The defensive sequence which led to the decisive goal was a mess. It began with Christian Pulisic winning a header at the edge of the midfield third, hoping to head it down to Jack McGlynn.
The Houston Dynamo midfielder swung a leg at it in vain, but it trickled to Cecilio Waterman. Four USMNT players immediately converged, desperate to force the ball back, with Waterman prodding it into open terrain.
Waterman’s poke put the nearby U.S. players in a precarious spot. Most opted not to leave their posts, aiming to avoid opening passing lanes. Ultimately, Joe Scally stopped his run toward the box and turned, but was beaten to it by winger Janpol Morales.
Morales got the ball to his team’s chief string-puller, Adalberto ‘Coco’ Carrasquilla, who had ample time to survey his options and find Waterman, who pulled into space almost entirely undetected before letting fly.
He spotted match-rusty goalkeeper Matt Turner hugging his near post and instead fired across goal, exploiting the Crystal Palace loanee’s conservative positioning.
GO FURTHER
The defensive breakdown that doomed the USMNT to defeat against Panama
发表回复