In a short first-round competition such as Olympic qualifying tournament, every encounter is an important match. But on the heels of the U.S.'s disappointing 1-1 tie with Cuba Tuesday, Thursday night's game with Panama becomes a must-win situation.
Actually, given what is at stake, it is a must, must win scenario.
And who would have ever thought that, because prior to the tournament with the U.S. team was considered one of the favorites to win it all?
Win and the U.S. is back in the mix to reach the semifinals of the CONCACAF tournament. Tie and there is still a possibility of moving on. Lose and the USA might need some outside help in their final Group A encounter Saturday, depending on the results of the other matches.
"Our fate's in our hands," U.S. captain and midfielder Maurice Edu said. "We're confident in the team that we have here. I think we should stick to our game plan and just focus, just play as a team and execute. I think we'll be all right."
Forward Charlie Davies felt the team had little room for error after Tuesday's sub-par performance. It was a rare home qualifying encounter in which the U.S. failed to win. Entering the match, the U.S. was 16-3-5 at home in Olympic qualifying.
"As a team we know we have to come out and play our best," he said Wednesday at the team's hotel. "There are no really excuses for anything. We know it's crunch time and we've got to perform. And I think we're ready to do that.
The tie could very well cost the U.S. the group title and an opportunity to avoid Mexico in the semifinals. The top two teams from each group advance to the semis. If Mexico wins Group B, the two archrivals would meet in a rematch of the 2004 semifinal encounter in Guadalajara a week from today in Nashville. The Mexicans prevailed in that game and qualified for the Olympics as the Americans stayed home.
"I think regardless of who we play, it's going to be a difficult match," Edu said of the semifinals. "Just like you saw yesterday, Cuba proved to be a worthy opponent. So it really doesn't matter who we played. We're just focusing on getting the result and qualifying. whether we draw Mexico, whether we draw Canada, whether we drew Haiti or Guatemala."
Of course, the U.S. has to get to Nashville first.
Edu, last season's MLS rookie of the year who plays for Toronto FC, realized the players must get the Cuban fiasco out of their minds and focus on the task at hand.
"You have to," he said. "What can you do? You can't dwell on that result anymore. You have to put it behind you and focus on getting the result in the next game. The games come so quickly, so there's no time to sit back and be disappointed or feel whatever."
Even though he was taken out of tie at halftime, forward Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls) is expected to suit up and play against Panama, according to a U.S. Soccer spokesperson. Altidore had no specific injury, except that he was banged up, the spokesperson said. Apparently still smarting from his below-average performance, Altidore declined to talk to the media Wednesday, for the second consecutive day.
Coach Peter Nowak hinted that he might make some changes for the Panama encounter. He could revert back to using two forwards instead of two and make some defensive switches after some poor coverage vs. Cuba. Kamani Hill, a converted forward, experienced a difficult time on the flanks, and central defender Patrick Ianni allowed Cuba's goal to go through his legs.
One reporter brought up the possibility of Edu moving from holding midfielder to the backline.
"I'm just here to play, whether it's the midfield or whether it's in the back, whether it's up top," he said. "If it helps the team, wherever the team needs me to play. I just want to play. If the defense asks me to play defense, I will try to play it to the best of my ability."
There was some intriguing news off the field Thursday.
Only hours after the U.S. encounter, five Cuban players were reported missing from their hotel rooms, prompting speculation they had defected, according to ESPNdeportes.com. Among the missing were goalkeeper Jose Manuel Miranda, who played well Tuesday, and team captain Yenier Bermudez. Cuba will be left with only 12 players for Thursday night's game vs. Honduras, since Roberto Linares, who scored the Caribbean side's lone goal, must serve a red-card suspension.
Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
