[ad_1]
NASHVILLE, Tennessee. – It took nearly 70 minutes, but a match against the old-fashioned Mexico broke out Tuesday night at the Nissan Stadium.
After more than an hour of sloppy play, few opportunities and little excitement, the back of American center Matt Miazga and Mexico's 18-year-old Diego Lainez gave an iconic match. Miazga was opposed to the jersey shot in the 65th minute and Lainez, every five-foot-six, went to the chest with the 6-foot-4 defender.
Miazga, to put it plainly, did not have it.
Here is the whole confrontation Miazga / Lainez / Alvarez pic.twitter.com/DEHFq0ykjh
– Juan Velazquez (@ JuanDirection58) September 12, 2018
The trade kicked off the match, turning a sleepy affair into a taboo slugfest reminiscent of some of the best encounters between the United States and Mexico over the past two decades. Tensions increased immediately after Miazga and Lainez met, culminating just minutes later when Mexican striker Angel Zaldivar received a direct red for a tackle at Wil Trapp's ankle.
The United States took advantage of their men's advantage shortly thereafter, as New York Red Bull midfielder Tyler Adams added Antonee Robinson's 71st center to a 1-0 victory for the United States. -United. A new generation of American and Mexican players pursuing Concacaf's most important rivalry was more memorable than the result.
"We talked a little bit. It's part of the game. It's a mental war, "Miazga said of his confrontation with Lainez. "They had a red card right after. It took a tribute and we won the match.
A match as hot as Tuesday is a good opportunity for a team to develop, and the young USMNT team will take confidence in the win. Miazga, Adams and head coach Dave Sarachan all felt that the Americans showed strength, fought bravely and defended themselves against an experimental Mexican team.
"What we're trying to keep telling this band is what's the identity of that team, when the fans are watching the team with what they're going," said Sarachan. "We are technical, but we have seen a team that played aggressively tonight, competed a lot, won most of their duels and I think it's a constant over the last two games. . "
So the vibrations of the postgame were positive. But they should not write about the fact that there are still a ton of questions that the United States must answer – perhaps even more than there were before Brazil's Friday defeat.
Upon entering this camp, the general consensus was that the United States occupied at least a decent place with its first-choice goalkeeper, right-back, center-back and midfielders. Goaltender Zack Steffen, right-back DeAndre Yedlin and central team Miazga and John Brooks have done nothing to dispel this idea. The notes on the rest of the list, however, ranged from incomplete to quite dark.
Central midfielders fall into the incomplete category. Adams showed well on Tuesday and Trapp and Weston McKennie did better than most of their teammates during the camp, but the USMNT missed an opportunity in those matches to play two of their potential building blocks in their best positions.
Adams and McKennie are both better as competent midfielders, and they will likely play the spot once Christian Pulisic, who missed this camp due to an injury, returns home. This trio of young stars will likely be critical in the United States over the next two rounds of the World Cup, and they need all the reps they can get.
The absence of Pulisic prevented them all from playing together this time, but Sarachan could easily have paired Adams and McKennie in the middle of both games. Instead, he missed a 4-1-4-1 formation in both games, starting Trapp at number 6 and lining up Adams and McKennie in somewhat unnatural places in front of him.
The installation did not work. The United States struggled a lot in the three halves they used the training until McKennie was out of Tuesday's game because of a minor injury early in the first half. They have largely failed to create opportunities, retain possession or string solid sequences on the ball. There never seemed to be much thought and, for most of Tuesday night, the United States was relegated to long balls full of hope for striker Gyasi Zardes.
Things have improved slightly after the forced departure of McKennie and the arrival of a third striker in the form of Julian Green, but the USMNT play before Mexico's red card left a lot to be desired
Much of this information fell into the rest of the list and seemed largely anonymous. We saw lightning Tuesday from winger Tim Weah and Robinson recovered from a tough night against Brazil with a bench assist at the back left, but no one really took the lead. This was the case despite the glaring holes of the United States in the attack.
The good news is that the USMNT has gained valuable experience against a hated enemy in a hot environment. The rivalry with Mexico could be back, but, as we saw on Friday and again Tuesday, this American team still has many questions to ask before they can reasonably think to reach the level reached by the US teams. El Tri.
[ad_2]
Source link
