USA 2-1 vs. Turkey!

Yay! Finally some exciting news about the US men's national team! After being down 0-1 at halftime by a very, we're talking VERY, fast Turkish side, we came back to win it 2-1! Thanks to the efforts of Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore (my two favorite players) we were able to contain the speed of the Turks. Now you may be asking, well what happened on that first goal? I'll tell you. Thanks to the lack of mental preparation by Jay DeMerit and his inability to shift over when Jonathan Spector made his spectacular streaking run forward, Turkey scored. Ok ok I admit maybe Spector shouldn't have shot up field, but being a defender myself for 5 years I can tell you I love it when defenders take chances like that. How was Spector supposed to know that his teammates including Bocanegra wouldn't shift over for him? He wasn't. Also um, hellllooo DeMerit, any 14 year old girl can tell you that when a defender runs up you pull your midfielder back and you SHIFT OVER. It's called the "banana." Or the boomerang, depending on who taught you. And who was in the right midfield spot that should've come back? Yep, Donovan.

Other than that hiccup and the tight, complex passing style that eased into simplicity when Torres was substituted into the match in the 2nd half, the USA looked like a solid and a formidable opponent. They need to use the entire width of the field, but that will resolve once Donovan and Feilhaber stop trying to drift to the inside. Donovan's problem is that he still thinks he's a central forward....oops.

As for defense, Oneywu may be in trouble with fast midfielders like Ashley Cole who love to make crazy runs and dribble straight at defenders. Oneywu's going to have to MOVE. Personally I'd prefer Spector, Bocanegra, Goodson, and maybe DeMerit. Bornstein does not need to be anywhere near that back line unless he chills out and fast. Oneywu does not factor into my lineup though Bradley seems to love him. And yes, he can body up when necessary. I think he's still playing scared, though a crucial injury can do that. We'll see.

Next game is vs. Australia on June 5th in South Africa.