Eddie Johnson Rescues The U.S. Men's National Team With 2 Goals Vs. Antigua & Barbuda

Not being able to watch U.S. men's national team games that mean so much is torture, particularly when they play down to awful CONCACAF opponents that they should easily beat by like five goals every time. As I frantically checked the stattracker on ussoccer.com and the U.S. men's twitter feed tonight, I was ecstatic when they pulled out an improbable victory.

Making his first appearance in two years, Eddie Johnson saved the U.S. with a pair of goals tonight as they beat Antigua and Barbuda 2-1 in North Sound, Antigua at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. It was the first time since 2004 (!) that he scored multiple goals for the national team (he had a hat trick in 2004 vs. Panama). Everyone (myself included) was up in arms about Jozy Altidore being left off the roster but at least this controversial move couldn't have worked out any better for Jurgen Klinsmann.

Guatemala's 2-1 win vs. Jamaica means that all the Americans have to do on Tuesday in Kansas City is beat or tie Guatemala and they'll advance to the semifinal round of 2014 World Cup qualifying. The U.S. and Guatemala are tied atop Group A with 10 points.

Johnson leads MLS in goals on headers (9 for the Seattle Sounders) so it's no surprise that he made it 1-0 in the 20th minute on a leaping header off Graham Zusi's looping lefty cross. After a defensive breakdown including Clarence Goodson falling down, Antigua and Barbuda quickly tied it in the 25th minute on Dexter Blackstock's tap in.

It looked like this was destined to be a tie after Michael Bradley's header was stopped in the 85th minute but Johnson and Alan Gordon (his first CAP for the U.S.) teamed up for an absolutely vital strike. Gordon crossed it to Johnson who somehow found an opening and connected with another powerful header.

I can't imagine the reaction if the U.S. hadn't won this match but thankfully, we don't have to think about that too much. Even better news is that we can all watch the game on Tuesday (7:00 p.m., ESPN2) and we don't have to pull our hair out sitting in front of our phones or computers. Other than the first half against Jamaica on September 11, the U.S. hasn't played well at all in this round of qualifying. A positive person would say they are due to put together a full effort. It's late and I'm tired so we'll just run with that.

UPDATE 10/14: Fabian Johnson is still sick so he won't join his teammates in Kansas City for Tuesday's game. No replacement will be added for him as the U.S. will face Guatemala with 19 healthy players (3 goalkeepers). Jermaine Jones is back with his club in Germany after picking up another yellow card on Friday therefore suspending him for Tuesday's match. Has he ever played a US game without picking up a card?

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It's Official: Jurgen Klinsmann Hates Jozy Altidore

I try not to read too much into rosters for games, since U.S. men's national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been scouring every possible direction for anybody that can contribute to his team. Still, it was bizarre today when we found out that U.S. striker Jozy Altidore was left off the 24-man roster for the U.S.' next two important World Cup qualifiers: on Friday at Antigua and Barbuda then Tuesday in Kansas City against Guatemala.

Altidore has obviously never impressed Klinsmann since he has rarely gotten off the bench since the German took over last year. However, considering how well he is playing in the Netherlands this season and the fact that something named Alan Gordon (San Jose Earthquakes) was named in his place makes this borderline mystifying. Gordon is a 30-year-old (31 next week) journeyman that is in MLS and this would be his first CAP.

From ussoccer.com
The U.S. first faces the Benna Boyz on Oct. 12 in North Sound, Antigua. Kickoff for the USA’s first visit to the island is set for 7 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast live on beIN SPORT. Four days later, the U.S. will close out the semifinal round at sold-out LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. That match will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

“The mentality we are bringing into these two games is to get six points,” said Klinsmann. “It’s important that the players arriving into Miami prepare themselves for two ‘finals.’ We must have urgency within the group and a clear understanding that we need to deliver, which means each player has to bring a 100 percent effort. All our focus and energy for the next few days will be on getting the right preparation for the team so we can win the next two games.”

The U.S. is currently even with Guatemala at the top of Group A with seven points and matching totals in both goal differential and goals scored. Jamaica also has seven points but sits in third place due to a lower goal differential. With the three nations tied on points and jockeying for the top two spots, no team will be able to secure a place in the Final Round until the last group matches are played on Oct. 16.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Racing Santander), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Maurice Edu (Stoke City), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Michael Parkhurst (Nordsjaelland)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Michael Bradley (Roma), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (5): Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur), Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Alan Gordon (San Jose Earthquakes), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders)

Bradley is back after missing the two matches against Jamaica in September. This also marks Johnson and Kljestan's return to the national team. The U.S. beat Antigua and Barbuda 3-1 on June 8 in their first ever World Cup qualifier against them. Bradley, Edu, Fabian Johnson, Jones and Zusi all carry yellow cards into Friday night's match meaning they would be suspended for one-game after another one.

