Colombia shuts out USMNT in Copa America opener
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Jurgen Klinsmann knows how to make a sales pitch and he was touting one on Friday night, trying to pawn off the notion that the United States’ 2-0 defeat to Colombia in the Copa America opener was actually a sign of progress.
Not so. It was a sign that Klinsmann’s squad is what we thought it was, and what he perhaps secretly feared it was, a functional and earnest but unspectacular group that is not close to being in the same league as the best teams in the world.
Colombia, ranked No.3, is certainly one of those, and it showed, despite Klinsmann’s words of optimism at the end of a night that deserved none.
“We were absolutely okay with the team performance,” Klinsmann said, after goals from Cristian Zapata and James Rodriguez put the Colombians clear at the top of Group A. “Overall, we were totally even. We didn’t give them anything. It is important for our players to see we can beat them. I think the players take a lot out of this game.”
Whether Klinsmann’s analysis was spin and bluster aimed at protecting his squad’s confidence ahead of Tuesday’s now-crucial clash with Costa Rica in Chicago, or even if he truly believes it, the point was being entirely missed.
Yes, there were periods of the game at Levi’s Stadium that were relatively evenly matched, with neither team threatening and the contest largely stagnating in midfield.
The problem is, Colombia was already two goals to the good by that stage, meaning the stalemate was entirely to their convenience and of no use to the trailing Americans.
Colombia is the type of team who would rather respond to a lead by sending the game to sleep and squeezing their opponent into submission, as opposed to going for the jugular and winning by a hatful of goals.
That is what they did here, a reality Klinsmann either didn’t realize happened or is unwilling to admit.
One thing Klinsmann did get right was his comments in the lead up to Friday, when he described this tournament, which features five of the top 10 teams in the world, as a barometer of where his side is at with two years remaining before the next World Cup.
When he said he would learn much about the spirit and potential of his group, he was on point then too. Now, just one game in, he has answered many of his own questions.
Because the USA showed nothing of note or inspiration, and, faced with a proficient, organized and talented opponent, was ground into the turf with ruthless precision.
Colombia had poise, belief and the ability to finish what chances presented themselves. Klinsmann’s men were chasing shadows, much like they must now chase a lifeline to keep their hopes in this much-anticipated tournament flickering.
The kindest analysis is that while Colombia is a settled team with several proven players at ease performing at elite level, the USA is still finding its way. Or is it? With the midway point between World Cups having arrived and Klinsmann already five years into a job that was supposed to revolutionize American soccer, perhaps this is all there is in the locker. It is hard to imagine that if the German, who led his homeland to the World Cup semifinal in 2006, had any secret formulae kept in reserve he would have attempted to unleash them before now.
As things look, the USA is considerably further away from being competitive with the world’s best than it was at the time of its round of 16 exit in the World Cup two summers ago.
After taking the lead early, Colombia simply did what it needed to, clinically extinguishing American hopes. Klinsmann is an uber-optimist, yet he will struggle to find much to cling to ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Costa Rica in Chicago, a game that now shapes up as a must-win.
Here, the USA defense lacked not for bravery but for savvy, outwitted by the wiles of a Colombian attacking group content to bide its time before striking with poisonous effect.
The visitors had every answer. The first cut came after just seven minutes, when Christian Zapata drove home a low Edwin Cardona corner. The second, in the 42nd, came courtesy of a James Rodriguez penalty after DeAndre Yedlin handled the ball in the area.
As we have come to expect, the USA showed some fight, yet without the teeth to suggest a fully-fledged comeback was likely. A Clint Dempsey header was cleared on the goalline at the hour mark, while Dempsey also had a free-kick well saved by David Ospina soon after.
Try as the Americans might, the game was up and the only thing sparing them from a heavier scoreline was Carlos Bacca hitting the crossbar instead of the back of the net on 77 minutes with an effort that looked goalbound.
And so, the USA and Klinsmann now have a serious headache.
“The reality is if you lose the first game in a tournament like this you have to respond in the next game,” captain Michael Bradley said. “We have to be a little sharper, a little more ruthless, to get the best out of ourselves.”
The group stage used in international soccer tournaments rewards those who begin strongly and if there is a winner between Costa Rica and Paraguay, Group A’s other members, on Saturday, the USA will be already in severe danger of elimination.
Klinsmann finds himself looking for answers once more. Only now he is not the only one asking them, as the doubts about his tenure’s productivity continue to mount.