What we got was anything but that, as for much of the first half we were left to wonder if there was actually another end to the field, given that Honduras founds themselves playing mostly within the Americans' half while the US were barely able to string more than a couple of passes together to mount any serious challenges of their own. Yes, Dempsey's clinical volley to put the US up 1-0 in the 36th gave us reason to think that it might be possible to snatch a valuable result on the road, but that would ultimately prove to be little more than fool's gold. Juan Garcia's highlight reel goal but four minutes later would rightfully put the game back on even terms, and the worst, fully evidenced by the defensive lapse conspired upon by Cameron, Gonzalez and Howard, was still yet to come in the second half.
It would be a luxury to merely write this game off as a loss in a tough CONCACAF road game, but there were certainly enough concerning things on display, both tactically and in performance, to leave us thinking that this road to the World Cup will be much more perilous than anything we've experience in previous campaigns.
Yes, there were quite a few guys out there on Wednesday afternoon who had little to revel in. Danny Williams, as has been the case on a few of his outings in a US shirt, was largely anonymous in the center of the park. Timmy Chandler, having finally committed himself to the US cause after being rather unsure of his future involvement in recent months, did little to repay the faith instilled him by looking quite shaky on several occasions and conceding possession in a dangerous position when a simple clearance would have sufficed--the ensuing corner ultimately led to Honduras' equalizer. Geoff Cameron looked shockingly poor as well at times, and Omar Gonzalez will surely have better days with the US than he did against Honduras.
The aforementioned players aren't the only ones who performed below their capabilities, but maybe their recent shortcomings aren't the only ones to focus upon after the dour display from the US; questions must be asked of just what Jürgen Klinsmann had in mind for this game as well. In what is beginning to feel like a broken record in away games on this World Cup qualifying campaign, the starting eleven trotted out was hardly one that looked set up to really take a game by the scruff of the neck. Starting Danny Williams at all and playing Jermaine Jones and Eddie Johnson out of position on the right and the left respectively was always going to be perplexing, and independent of Jones' exquisite ball to Dempsey, little was gained through Klinsmann's odd selections in the midfield. The omission of Carlos Bocanegra from this game, a game in which more experienced heads might have been paramount, is probably the one that requires the most questions asked of it, and accordingly it probably proved to be the main reason the US didn't sneak away with a point.
Beyond individual performances and tactical oddities, Wednesday afternoon did serve to remind us of how certain absences are plaguing this current crop of US players. With Landon Donovan still on and indefinite hiatus and Brek Shea settling in at Stoke, two very viable options on the right and the left were nowhere to be found; their participation could have made a win that much more likely, and at the very least the US would have had a bit more attacking impetus with them in the fold. Still, even with the likes of Shea and Donovan not in the fold at the moment, the likes of Graham Zusi and Sacha Kljestan might have offered some offensive-mindedness that was so woefully lacking. Why Klinsmann opted to play a defensive midfielder and striker in positions they might have done better in is something many US fans are wondering now.
If there was one silver lining to be found from the opening matchday of this final stage of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, it was that Mexico, Jamaica, Panama and Costa Rica all had to settle for a single point, thus meaning that Honduras were the only team to come away with maximum points. With nine games to go in the group, there is of course all still to play for, but one wouldn't be amiss to feel a certain degree anxiety going forward. This final group is as strong as it ever has been, with all six teams having a very realistic chance of making it to Brazil in 2014. With such strength on offer all around CONCACAF at the moment, improvements from all involved, whether the players or Klinsmann himself, will be absolutely vital if the US is to have any chance of qualifying. Even with improvements, it may only be just enough in what promises to be a nervy final stage of qualifying for everyone involved.
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