Gareth Bale wheels around after his successful penalty against the USA earning them a draw
One coherent, incisive move as Christian Pulisic feeds Timothy Weah and the result is a well worked goal. Josh Sargent came close too earlier in the first half as the USA dominated ball possession, faster and more quick witted than Wales. Gareth Bale looked like he was on a golf course.
But as they say, football is a game of two halves. The USA failed to capitalize on their first half ascendancy and all their quick running and industry blurred the extent of disorganization. Misplaced passes, heavy touches, too many rushed crosses, and cheap fouls (one which gifted Wales the penalty). The Rorschach is of a frenzied side with no clear direction. Their inexperience and youth exposed as the second half wore on. Wales came into their own in the second half and you could see being a bit long toothed worked in their favour as they slowed things down and began stringing passes together.
Wales also improved significantly when Kieffer Moore came on at the beginning of the second half in place of Dan James, an ineffective side note in the first half. The big man’s intelligent hold up play freed up Bale, Aaron Ramsey, and Brennan Johnson as attacking threats. Moore was also a threat on set pieces coming close with a header from a corner. Why he was not involved from the get go was a mystery. Pulisic who was full of sure footed direct running in the first half came undone with his touches and was dispossessed a number of times. He badly faded as the half wound down.
Gregg Berhalter’s second half substitutions also backfired as Sergino Dest and Sargent made way for De Andre Yedlin and Haji Wright. And Yunus Musah who impressed in the first half came off for Kellyn Acosta. The immediate impact was ceding control of midfield and also quality service from the flanks. With Dest and Musah gone, the USA struggled with feeding the ball from the backfield. Yedlin was particularly poor making a number of ill advised and rushed crosses into the hands of Hennessy or a Welsh defender, killing all attacking momentum. Brenden Aaronson, a bright light for Leeds and off the bench couldn’t reproduce his club side form.
There are a few ways to build on what the USA had in the first half. The most obvious way forward was to score more goals which the USA squandered with their disorganized and chaotic approach as well as Berhalter’s ineffectual substitutions. The other less appealing approach would have been to close down shop but that requires experience and a level of park the bus cynicism the US does not possess at the moment. Watch the highlights you see 4, 23, and 5 (Tyler Adams, Acosta, and Antonee Robinson) collapse around the Brennan Johnson sideline throw allowing Ramsey the time and space to motor down and cross the ball into the box forcing a panicked Walker Zimmerman into hacking down Bale.