Match Report
U.S. U-20s Tie Australia Friday, Win NTC Tourney
With Jurgen Klinsmann looking on, the United States under-20 national team earned a tie with Australia to claim the NTC Invitational trophy. ASN's Josh Deaver has more on the match.
BY
Josh Deaver
Posted
July 19, 2014
9:31 AM
AFTER DISPATCHING CHILE by a 2-1 count and dominating Bermuda 4-0 earlier in the week, the U.S under-20 men’s national team battled a talented Australian side to a scoreless draw on Friday night to emerge victorious at the NTC Invitation Tournament.
Needing only a draw to secure the trophy, the Americans controlled large stretches of the match and were unlucky not to score after forcing several crucial saves and clanging the woodwork four times over the course of 90 minutes.
The tournament caps off a successful week for the Americans at the National Training Center in Carson, Calif., where coach Tab Ramos is in the midst of fine-tuning his roster for World Cup qualification, which begins in January. Earlier in the week, Ramos stressed that result are largely unimportant, focusing instead on building consensus toward the final training camps of 2014—to be held in Argentina in September and Spain in November, respectively.
“We want to give everyone an opportunity and see what they can do,” Ramos said. “When you coach a team, there is not a game you don’t want to win, but at the same time I have to see the big picture down the road. So what’s most important to me is to see the players on the field and the combination of different players. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work, but I have to go through that process.”
Lining up Friday against the plucky Aussies, who defeated in Chile in a 5-4 thriller on Wednesday night, the opening quarter hour played out in a familiar feeling-out process in which the two sides exchanged less-than-biting spells of possession. A few chances did present themselves, with the young Socceroos forcing Maryland keeper Zack Steffen into a quick reaction or three in the opening quarter hour.
Without a foothold in possession, the U.S struggled initially to combat the Australians high-pressing tactics and were consistently pushed out wide, where Paul Arriola and Romain Gall—who replaced an injured Zack Pfeffer in the opening 10 minutes—were forced the create opportunities, mostly by whipping in less-than-dangerous crosses.
The bright spot of the opening half, however, was U.S. debutant Fernando Arce Jr. Despite a few out-of-sync moments with midfield partner Russell Canouse, Arce, son of the Mexican international, easily found open pockets in the attack, putting more than few efforts on the Australian frame. In the 7th minute, Arce nearly opened his account for the Americans in style, only to have his volley cleared off the goal line by defender Riley Woodcock, after Australian keeper Thurtell was caught in no man’s land following a failed clearance.
The play remained relatively open for the next stretch, with both sides finding scoring opportunities. Australian midfielder Daniel De Silva, who recently broke the A-League transfer record after signing for Roma, was a menace all night long, picking out dangerous passes and looking slippery in his off-ball movement. In the 32nd minute De Silva provided the best Australian chance on the night, forcing an excellent diving save from Steffen, who had to use every inch of his six-foot-two frame to palm the effort wide.
July 19, 2014
9:31 AM
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