrea Pirlo showing in those early stages that he was to be at his passing best as well, it would have taken a brave man to pick the US to hold on for a clean sheet, but after a couple of moments of being rather open in that early stanza of the match, the centerback pairing of Clarence Goodson and Carlos Bocanegra solidified nicely. Steve Cherundolo was his usual dependable self as well, and Fabian Johnson, starting in place of Timothy Chandler, put in a shift at left back that might have garnered man of the match honors on any other day.

While the backline and Tim Howard are deserving of massive amounts of praise in keeping Italy at bay, their work was made that much easier by the efforts of Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu. Edu, who probably wouldn't have started over a healthy Jermaine Jones, put in one of his best performances in an US shirt--it might have even been his best by some margin. His positioning was outstanding, he did his part to break up many Italian attack before they ever reached the final third of the field, and in turn hardly looked out of place against a world class team.

As good as Edu was, Bradley was that much better, and one could easily go so far as to say that Bradley was the best player on the pitch by some margin yesterday. Like Edu, Bradley read the game extremely well and had his share of tackles and interceptions, but what set Bradley apart from his colleagues was the composure and confidencehe demonstrated each and every time he was on the ball, and as a result he completed 90% of his passes and had hardly put a foot wrong by the time the final whistle blew. It was unnervingly popular for some US fans to write Bradley's inclusion in the national team as merely coming about as a result of his father's nepotism, but that criticism must be put to bed now. The time has come for Bradley's detractors to simply accept that he is a damn good player, and playing day in and day out with Cheivo Verona has only made him hone his craft that much more.

A cursory glance at the final stats would lead one to think that the US hardly presented any real impetus in going forward, but, especially as seen in the first half, this was hardly the case. The US countered well, especially down the left side through Fabian Johnson and Brek Shea, and they passed the ball around nicely and crisply in midfield quite often, suggesting that the attacking style Jürgen Klinsmann wants to instill in the team is beginning to take shape. Although the US was somewhat short on creating chances once in the final third, Dempsey's cool 55th minute finish, which came as no surprise thanks to his scintillating form with Fulham this season, was just about what the Americans deserved up to that juncture in the game.

Perhaps the most important thing for American fans to draw from this game was the mental fortitude demonstrated in holding onto the win in the dying minutes as Italy poured forward and pushed for the equalizer that would have saved them at least some blushes in front of their home fans. The neutral observer would have just about banked on Italy to score late and break American hearts, but as I commented on Twitter during the game, the US defended their goal like a pack of wild dogs hungry for this win. Bocanegra's clutch blocks were just what one would expect from a captain, and Jonathan Spector, who replaced Fabian Johnson late on, performed very admirably in maintaining Italy's frustration.

The naysayers will say that American fans should only lend so much credence to this result since it was, as they would say, only a friendly and not a match played under the bright lights of a big tournament. I understand what they are saying, but I have to wholeheartedly disagree with the sentiment. This win, on the road and against such a mainstay on the world's stage as Italy, is not one to be disregared, especially in light of what had been a rather uneven start to Klinsmann's reign. In coming away from Genoa with a win, this team is one that now has its proof of heading in the right direction as World Cup qualification nears, and the players' confidence in Klinsmann's tactical acumen must be sky high now. Good teams are often built upon such belief.

Positives

• Fabian Johnson's crossing: As seen against Slovenia last fall, he is quite comfortable into getting into advanced positions and getting a good cross in. His delivery in to Altidore, who in turn set up Dempsey's goal, is just more evidence of what Johnson is going to mean to this team in the coming years.
• Heart of the midfield: I waxed poetic about it already, but it bears repeating. With a healthy Jermaine Jones in the mix, Klinmann's selection headaches going forward are to be envied.
• Clint Dempsey: His fantastic play just continues on.
• Jonathan Spector: I haven't always been high on him, but he defended superbly in his few minutes of action.

Negatives

• Danny Williams at right wing: The book on deploying him there should be shut now. I do think he has a place on the national team scene, but this isn't it. He's far more comfortable as either a defensive midfielder or right back.
• Jozy Altidore not playing to his strength: There were a couple of occasions in particular in the first half when I felt he went to ground too easily. If he had stayed on his feet and maintained possession instead of looking for a foul and giving the ball away in these instances, perhaps the US could have created another chance or two.
• Brek Shea trying too hard at times: There's no questioning Shea's talent, but he did seem to press at times yesterday, and in turn he gave the ball away when a simple pass could have kept US attacks alive. He's still acclimating to this level, but I have little doubt that he ultimately will.