Young players bring enthusiasm to U.S. win
The newcomers came through and earned the United States a 3-1 victory over Denmark at the Home Depot Center Saturday in Bob Bradley’s first game as interim coach of the national soccer team.
Four U.S. players made their debuts -- Jonathan Bornstein, Kenny Cooper, Bryan Namoff and Kyle Beckerman -- with Bornstein and Cooper, both 22, each getting a goal.
The most impressive performances of the day for the U.S., however, were turned in by defender Bobby Boswell, 23, and midfielders Ricardo Clark, 23, and Justin Mapp, 22.
It wasn’t the tidiest or the prettiest of matches -- too many passes did not connect, too many shots went astray, too many tackles were missed -- but the Americans played with enthusiasm and did not panic when they fell behind because of some careless defending.
It was not Denmark’s full national team but rather a side composed of top players in the Danish league. After a so-so first half-hour, the Danes started clicking and took the lead in the 37th minute.
Peter Nymann sent the ball out to Simon Busk Poulsen on the left, Poulsen crossed it back into the box and Dennis Sorensen powered a header off the underside of the crossbar and down into Matt Reis’ net.
Denmark’s lead lasted only seven minutes. A surging run by Clark of the Major League Soccer champion Houston Dynamo carried him into the Danish penalty area.
Someone reached out and tugged at Clark’s jersey just before he crashed to the turf and Canadian referee Mauricio Navarro whistled for a penalty kick.
Landon Donovan took the resulting kick and slammed the ball into the net off the arms of goalkeeper Jesper Christiansen. Christiansen dived the correct way, but the ball caromed off his arms. The goal was Donovan’s 26th in his 85th game for the U.S.
Twelve minutes into the second half, the U.S. took the lead on the best goal of the day.
Mapp, of the Chicago Fire, created it, bursting between two defenders with a run on the right flank. He cut the ball back from the end line for Chivas USA’s Bornstein to fire into the net.
Ten minutes from the end, Cooper scored the third goal, getting in behind the Danish defense and slotting the ball past Christiansen.
Like the penalty kick, this goal also had a tinge of luck about it. There was more than a suggestion of offside about the goal, but the assistant referee’s flag stayed down despite the angry protests of Denmark Coach Morten Olsen.
Next up for the U.S. is a game against rival Mexico in Phoenix on Feb. 7.
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