The United States men's team defeated the Turkish team Sunday by a score of 2-1 in Harrison, New Jersey.
The match was only a friendly exhibition match that won't have any impact on the standings, but it's still an important game. It's important because head coach Jurgen Klinsmann needs to see how his players will play with each other. He needs to see how certain rotations and sets fit each player and what will work best when the team plays in the official World Cup.
In the 26th minute, Fabian Johnson scored the first goal of the game. He got a great pass from Jozy Altidore and closed the deal. It was a terrific old school give and go. Team USA showed pretty good passing and communication between each other considering the little time they have been together.
Throughout the next 20 minutes, coach Klinsmann would substitute players and try different plays. Midway through the game, Brad Guzan took over for Tim Howard in goal. After the first goal and 26 mintues later, Team USA struck again. Clint Dempsey scored the second goal for Team USA. Dempsey is the team captain and most recently played for the Seattle Sounders.
But Turkey wouldn't go away easy. In the 89th minute, Selcuk Inan netted the first goal for Turkey, making the score 2-1. Despite the goal allowed, Team USA was still on the attack for most of the afternoon. It's also important to remember that Team USA was experimenting a lot during this time period, and the backup goalie was in. The rest of the game saw very little action with Team USA holding on 2-1 for a victory.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be played in Brazil in 12 different cities. The first game will be between Brazil and Croatia. The first game Team USA will play is on June 16 against Ghana. Team USA is placed in group G with Germany, Portugal and Ghana. That's not exactly the toughest of competition, so America may have lucked out for the begining of the tournament.
Overall, it was a good win for Team USA to see how everyone plays with each other. Klinsmann drew up a lot plays and played a lot of different subs to maximize the teams potential. It's going to be a tough road, but this team may be ready for the challenge.
