Last week, we set up this month’s international break for Minnesotan fans. Now that the matches are over, let’s recap some of the crucial events to consider.
U-S-A! Pul-i-sic!
You may have heard: The United States is no longer on the verge of soccer oblivion. A 6-0 win over Honduras was a strong start to their renewed campaign, and elicited a certain amount of American ego. Tuesday night the Men’s national team made a strong start to the match against Panama, before settling into a steady war-of-attrition en route to a 1-1 draw and a solid boost up the table into the middle of the CONCACAF pack.
You may also have heard that perhaps the most notable figure on the team was not returning striker Clint Dempsey or the rejuvenated Tim Howard. It was young Christian Pulisic, a young man whose performances are already nearing mythical status among American supporters. He seemed to transform the team against Honduras. He positively bedeviled Panamanian defenders in setting up Clint Dempsey’s goal. Truly, this is a young man whose very existence confirms our belief in god (provided that god is him)
Loons In flight
Costa Rica
Los Ticos continued to struggle in 2017. First, they (like many others) struggled when they visited Mexico City. Mexico’s first goal came in the 7th minute, right around the time Francisco Calvo dropped off of Carlos Vela. And as the children’s book says, if you give El Tri an inch, they’ll lace a through ball to Javier Hernandez, and if you give Javier Hernandez a through ball he’ll score, and if Javier Hernandez scores once, he’ll probably want to give a mouse a cookie. Worse, before half time, Nestor Araujo climbed over Calvo to nod home the second and final goal of the match.
While Calvo had a night to forget, Johan Venegas was more or less forgotten. When Costa Rica made their next appearance in a gritty draw in San Sula, Honduras, Venegas made the choice to return to Minnesota to be with his expectant wife. Meanwhile, Calvo found himself defending nothing more important than the water cooler.
Hopefully Costa Rica just has an issue with prime-numbered years, which means they won’t have another problem until 2027.
Trinidad and Tobago
Kevin Molino made a fine start to new manager Dennis Lawrence’s tenure in the technical area, netting the winning goal over Panama to lift Trinidad and Tobago back into the thick of the Hex. Unfortunately the Soca Warriors couldn’t keep the momentum going when they hosted Mexico, falling to the resurgent El Tri 1-0.
On the plus side, when they are reunited, Molino and Calvo can plot their joint revenge against Javier Hernandez. Molino had some profane choice words for Chicharito after receiving a card on Tuesday night.
— Videos Futbol (@videosfutbol16) March 29, 2017
Finland
Across the Atlantic, Rasmus Schüller did not feature in either Finland’s 2-0 defeat at Turkey in World Cup Qualifiers nor the 1-1 friendly draw at Austria. Not necessarily a first choice midfielder for the struggling Eagle-Owls, Schüller found himself stuck on the bench during the international window.
Fellow MLS player Alexander Ring and perennial starter Robin Lod started over the Loon. While likely disappointed that he didn’t get to play, Schüller will be rested and available for Minnesota against Real Salt Lake.
Other matches to note
- Gambians may have a bit more to celebrate after a strong pair of friendlies in Morocco saw “The Scorpions” come away with two wins as a solid confidence booster before Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers. (Gambians other than those driving the #JomeForGambia Bandwagon.)
- The “Big-Ish” Game did not go as Los Amarillos and the local fans of Little Quito might like. Colombia deflated the ebullient atmosphere in Quito, with a 2-0 win. It was the end of a rough break for Ecuador who came away with zero points and dropped out of the qualification spots for 2018
- Thailand also had a rough show of it, losing to both Saudi Arabia and Japan by a total of 7 goals to 0. They were the first team officially eliminated from the final round of Asian qualifying.
- Rounding out the struggles was Cambodia who lost 7-0 on the road in Jordan, giving themselves a hefty hole to dig out of on the road to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
- Vietnam did get a point, based on Nguyen Van Toan’s steady determination and persistence. However, Afghanistan Hassan Amin’s rocket blast to level the match is the really eye-catching bit of this highlight.
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