BALTIMORE, Maryland June 16, 2014 - A word about John Brooks and another word about Graham Zusi. On Monday night the World Cup Soccer Match between the United States and Ghana was tied, 1-1; there were only a few moments left, the United States was beat up and exhausted and, worse yet, had just surrendered Ghana's game tying goal. Brooks had entered the game at halftime to replace Matt Besler. Besler had played very very well against Ghana's tall and talented front line, but was grabbing at his hamstring near the end of the first half. With Josey Altidore already lost in the first 45 minutes with a pulled hamstring and with the hot humid weather placing tons of stress on that fragile part of the human body, USA Coach Jurgen Klinsman decided to protect Besler and use Brooks, who only turned 21 in January. He was born in Germany of an American Military Father and German Mother. He plays for the German Club Team Hertha, which is in Bundesliga 2, having been relegated from the top flight after the 2012 season, the season before Brooks joined the senior team. Having substituted for Altidore with Aron Johannsson and with Brooks for Besler, Klinsman only had one precious sub left and 45 minutes still to play. Klinsman has a reputation for being hard to predict - its part of the formula for his success. Now the lived up to that reputation in choosing his last substitute. Instead of adding a defender or replacing one of the exhausted defenders, he inserted Zusi, who is a midfielder with a reputation for energizing the offense. Zusi helped Maryland win two National Championships, and has played extremely well for Sporting Kansas City in the MLS. He has also been a key sub in many of the most recent USA National Team Games. Experts say he brings energy when he comes on for the United States, and heaven knows the USA needed energy in the last moments Monday night.
Minutes after Zusi entered Ghana finally scored. They had been behind, 1-0, since the match was 30 seconds old. That's when Clint Dempsey took a picture perfect pass from Jermaine Jones and deeked left, then right, then zipped a shot past Ghana's keeper, Adam Kwarasey, to put the USA ahead. It was the sixth fastest goal in the history of the World Cup. Not long after that, however, the USA became the almost full time defender, bunched up in front of their great keeper, Tim Howard, and working like there was no tomorrow to keep Ghana's multi-talented, ceaselessly energenic front line and midfield off the scoreboard. Ghana probed and passed, lifted and shot, but couldn't beat Howard. But they had the USA on their heels and wouldn't let them up. Then Ghana inserted Kevin-Prince Boateng, and they really really had the USA on its heels. For over 80 minutes, however, the USA stood resolute, and many believed they would be able to keep Ghana off the board despite their growing fatigue. And then Ghana scored so suddenly it seemed as if a mistake had been made by the referee. But there was no mistake, just superbly talented Ghana and exhausted USA and finally Ghana got one home. Now it seemed like the only question with only about seven minutes left was whether Ghana could score again, win the match, and deny the USA even one desperately needed point. But a funny thing happened after Ghana scored. Some energy returned to tired American legs. Michael Bradley, who wasn't playing well at all and seemed lost without Altidore, suddenly began playing like Michael Bradley. The USA started making some deft passes inside of
ghana's defensive perimeter, and Ghana was suddenly forced to defend. Then the ball went past the endline after a Ghana touch. Corner Kick: USA! Zusi, with his fresh legs, hustled to the corner to take the kick, and he had a plan. His kick didn't look like the normal corner kick. Normal corner kicks are high arching affairs that, hopefull, will land in the penalty box about ten or fifteen yards from the goal line. Zusi's kick had a curl to it, and wasn't all that high. It looked more like a pass than a free kick. In fact, it was a pass. The receiver in Zusi's plan was John Brooks. Why Brooks, a defender? Because he is 6'4" tall, and leaps like a basketball player. On this night, Brooks timed his leap perfectly, and Zusi's kick came right him. The Ghana Keeper, Kwarasey, had too many bodies between him and where the ball would land, and only a scant half a second, at the very most, to elect his move. He stood his ground on the goal line. Brooks elevated to the ball, and with his height, it was only him that would meet the ball. Soccer players are told that whenever possible, shoot down when shooting with the head, and shoot hard and quick, as hard and as quick as you are able. Brooks did all of this in that flash of a second when the whole world was his audience, and the ball zipped past Ghana's keeper Kwarasey for the second time in 90 minutes. The huge crowd, mostly pro-American, celebrated joyously. Brooks also celebrated, but only briefly; he appeared legitimately overcome with this dream-like moment. He ran with his hands both up, one just outside each ear. The look on his face was of shock and overwhelming emotion. He ran to a place where he could lay down and bury his head in the lush green grass. His team came to him but didn't jump on top. They could tell he wasn't putting on a show. In a second he rose to his knees and looked to heaven, thanking the Lord for such a moment as this. It was a moment he would never forget. Suddenly a precarious tie that felt like a dismal loss now looked like and felt like an amazing win. There were still long minutes of add-on time to negotiate, and they were awful minutes with Ghana back on the offense and the USA still exhausted and worried sick that this amazing result could still be lost. But finally, finally(!), the final whistle finally sounded. The real celebration started. And this was only Game One for the United States, with supposedly tougher games still ahead. After over 100 incredible minutes of soccer in an equatorial sweat shop, a team emerged on the pitch in Brazil on this Monday night, a team representing these United States, and doing it quite well, quite well indeed. Wonderfully well!
The United States and Ghana are in Group G at the World Cup, and it is called, with good reason, the Group of Death. Also in Group G are Germany and Portugal. Germany is ranked No. 2 by FIFA. Portugal is ranked No. 4. The United States is ranked No. 13, and Ghana is No. 37. None of the other seven groups boasts rankings like that, although Group D, with England, Italy, Uruguay and insurgent Costa Rica are close. Now that the USA has finished with Ghana - its absolute nemesis - it can prepare for Sunday's showdown with powerful Portugal, which, despite its mighty ranking and fearsome reputation, managed to get swamped in its opening match by Germany, 4-0. Portugal will be desperate against the USA, and it depends totally on how that desperation plays out on the field for the USA to determine what it will have to do to overcome the Europeans. Germany and Ghana play on Saturday. Ghana is now in the same situation as Portugal: having lost their first game, a victory in Game 2 is seen as imperative, and they have the mighty Germans, one of the Greatest Teams on the face of the Earth, waiting to play them. The Germans are not only talented, they are real technicians. They watched the game with the United States and will be ready for Ghana's relentless attack. They will also have seen the porous nature of Ghana's defense. I see Germany beating Ghana, 4-2. I also see the United States regrouping and somehow beating Portugal, 2-1. If that happens, the Group's ticket to the finals will be all but punched, and mighty Portugal will not be going to the finals. You will learn that predictions rarely come true.
In Group D, England lost to Italy in the first match, 2-1, while Costa Rica stunned Uruguay, 1-0. On Thursday, June 19, the two first round losers will play what will amount to an elimination match, with only the winner still having a chance to advance. On Friday, Costa Rica and Italy collide. England, the real home of soccer, had the same kind of trouble with the intense heat and humidity as the USA, and it showed at the end of the match when they needed a goal to tie the Italians. The game-winning goal was just one piece of perfect soccer, Balotelli used his unworldly athleticism and soccer skills to get a head on the lifted ball and somehow get it past Joe Hart, the English Keeper, in the 50th minute. Now England must play a South American team just as highly ranked and just as desperate as they are.
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