In the first game since the World Cup for both teams, the United States men's national team suffered a 2-0 loss to Brazil at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Despite an experienced United States cast and a youthful Brazilian lineup, the Americans could not find a way to score or protect their own goal.
The United States opened the game with good defensive pressure on Brazil and, literally, hit the ground running. Three minutes into the game, Edson Buddle threaded a no-look pass to Landon Donovan, who rushed into the box. Donovan received pressure from both sides and a shove as his shot deflected off Brazilian goalkeeper Victor. The shove could have resulted in a penalty kick, but the referee allowed play to resume.
Asked to reflect on the missed opportunity, Donovan said, "It was unfortunate because the guy fouled me. I think Silvio realized it was a foul. I tried to stay up. They always encourage us not to dive and you try to do the right thing but you have to rely on the referee to make the call, so maybe next time I'll go down and get the sure penalty."
The United States would eventually cave, though. In the 28th minute, Neymar successfully headed Andre Santos' cross for the first goal of the game. Neymar was able to distance himself from U.S. defender Jonathan Bornstein and guide the ball into the lower left corner from 10 yards out.
When asked about the first goal, Bornstein would go on to say, "They got down our right side and the guy swung a good ball in. I was running back toward the goal and all of a sudden I saw the ball curling in. I tried to jump to it but it was curling away from my head and went straight to their player."
Only a few minutes later, Brazil began celebrating again when Pato kicked the ball through the net in the 32nd minute. However, while in the process of scoring, Pato collided with U.S. goalkeeper, Tim Howard, and the referee waved the goal off.
In the stoppage time of the first half, the United States would take another hit. Ramires got the ball to Alexandre Pato, who was scored in a one-on-one opportunity against Howard. The United States found itself familiar position, trailing heading into halftime.
The United States had its share of chances, but simply was not able to convert. One one occasion the United States actually scored. After receiving a short corner kick from Donovan, Sacha Kljestan lobbed the ball to Michael Bradley, who headed a shot into the net. The goal was waived, though, because Bradley was in offside position.
On another play, Victor had to use his arsenal of reflexes to catch Kljestan's free kick just outside of the penalty area. Toward the end of the game, a goal seemed inevitable when Jonathan Spector bent in a cross to substitute Herculez Gomez in the 85th minute. This time, Victor stopped yet another play by steering the ball clear of danger.
The recurring theme for the United States since the World Cup has been conceding goals early and playing catch-up for the majority of the game. It's true, giving up a goal in the 28th minute is better than conceding one in the fourth minute, as the U.S. did against England in the Group Stage of the World Cup. Nevertheless, in order to improve, it is imperative that the United States tighten up its back line and capitalize on its chances.
Before the game, the 2010 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductees were honored on the field. Bruce Arena, Thomas Dooley, Predag “Preki” Radosavljevic and Kyle Rote Jr. were this year's inductees.
Many were likely pleased with U.S. coach Bob Bradley's roster, as well as his starting lineup. Bradley, who was under scrutiny for his opening lineup in the World Cup loss to Ghana, gave the LA Galaxy's forward Edson Buddle the start over "all-speed, no finish" striker Robbie Findley. Buddle has led the MLS in scoring for most of the season, currently in the lead with 11 games in 18 games.
American midfielder Benny Feilhaber started the game, too. Feilhaber was very efficient as a substitute for the United States in the World Cup. However, he had a relatively quiet night against Brazil and was substituted for Kljestan in the second half.
Another U.S. starter, the LA Galaxy's Omar Gonzalez, received his first cap for the national team against Brazil. His teammate, Donovan, thought Gonzalez, the 2009 MLS Rookie of the Year and a MLS All-Star this season, had a satisfactory performance.
"He did okay," Donovan said. "All things considered, he did alright. I think he realizes that to play at this level, it takes everything. And that means, all the proper preparation, every play has to be right, especially when you’re playing a team like that. All in all, though, I think he did pretty well and it was a pretty good experience for him.”
There was plenty of influence from Los Angeles on yesterday's U.S. roster. In the starting lineup, there were three LA Galaxy players: Buddle, Donovan, and Gonzalez. Additionally, Captain Carlos Bocanegra, Bornstein, and Feilhaber are all former UCLA Bruins.
For the most part, the United States had a veteran squad, with 15 of the 23 players on the roster having been to the World Cup. On the other hand, Brazil had a much younger group, with 14 players having had one international appearance or less prior to the friendly.
At the end of the day, Brazil got off to a good start, while the United States may have experienced a poor ending. Brazilian manager Mano Menezes won in his debut, while Bradley lost in perhaps his last game as coach of the U.S. national team.
"My contract is through [to] the end of the year so it's no problem for me," Bradley said. "I'll be thinking later tonight about those games and like I have said there will be discussions."
