Jill Ellis may take a two zero victory over 28th ranked Colombia. However for those who actually follow the game, the USA looked incoherent when not one dimensional. The Colombians actually showed how far they’ve progressed technically with their intelligent movement on and off the ball as they played like a horde of Santi Cazorlas with razor sharp ball control. What they lacked was a robust, bustling threat in the box which would make Hope Solo uncomfortable.
The USA was almost always threatening on set pieces with Abby Wambach, Julie Johnston, and Alex Morgan, providing easily identifiable targets but telegraphing that one dimensionality was easily dealt by the Colombians. Which suited them fine. Sandra Sepulveda, the first choice goalie who received a one match suspension after collecting a second yellow against Sweden was replaced by Catalina Perez, the Univ of Miami standout. Perez was a rock making three saves as an uninspired USA limped to the first half with Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe picking up bookings which means they sit out the China quarterfinal.
All this changed early in the second half, cruelly for the Colombians, as Perez brought down Morgan fractionally outside the box it appeared after the forward was afforded acres of space. However, ref Stephanie Frappart pointed to the spot but took sometime to fish out the red. Ingrid Vidal was sacrificed. Out trudged the slight Stefany Castano, the third string goalie to the biggest moment in her career as Wambach, the all time record goalscorer prepared for the PK. This was a given. Wait, what was that? She missed. Wambach leaned back and her shot dragged wide to the left. Sepulveda on the sidelines in street clothes was jubilant.
It was a glorious but short lived reprieve because three minutes Morgan now the fulcrum of the attack received a pass at the edge of the box and then drove in a hard, angular shot which Castano, reacting late and badly positioned, was unable to keep out.
The short handed Colombians had a mountain to climb when Rapinoe sent through by Meghan Klingenberg was bumped off the ball by Angela Clavijo. Clear penalty. This time the steady Carli Lloyd made no mistake. Lady Andrade was forced to eat her words in the pre match conference when she said: “We’re going to beat them because they like to talk so much.”
This was a hard fought win. But lets be clear. The USA made it through because they had just about enough quality to overpower the Colombians. Unsettling them is where are the goals going to come from? Morgan played 90 minutes for the first time but the US is still wedded to the idea of Wambach as the focal point of attack which has not worked out too well against the Australians, the Swedes, and now the Colombians. It’s only going to get harder.