By Juan Carlos Maygua
The National Team gets closer to the Olympic dream after the victory over the Dominican Republic. Since numbers play a part in this competition, the team has secured a spot in the next round after not receiving goals before the final game of the group. The Dominican Republic sealed their elimination with the defeat but left a good impression as they look to continue growing their program for future participation. The final group of the game will showcase the rivalry between Mexico and the United States, a game that always lives up to expectations.
The path to victory
The game could easily be described as “two-sided”, each half was controlled by one team. The first 45 minutes saw a solid defensive performance by the Dominican Republic. They were able to set up a system that allowed them to play on the counter-attack, without having to move their defensive lines away from their goal. This, however, exposed the USYNT’s weak points, as they relied on the wings far more often than in the previous game. This led them to constantly aim for crosses for the majority of the first half. Sebastian Saucedo would come up with an individual dribbling play that managed to break the defensive system in the final minutes of the half. The story would change for the second 45 minutes as substitutions were made.
Jackson Yueill opened the score after completing one of the many crosses of the game. Once the National team took advantage the Dominican Republic was forced to move their lines away from goal. Surprisingly two of the substitutions would seal the victory. The addition of Dorde Mihailovic into the midfield gave the team a reference to create spaces and open up the game. It was because of his movements off the field that he was able to score the fourth goal of the game. Hassani Dotson scored twice in the space of 10 minutes to secure the victory for the USYNT.
The aftermath
Head Coach Jason Kreis spoke after the game and gave his impressions on the team’s performance. He acknowledged the fact that they didn’t expect the Dominican Republic to wait so deep in their half, making it difficult for them to read the game at times. He also stated that at times, “Our guys were more concerned with the transition than creating attacking moments, but that improved in the second half so I’m glad to walk away with three points”. I had the chance to ask Kries if he was thinking about rotations in the team given that the result secured a place in the next round, or if the team will remain untouched given the history of the upcoming game. “I don’t think rotations could be considered, every field player in our roster has contributed. We had six changes to our starting lineup today so the coaching staff will have to determine which group is good or not, in the end, we all want to beat Mexico and win the group”.
The game against Mexico on Wednesday will determine the positions in which both teams will qualify. Honduras and Canada are waiting in the next round.