The U.S. began training in Miami earlier today and they will head to the island of Antigua on Thursday. Luckily, like the match in Jamaica, we won't be able to watch the game for free on TV so we'll have to rely on Twitter and the few American journalists that are in attendance. CONCACAF!

UPDATE 10/9: Shea (abdominal strain) and Donovan (knee) are out with injuries for both qualifiers and according to U.S. Soccer, there will be no replacements for them.

UPDATE 10/10: Geez, now Johnson (flu) and Castillo (foot) are out for Friday. The team hopes that Johnson will recover in time for Tuesday. Johnson had been a starter with Castillo serving as his backup. Bocanegra and Parkhurst figure to be the left and right backs with Cameron and either Goodson or Edu in at center back. They are down to 20 healthy players (including 3 goalkeepers).

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U.S. Men Beat Antigua & Barbuda 3-1 In World Cup Qualifying Opener

For the second game in a row, the U.S. men's soccer team played awful against an overmatched opponent. I'm ignoring the 4-1 loss to Brazil since they weren't all that bad in that match given the talent they faced but tonight's very uneven 3-1 win vs. Antigua and Barbuda left fans with many questions and concerns.

Yes, the bottom line is that the U.S. was able to start off this phase of World Cup qualifying with three points in front of a soaked pro-American crowd in Jacksonville, FL. However, playing like this against most other teams will likely result in a loss or at best a tie.

U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra scored his 13th international goal (tying Marcelo Balboa's record for American defenders) in the eighth minute following Landon Donovan's corner kick and Herculez Gomez's header that Antigua and Barbuda goalkeeper Molvin James left right at Boca's feet.

The small Caribbean island nation of 88,000 people that's just happy to be here (they've never made it this far) almost reached halftime only down 1-0 but Donovan was violently tackled on the edge of the box in the 44th minute. Clint Dempsey stepped up and scored on the penalty kick, his 26th for the U.S, as they took a more secure 2-0 lead.

Antigua and Barbuda's only real chance of the half was blocked in the box by U.S. defender Clarance Goodson's sliding challenge.

The troubling aspect of this match was that the U.S. showed no real ability to put away a team that they should beat by five goals every day of the week. I guess a long training camp and a bunch of games in a short amount of time (coupled with some injuries) has left them drained. It probably didn't help that this game was delayed by rain and it continued to pour all night.

Jose Torres went down with an ankle injury in the 54th minute and that's when the bad vibes really permeated for the U.S. With Fabian Johnson and Edgar Castillo both unavailable (due to injuries of their own), Torres had to start at left back. Once he was subbed out, Bocanegra had to shift over there while Oguchi Onyewu entered the action. I've long made my disdain for Gooch known so all I can hope is that his woeful defending which allowed Antigua and Barbuda sub Peter Byers to score in the 65th minute serves as the final nail in Gooch's USMNT coffin. I don't know how many more times he can continue to make critical mistakes before the U.S. finally pulls the plug on this failed experiment.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, a guy that had zero expectations when he made the World Cup roster in 2010 continues to see his performance level rise. Gomez scored his fourth international goal in the 72nd minute, the result of good old fashioned effort and hard work. After two U.S. shots were blocked by Antigua and Barbuda defenders, the ball bounced to Gomez who calmly dribble around James and finished, 3-1 U.S.

The U.S. found a reserve of energy as they pressed for more. Bocanegra pulled it back to Gomez and his shot went off the crossbar. Then Michael Bradley's cross was nearly deflected in the net. Ultimately, 3-1 is probably what the U.S. deserved. They dominated possession in the first half but were more loose in the second half. Still they had many more scoring opportunities (19-7 shots) and a 14-2 advantage in corner kicks (9-0 first half).

For their troubles, Jurgen Klinsmann's team gets one last trip before a welcome break from their national team duties: they travel to Guatemala on Tuesday night (10 p.m., Pay Per View). Guatemala lost 2-1 at Jamaica tonight so they'll be desperate to salvage any kind of point(s). Getting zero in their first two games could be fatal. The U.S. will have their hands full, playing away in these CONCACAF matches can be dicey since many of the stadiums/field conditions are less than second-rate. They need to find a way to put forth a more complete effort against another team that they should normally have no problem beating.

UPDATE 6/9: Torres' x-rays were negative, he was diagnosed with a bone bruise and is receiving treatment. Exhale!

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