US Soccer Aiming for Higher Goals

Brad Evans got the winner on Friday night for a determined U.S. team. (Credits: AP Photo)

There's this old adage in World Cup Qualifying that goes like this, "All you've got to do is win your home games and draw your road matches." As true as that statement may be, it doesn't reflect greatness, doesn't protrude confidence. To me, it's sort of like "Playing not to lose" and we all know how that goes.

In CONCACAF it's so much about winning your road games as it is surviving them. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, the confines that most CONCACAF teams play in are ancient or unqualified and most likely both. So while the talent in region may not be up to snuff, the difficulty of the playing conditions is similar to playing in hell. Sweltering heat, rabid fans, abused pitches. Getting a point in some of these venues is just about not giving in mentally to all the factors that try to cut you down. But for the United States and head coach Jurgen Klinsmann it seems as if there are even higher goals on the docket.

Last night the Americans trudged through the sweaty heat and beat up pitch in Jamaica. They played with an aire of confidence that made you felt from the onset that they weren't deterred by their lackluster surroundings. Michael Bradley should've scored in the third minute. Jozy Altidore finished a header in the 30th minute. The first half, or at least a majority of it, was an American domination. They looked like the better team, they controlled position, dominated the ball, had a chokehold on the tempo. Even in the last fifteen minutes of the first half when they seemed to be on their heels, they weathered the storm and made it to the break.

The second half was much of the same, the Jamaicans continued to push and push but the Americans just wouldn't let it happen. That was, until, the entire back line fell asleep for one single moment. As it goes in soccer a single moment can do you in, and that almost happend when Jermaine Beckford knocked in a set piece header in the 89th minute. With a grim draw looming the United States could've backed down. They could've easily taken the single road point and moved on without looking back. But the next five minutes made you realize that the Americans are looking even higher.

They blew it on the road in Honduras. They used the snow to their advantage against Costa Rica and they slugged their way to a critical (and almost impossible point) in Estadio Azteca against Mexico. But still five points in four games clearly didn't satisfy these Americans. Not when they had five minutes left to possibly shift the entire hexagonal. So they pushed immediately after that goal. They won themselves a corner kick and instead of waiting to create the classic corner formation, Michael Bradley quick kicked it. Got it back and then pushed in. After he found Brad Evans with a nice pass, the wing back surprisingly turned around and just ripped a shot into the corner of the net. "The most unlikely of heroes" is exactly right as announcer Phil Schoen belted once Evans had his shirt over his head celebrating like he'd never been there before. That's because he hadn't ever been there before. But it didn't matter. USA grabbed three points from the jaws of a what would've been a disappointing draw. It was magical and it was important.

Bradley, who set up the play, kind of summed up the entire night with his play. It wasn't flashy. It wasn't amazing. It got the job done. That's it. He played a controlled tempo, never making too dangerous of a play, yet remaining aggressive. Then when it mattered, he made the right play. The exactly precise play and it didn't matter who he found with that little hesitation move combined with that pass, they were going to score. Brad Evans just happened to be the guy there to make the play. If it was Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Omar Gonzalez or freaking DeMarcus Beasley it would've went in.

The Americans didn't blow anybody away last night (all 323 of us who get beIN Sport) but they showed us that they're aiming higher than they have in the past. No longer is the goal of a road game to get a point (though Mexico is excusable), it's to win. No longer is the goal to win the group like we did in 2010, it's to run the group, make it our child. And while the Mexicans are over there struggling with their own identity and chemistry issues it looks like Jurgen is crafting a beautiful CONCACAF juggernaut one result at a time. Wins at home vs. Panama and Honduras will put the rest of the group, especially Mexico, on notice. 

A loss or draw in either game will bring us right back to square one, however. But I don't get that feeling. Not with Jurgen. Not with Bradley, Altidore, Graham Zusi, Dempsey and co. buzzing. This isn't your "Bob Bradley" Americans anymore, folks.