It would have taken but a quick glance to the skies over the US National Team this week for one to see a flock of vultures circling overhead, patiently waiting to swoop down and confirm the seemingly imminent demise of the USA's World Cup qualification hopes and, perhaps, the beginning of the end of Jürgen Klinsmann's American dream before it ever reached any sort of fruition. Brian Straus' article, released earlier in the week, provided a rather damning look at life behind the scenes of Klinsmann's reign, and even independent of that, last month's performance against Honduras, steeped in doldrums and malaise, failed to give even the most patriotic of fans much hope going into two very vital games against Costa Rica and Mexico.
Yes, the reasons for encouragement going into last night's tilt with Costa Rica were scant, but as we know, soccer can be a funny old game, full of twists, turns, and the unexpected happening so often that it should just about be expected. Yet, even in the spirit of the unexpected that so often greets us during the span of ninety minutes, last night's scenes were nothing short of surreal, bizarre, and downright legendary.
No, it was never going to be easy against a highly formidable Costa Rica side, even in the best conditions. Needless to say, however, last night's blizzard proved to be quite the deviation from the best conditions. And yet, despite having to take on a team surely capable of winning and despite having to endure a night that few players will ever face in their playing careers, the occasion provided the stage on which the USA could prove that a trait long ingrained in the very DNA of the national team, that of pure grit, was still alive, even if it had recently gone on somewhat of a hiatus.
While the battering snow hardly meant that the US would put on a soccer clinic, we would be remiss to not mention that the USA's passing in the first half, at least before the snow began accumulating in the copious amounts we saw in the second half, was much crisper and incisive than anything seen in Honduras in February. In contrast to that game in Honduras, the effort was one of a team that really understood the gravity of the situation before them, and if for that reason alone, maybe US fans can dare to think ahead to the possibilities of getting something out of the upcoming game against Mexico.
The climatological realities of last night mean that it would be quite unfair to be overly critical of anyone's performance, as it was a game that was unlike anything we may see anytime soon. However, that does not mean that we can't heap copious amounts of praise on some of the individual performances that contributed to the sum of three points.
Brad Guzan faced the difficult task of not only stepping in for the injured Tim Howard at such a pivotal juncture, but also of playing goalkeeper in an unforgiving blizzard. The conditions accordingly meant that every routine catch and every typical save would be anything but that, yet Guzan was up to the challenge throughout and allowed US fans to breathe a bit easier on several occasions. One slip up could have seen Costa Rica find their equalizer, but the slip never came. Given that Aston Villa would probably be well adrift at the bottom of the Premier League this season without Guzan's play, maybe we shouldn't be surprised by his superlative effort.
DaMarcus Beasley has seemingly been put out to pasture by the US quite a few times in recent years, but there he was last night, playing out of position at left back and providing the steady play that only a veteran of multiple World Cups could provide. One would not be unreasonable to think that his play against Costa Rica may just provide him with a lifeline for the rest of this qualification campaign.
Omar Gonzalez and Clarence Goodson faced as much of a daunting task as Brad Guzan did last night, because, like Guzan, one slip or one trip in the snow would have sent the likes of Alvaro Saborio or Bryan Ruiz clean through on goal and likely spelled the end of the USA's hopes for a win. Appropriately enough on such a snowy night, the defensive duo kept their cool and made the clean sheet a reality on a night when only a clean sheet would do. After his shaky outing in Honduras, last night's resolute display was exactly what Omar Gonzalez needed going into Mexico.
And so, after one of the most remarkable games the USA has ever seen, there is once again all to play for in a World Cup qualification run that looks to have received a much needed injection of life. It's just about all that any US fan could have hoped for at this point.
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