Foxborough, Massachusetts
In the second game of a CONCACAF Gold Cup doubleheader, the United States took on a relatively unknown Haiti team in their second game of the group stage.
The United States won 1-0, but had to fight a very difficult battle against a very tough opponent. Though the United States tried to control the tempo of this match, the better goal opportunities fell to the Haitian team, especially in the first half.
It was another record-breaking evening for American Football; the 46,720 fans in attendance marked the highest attendance for a CONCACAF Gold Cup match in the United States. And what a night it was! Entire families in the stands, rooting for the Red, White and Blue. The electric atmosphere in the stands matched the anticipation outside the venue at Gillette Stadium. Everyone was generally excited about being at this soccer match. Fans who had never before attended a professional football match; a group of middle school-aged children chanting “I Believe That We Will Win” as they made their way into the stadium; die-hard U.S. fans donning face paint, and the occasional group of Haiti fans, all eagerly awaiting the kick-off.
Brad Friedel was very critical of the pitch prior to this match. “I can’t believe in this day and age in America that we have to play on this type of pitch,” referring to sod surface that was placed on the usual turf.
USA had never lost at Gillette Stadium for the Gold Cup, with a record of six wins and two draws, with twenty goals for and four against, and kept their record intact, though the match was anything but a cake-walk. With Altidore in the lineup, with Guzan, Gonzalez, Bradley, Dempsey, Diskerud, Johannsson, Garza, Ream, Evans and Zusi backing him up, the United States had a very difficult time taking control of the game. Haiti looked more dangerous the entire first half.
In the second half, Jürgen Klinsmann decided to withdraw Altidore in favor of Gyasi Zardes, and the move paid immediate dividends, as the substitute crossed a perfect ball in for the assist on the lone goal of the match.
It took Clint Dempsey, who had a career 7 goals in the Gold Cup going into this match to end the tie by scoring his eighth. Dempsey looks on-track and in-form in this tournament, and continues to chase Landon Donovan on the leader board, who has 18 goals himself in this tournament.
This victory meant the U.S. now has a current streak of eight consecutive Gold Cup victories, and is the Americans’ longest since winning eight consecutive matches across the 2007 and 2009 tournaments.
The defeat was a bit of an injustice for Haiti, who came to play and were very physical and athletic the entire match. At times, it was difficult to distinguish who the teams were, since Haiti was displaying the type of counterattacking football that the United States has become known for recently. The Haitians were not inferior to the Americans this night, and their manager was pleased with their performance, if not with the result.
In the end, this 1-0 win for the U.S. means they have clinched first place in their group, and advance to the knockout phase with a game left to play.
Photo gallery.
Best moments from the match. Click HERE!
