USA 1 - 3 Italy

June 15, 2009

Unfortunately the american player Ricardo Clark made a very imprudent action that punished the whole team. I found that Clark didn't think that there are game rules and violent behaviors. Ricardo Clark made a violent foul that caused his red card. If having remained the USA team with their 11 players into the field, the final history of the game had been different. Any way the image after going winning to the Italians has been good and I hope that against Brazil the US players maintain the calm and play an intelligent soccer game to have some options of winning to Brazil.

In the 40th minute, Giorgio Chiellini hauled down young USA striker Jozy Altidore and a penalty was awarded. Donovan, kept his cool to slot past Gianluigi Buffon and give his team a shock 1-0 lead. The inspiration came from substitute Rossi. The USA-born Villarreal striker took the ball off Clint Dempsey in midfield with his first touch of the ball in the 58th minute, inside 50 seconds of coming on to the pitch, raced towards the US goal and unleashed a vicious left-foot strike past Howard from 30 yards and into the top corner.

After the equaliser, the Italians were in firm control. And in the 71st minute, Daniele de Rossi, who was sent off the last time the two teams met at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, turned an unleashed a low drive from the edge of the box that snuck by two American defenders and just past Howard, nestling in the side netting.
Rossi rubbed salt into the wounds of his birth country four minutes into stoppage time, slamming a half-volley home from close range to make it 3-1. It signalled the end of a brave fight by the Americans and Italy now move to the top of Group B, even with Brazil on three points.

Lineups:USA:
1-Tim Howard; 21-Jonathan Spector, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 15-Jay DeMerit, 2-Jonathan Bornstein (16-Sacha Kljestan, 86); 22-Benny Feilhaber (7-DaMarcus Beasley, 72), 13 -Ricardo Clark, 12-Michael Bradley, 8-Clint Dempsey; 10-Landon Donovan, 17-Jozy Altidore (9-Charlie Davies, 66)Subs not used: 3-Carlos Bocanegra, 4-Conor Casey, 6-Heath Pearce, 11-Marvell Wynne, 14-Danny Califf, 18-Brad Guzan, 19-Freddy Adu, 20-Jose Francisco Torres, 23-Luis RoblesHead Coach: Bob Bradley

ITA:
1-Gianluigi Buffon; 19-Gianluca Zambrotta, 4-Girogio Chiellini, 6-Nicola Legrottaglie, 3-Fabio Grosso; 8-Gennaro Gattuso (17-Giuseppe Rossi, 57), 10-Daniele De Rossi, 21-Andrea Pirlo; 15-Vincenzo Iaquinta, 11-Alberto Gilardino (9-Luca Toni, 69), 16-Mauro Camoranesi (20-Riccardo Montolivo, 57)Subs not used: 2-Davide Santon, 5-Fabio Cannavaro, 7-Simone Pepe, 12-Morgan De Sanctis, 13-Alessandro Gamberini, 14-Marco Amelia, 18-Angelo Palombo, 22-Andrea Dossena, 23-Fabio Quagliarella Head Coach: Marcello Lippi


Desafortunadamente el jugador Ricardo Clark cometió una falta muy imprudente, que castigó a todo el equipo. Me pareció que Clark no piensa que hay reglas de juego y conductas violentas. Lo que hizo Ricardo fue una conducta violenta que ameritó su expulsión. De haber permanecido el equipo USA con sus 11 jugadores, la historia final del juego hubiera sido muy diferente.

De cualquier manera la imagen después de ir ganando a los italianos ha sido buena y espero que en contra de Brasil los jugadores mantengan la calma y jueguen un futbol inteligente para tener alguna opción de ganarle a Brasil.


What is your comment about Ricardo's foul?