Patches of brilliance
US carve out victory over Cuba despite playing on bumpy pitch
HAVANA: When the United States arrived in Cuba for their first exhibition game in 69 years at the Caribbean island nation, the Americans were surprised by the conditions at Havana’s Estadio Pedro Marrero. The surface was bumpy and filled with brown patches.
“The field was a field that was not playable,” US coach Juergen Klinsmann said. “On that field, it’s impossible to get a higher rhythm, a higher tempo, higher pace.”
Chris Wondolowski and Julian Green scored second-half goals, Ethan Horvath got a shutout in his international debut and the US won 2-0 on Friday in a prep match for next month’s World Cup qualifier against Mexico.
The US started nine players who likely will be on the field against El Tri. The 22nd-ranked Americans struggled to mount attacks in the first half against No. 139 Cuba, hampered by the field and forced to play long balls in the air. Still, they extended their winning streak to three.
Regular goalkeepers Tim Howard and Brad Guzan were given the game off. At 21 years, 120 days, Horvath became the youngest goalkeeper to debut for the US since Zach Thornton was a 69th-minute substitute in a 3-0 win at Jamaica on Nov 22, 1994.
“To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to have to do too much today, but in the end I did,” said Horvath, who had three saves and watched second-half shots by Maykel Reyes and Roberney Caballero hit posts.
A 21-year-old making his first start in more than two years, Green created the first goal when he dribbled down the left side, cut towards the centre and took a 19-yard curling shot that was parried by goalkeeper Sandy Sanchez.
The rebound went to Wondolowski, who scored with a right-footed shot from eight yards in the 62nd minute. Wondolowski’s 11th international goal was his first since July 2015 against Guatemala.
“Not easy conditions with travel, field and weather,” Wondolowski said.
“At half-time, we had a little bit more adjustments, a little bit more direct, didn’t want to make silly passes in the middle where you could lose it and get counter-attacked on.”
Nine minutes later, second-half sub Timmy Chandler played a long ball over the defence to Wondolowski, who also entered at the start of the second half.
He ran onto the ball and at the end line crossed to Green, who beat defender Josel Piedra and redirected the ball into the net.
Green, who has struggled to gain playing time at Bayern Munich, scored his only other international goal against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup. — AP