The United States cruised to an easy win over Belize on Tuesday night in Portland to open its 2013 Gold Cup campaign with three points.
The game was no contest on paper with the Belize team ranked No. 130 in the latest F.I.F.A rankings with a roster consisting mostly of semi-professionals. In fact, Belize needed to hold a fund-raiser to send the team to the United States to participate.
The game plan for the tiny Central American country was always going to be a bunker approach to keep the goal difference low. It worked for the first 30 minutes even with the U.S scoring early. For most of the first half, the U.S. team struggled to get the ball into dangerous positions.
While Belize managed to score on a set piece after a defensive breakdown, the U.S was patient and found the goals to turn the game into a deserved rout. The U.S team now has a balanced attack that should make it the favorite to win the Gold Cup. Combined with the 6-0 exhibition win over Guatelmala on Friday, seven different American players have scored the 12 total goals. It has now won six games in a row and with the return of Landon Donovan and Stuart Holden, Coach Jurgen Klinsmann will have numerous lineup options every game.
No serious conclusions can be drawn from a result against a poor team like Belize, but there is a skill in breaking down a highly motivated team playing with 11 players behind the ball at all times. The U.S team should be able to take confidence in getting the result with expected style points.
Starting lineup
Nick Rimando: The Real Salt Lake keeper wasn't called into action many times. He made a nice save in the 24th minute and was completely let down by his defense on the Belize goal. Rating: 5.0
DaMarcus Beasley: When the U.S team was having a hard time breaking down the bunker in the first half, Beasley was finding ways to push forward. He is growing nicely into the left back position and is a solid team captain. Rating: 6.0
Michael Orozco: As the U.S team controlled possession for nearly the entire game, Orozco was actually eager to move out of the defense and into the attack when possible. He made a nice play in the second half to score his second international goal on a header off a Donovan corner. Rating 5.5
Clarence Goodson: It was expected to be an easy night for the U.S central defense but Goodson was given a ton of space when he had the ball and made nice passes out of the back to transition the ball into the attack. Rating 5.0
Michael Parkhurst: The Belize goal was surprising and Parkhurst was mostly at fault for losing his man on a set piece. Just moments later, he responded to the error well with a beautiful cross on Wondolowski's third goal. Rating: 5.0
Kyle Beckerman: It wasn't a good game for Beckerman, who was pulled at the half after struggling to move the ball forward in the attack. Too many of his passes were needlessly lateral or backward. He did manage a nice assist on Wondolowski's second goal but it did not offset a sub-par outing. Rating: 4.5
Jose Torres: Playing wide on the left has never been the best position for Torres but he did a nice job against Belize and was involved on the initial cross leading to the opening goal. His passing was crisp and he helped with possession in the attack. He improved on his performance against Guatemala on Friday. Rating: 6.0
Mix Diskerud: The game that officially cap-tied him to the United States and fortunately, Diskerud's performance improved throughout the night. After a mediocre first half, Diskerud came to life when Stuart Holden entered the game and was far more dangerous. His partnership with Holden is looking like the best central midfield combination Klinsmann can have at the Gold Cup. Rating: 6.0
Joe Corona: Starting for the second straight game, Corona was uneven against Belize. He wasn't consistently dangerous but improved in the second half and had a nice cross on the sequence leading to Holden's goal. Rating: 5.0
Landon Donovan: After starting his return to the national team on the right foot with a pair of goals against Guatemala, he took another step up against Belize with a goal and two assists. His career numbers for the U.S team are now staggering: 146 caps, 52 goals, 51 assists. As the U.S team prepares to face better competition later in this tournament, Donovan is showing signs of looking like his former self and that bodes well for the U.S team. Ratings: 7.0
Chris Wondolowski: Coming into this tournament, Wondolowski had his share of critics. As a dominant M.L.S scorer, he has never translated his success to the international game. He finally scored his first U.S goal against Guatemala and tonight he had a hat trick with all the goals coming in the first half. Granted, it was only Belize, but he is making nice runs and moving well in the box to create space for himself. He is playing with confidence and that is crucial for a striker. It is still way too early to assess his chances of making the World Cup team next year, but he will continue to get opportunities now. Rating: 7.5 and Man of the Match.
Substitutes
Stuart Holden: The Scottish-born Holden's dream return to the U.S team continued against Belize as he continues to show signs of his pre-injury form. When he entered the game in the second half, he elevated the play of his teammates and the entire midfield was more effective. His goal was just a bonus to an already solid performance. Rating 7.0
Brek Shea: Coming on in the second half, Shea was involved in the left side of the attack running at a tired Belize defense. He has played very little soccer since November because of injury and is clearly rusty but he is showing signs of his old form. Rating 5.0
Alejandro Bedoya: Enjoying a great year for his Swedish club, Helsingborg, Bedoya was lively when he entered the game in the second half. He was aggressive running at defenders and it paid off when his pass drew a penalty for a hand ball. He will be a valuable offensive player in the later stages of the Gold Cup. Rating: 5.5
Coaching
Jurgen Klinsmann: It is a tough game to grade Klinsmann's coaching. The game was played on turf and that likely factored into which players Klinsmann wanted to use. The U.S team did what it had to do in beating a poor Belize team but it did so in a manner that will give the team confidence moving forward. Most significantly, Klinsmann is putting Holden and Donovan in the right position to reach their potential in their respective returns and that is no small accomplishment. Klinsmann is using the Gold Cup to bolster the roster for the World Cup and, unlike Mexico, it is a team with a clear direction right now. Rating: 7.0
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