Jozy Altidore had a big day for the USMNT on Sunday afternoon.
By Ivan Yeo
The U.S. National team has spent the last three weeks trying to figure out the right combinations.
Playing its first official match of the 2016 calendar year against Iceland, the USMNT mixed in experienced players such as Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Jermaine Jones with younger players such as Kellyn Acosta, Ethan Finlay, and later in the second half Steve Birnbaum, Jerome Kiesewetter.
When 90 minutes were up at the StubHub Center, both the youth and experience paid off for,the U.S., as Altidore scored and help set up the U.S. second goal and Birnbaum scored the game winner in the U.S. 3-2 win on a cold, rainy Sunday afternoon.
“Everyone’s worked hard in camp preparing for this,” U.S. Midfielder Lee Nguyen said. “It’s rewarding to come out and get a good result and I’m just glad we came forward and put a positive performance.”
Twice the U.S. had to come from behind. The first equalizer came after Iceland’s Kristinn Steindorsson had scored in the 13th minute, as his shot took a deflection before going into the back net. The U.S. responded in the 21st minute, Jones played a forward ball from the back to Gyasi Zardes, played a short pass to Bradley, who then sprung Altidore, who just kept himself onside, into the penalty area and Altidore buried the point-blank shot to level matters.
“It was a good ball from Michael,” Altidore said. “Had he played it a second later, I was offsides.”
Iceland again edged ahead three minutes into the second half, as they took a quick restart, Aron Sigudarson sprinted from the left side into the 18-yard box and tucked in a shot past U.S. goalkeeper Luis Robles into the far post net.
Again though, the U.S. had their response. It came in the 59th minute, as Bradley sent a corner into the penalty area, Altidore played a short cross towards the six-yard box, Birnbaum headed a ball forward and Michael Orozco scored the second equalizer.
Birnbaum gave the U.S. the win in the final minutes. Kiesewetter set up the U.S, as he drew a foul on the right side of the Iceland penalty area, Bradley sent the free kick into the eighteen and Birnbaum headed the ball into the back net.
“I was happy to be contributing on the attacking side,” Birnbaum said. “They (Iceland) were playing like a zone defense, so it’s easier for attackers to run in get kinda a head start on the ball.”
Coming off a dismal 2015, and with players such as Jones, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard heading into the twilight of their international careers, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been looking hard for players that can step in right away and fill the void that will be created by their pending departures. Zardes has already emerged as a future impact player for the USMNT. But surely it will take more than one player hence the invites extended to Acosta, Birnbaum, Jordan Morris, another emerging star, and Ethan Finlay, among others.
While it remains to be seen how many of these first time players will stay with the national team long term, all these players made their case on Sunday to be part of the future of the USMNT.
