Late Goal Earns Honduras Draw Against USMNT

In an allusion to Friday night, late-game defending once again costs the US as they give up an 86th minute equalizer to Honduras.

When lineups were released before kickoff, the US had Jermaine Jones partnering Matt Besler in central defense, much to the surprise of many. The XI also had Mix Diskerud playing the holding role with Michael Bradley in the advanced role, also a surprise to some. As for on field play, the US came out on the attack with Diskerud flying around to breakup Honduran passes and shots.

With Diskerud defending well, it allowed for the US to break forward quickly, and led to the opening goal. Diskerud cut out a pass and found Clint Dempsey who linked up with Michael Bradley inside the center circle. Bradley then played a fantastic switch to Jozy Altidore who chested the ball down into his path and stormed into the box; the Sunderland striker then cut inside and ripped a right footed shot past the Honduran ‘keeper to give the US a lead inside of 10 minutes. With the goal, Altidore also moves to 5th all time on the US scoring list at 24 tied with Joe-Max Moore.

The goal gives confidence to both Altidore and Bradley for different reasons. Since the EPL season opened in August, Altidore has struggled to earn time in Sunderland’s first team, seeing only a few minutes here and there as a reserve. For Bradley, his play (out of position) in Brazil continues to be the subject of much criticism, and with Toronto probably missing the playoffs, his place in the national team could be under pressure.

After halftime the US came out sluggish and looked like a team that hasn’t been playing together for too long, even though the core of the team was starting. Substitutions for both sides plagued the rhythm and flow of the game, leaving the US with a good bit of defending to do. It was only a matter of time before the lengthy defending would hurt the US, and in the 86th minute it did. Mix Diskerud made a sliding challenge outside the box that resulted in a yellow card and a free kick.

Mario Martinez whipped in an in-swinger on the ensuing free kick that Maynor Figueroa out-jumped Jermaine Jones for and headed past Nick Rimando to equalize. It was one of Jermaine Jones’ only mistakes on the night at center back, which would be considered a victory in that department. The match would finish in a 1-1 draw, the second consecutive for the US.

Something to note that is troubling for Klinsmann and the US was the play of Michael Bradley and Graham Zusi. Outside of the assist to Altidore, Bradley was virtually non-existent. Now this could be due to the fact that he is playing the number 10 role when his true skill shows when he plays in front of the center backs. This problem is on Jurgen Klinsmann; Michael Bradley will continue to under-perform if he is played behind the strikers. Play him in the number 6 role and let Mix Diskerud make creative plays like he has done for the US in all three of the post World Cup friendlies thus far. As for Zusi, he did nothing to stand out tonight, something that haunted him at times in Brazil. Granted, he does deliver great service, but that isn’t worth keeping him in the XI if somebody more deserving is standing by.

The Jermaine Jones experiment worked out surprisingly well tonight. After a star World Cup performance in central midfield, the 32 year old looks unlikely to play the same role in 2018 when he’d be 36. Thus, to keep him around for the next cycle, Klinsmann experiments with placing him in central defense. He played well, but in a competitive match, is he a better option than Omar Gonzalez or Geoff Cameron? I’m not so sure.

The USMNT will be back in action next month when they travel to London to take on Croatia from Fulham’s Craven Cottage on the 12th. The match was confirmed yesterday by Croatia and is expected to be confirmed in the upcoming days by the USSF, according to SI. The US will then travel to Ireland for a November 18 showdown.

Oct 14, 2014; Boca Raton, FL, USA; USA forward Jozy Altidore (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the first half against Honduras at FAU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports