A Carlos Bocanegra header in the 70th minute off a DeMarcus Beasley corner kick decided which team would take the three points and leave the loser bitter. Considering how the tight and tense the entire match was, the irony of the whole affair was how open the Rennes defender was on the play to nod in the winner. One would expect better defending from the Chapines when you consider all of Bocanegra's goals for club and country come from dead-ball situations.
U.S. Head to Cuba
The success in Guatemala City will help ease the pain of not progressing in the Olympics and put Bob Bradley's team firmly on the path of reaching the final qualifying round in 2009. This match was arguably the toughest of the three road games, and while the September 6th date in Havana will have all the contentious political ramifications, the Cubans are hardly formidable opponents on the field.
Rough Play in Guatemala City
When you put a MLS or U.S. National team down in the heart of Central America, it's only a matter of time before things get chippy. First-half digs and elbows by Guatemalan striker Carlos Ruiz--long known for his below-the-belt style of play--set the tone for what was to come in the second half.
Red Cards for Cherundolo and Cabrera
For all Bob Bradley's lecturing about staying calm and composed, defender Steve Cherundolo failed to heed the warnings and was ejected for his second yellow in the second half after a NFL-style shoestring grab of Freddy Garcia. Fortunately, Cherundolo was bailed out by a red card to the reckless Gustavo Cabrera, whose thuggish elbow to Eddie Lewis resulted in a bloody gash to the veteran's forehead that required stitches. It was one of the worst collisions seen in some time and Cabrera should be suspended for more than a game.
Ruiz got in on the act late in the match by clipping goalie Tim Howard, who was covering up on a ball in the box. This led to Howard cursing out Ruiz and smacking his hand as the instigating forward tried his usual fake apology routine. The Everton keeper received a yellow card for his troubles, but got the last laugh in the form of a clean sheet.
Chapines Dictate Play to Americans
In a way, all of the dirty play overshadowed the fact that the Guatemalans had the better of play, but woeful finishing nullfied any chance of registering a goal. The flank play of Mario Rodriguez and Garcia gave outside defenders Cherundolo and Heath Pearce fits for most of the night and the Chapines stifled the dangerous Landon Donovan from creating any major chances. In fact, some of Donovan's best play of the evening was his defensive help in the last 30 minutes when the Guatamalans were pressing for the equalizer.
While the defensive flanks for the Americans had their problems, the center tandem of Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu was solid all night and Onyewu contributed to the confusion on the corner kick that led to Bocanegra's goal. Reports are filtering out that Onyewu could be heading to an Italian club, but nothing has been concrete.
Trinidad and Tobago Start Fast
The Americans are tied atop the group with Trinidad and Tobago, who were 3-1 winners in Cuba. The U.S. will meet T&T on September 10th in Chicago.
