By Juan Carlos Maygua
The USYNT began the quest for a place in this summer’s Olympic Games facing Costa Rica. This mini-tournament gives two spots in Tokyo, something that the National team is determined to achieve after falling short on previous attempts. The game itself was evenly matched, but the outcome of the game would either compromise or benefit the teams involved.
The game
As I said before, the game was evenly matched. Although the most lethal attacks would come from Jesus Ferreira after one of his shots hit the post shortly after the game started. However, it would be Ferreira who would score the only goal of the game when he scored off a cross in the 35th minute of the first half. Unfortunately, he would also leave the game with an injury shortly after finishing a close one on one chance with Costa Rica’s goalkeeper.
Aaron Herrera was another key part of the offensive tactics against “Los Ticos”. His runs down the wings helped create some of the most lethal chances of the game, I believe that if he starts against Mexico, the wings will be a good area to take advantage of. In terms of defensive aspects, the team struggled to have clean transitions from the back, compromising David Ochoa in goal. Although, he would make some crucial saves that in different circumstances would have turned to goals. The heroic performance would make him the “Man of the Match” while helping the team obtain the victory.
Post-match assessments
Head Coach Jason Kreis gave his impressions of the game after the victory against Costa Rica. He highlighted the importance of the team’s tactical identity, “We were asking our team to build up, it would’ve been different if we chose to play long and fight for second balls, that’s not who we are and that’s not part of our DNA”. Thus, addressing my analysis of the team’s difficulty with transitions. Besides, he highlighted the difficulty that the squad had to obtain the result, “We could have been better with the ball if we made better decisions, unfortunately, that’s part of what happens with guys not playing matches, it’s not all about fitness, our touch of the ball as well”.
My colleague Alonso Contreras brought up the importance of the weather and altitude factors, and how that may have impacted the squad. “The system that we are playing is a difficult one, it requires a lot of energy, running and the players need to be calm on the ball. It’s not easy to be a team that’s looking to build up from the back or to maintain possession of the game, this isn’t the easy way to play. It would be easier to be reactive on the counter-attack, but that’s not in our DNA, so we’re going to continue with our idea and improve as the tournament progresses”.
The team now prepares to face Mexico in a key game for the Olympic aspirations. The host nation will arrive at the game on Wednesday with a 4-1 victory over the Dominican Republic. It’s a must-watch game given the historic rivalry behind it.