US takes advantage of golden opportunity, ties Haiti
FOXBOROUGH - Many of the players representing the United States last night at Gillette Stadium weren’t in South Africa for the Confederations Cup final two weeks ago. They weren’t there when the US took a stunning 2-0 lead in the first half against Brazil, or when the 2-0 lead disappeared after three second-half goals.
The US players taking on Haiti in the CONCACAF Gold Cup match last night may have been considered a junior varsity unit, but they carried a responsibility to continue the momentum of the US team. After allowing two goals in three minutes to start the second half, the US waited until stoppage time to knot the score.
Stuart Holden’s goal in the 91st minute secured a 2-2 draw against Haiti and helped the US capture the top seed out of Group B.
With the first round behind them, coach Bob Bradley said as the players become accustomed to playing together, confidence builds and lessons can be learned.
“Certainly any of us who were in South Africa don’t need a second reminder about what it’s like to give up a goal 45 seconds into the second half,’’ Bradley said. “That is one that is stuck with us forever, but it’s still now a group of players that hopefully learn the same lesson even though [last night’s] 2-2 is better than 3-2, these are all things you hope you can learn from.’’
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the biennial championship involving teams from North and Central America and the Caribbean. A 1-1 draw between Panama and Mexico Thursday guaranteed the US a berth into the quarterfinals but the US needed last night’s match to secure top seeding in Group B. Now the US (2-0-1) will advance to play its next match Saturday in Philadelphia. Haiti (1-1-1) also advances.
Last night’s match was part of a tripleheader that began with the Revolution’s 0-0 draw against Kansas City and concluded with Honduras’s 4-0 victory over Grenada. A crowd of 24,137 streamed through Gillette Stadium to watch the three matches.
For those who follow Major League Soccer, the US starting lineup featured familiar faces. Nine of the 11 starters are playing in the MLS this season, including the Revolution’s Jay Heaps, who picked up his first US national team cap. Defender Michael Parkhurst, who played four years with the Revolution before signing with Danish club FC Nordsjaellands in December, also started.
The group held its own in the first half, taking the lead early.
Holden, of the Houston Dynamo, set up the first goal for the US, lightly tapping the ball toward Davy Arnoud in Haiti’s end. Arnoud managed to control the ball long enough to chip a shot with his left foot past a tumbling Jean Dominique Zerphirin in the sixth minute.
“We scored an early goal and that was a good thing, but I think it came so early that we hadn’t really found a rhythm in the game yet, and as a result after that we were still I think trying to find our rhythm. They were able to make some plays and cause some trouble,’’ Bradley said.
The ripple came as soon as the second half started.
Back-to-back goals for Haiti to start the second half left the US scrambling. The 1-0 lead disappeared 46 seconds into the second half when Leonel Saint Preux lofted a cross from the right side to the far post to Sirin Vaniel, who lunged forward with the header to beat Luis Robles (five saves).
Haiti struck again three minutes later when Heaps cleared a ball toward the center of the field, but Mones Chery was there to intercept the free ball and drill a shot from about 35 yards.
“It was one of those plays,’’ Heaps said. “I was falling down, sliding, and I was just trying to clear it as far as I could. Unfortunately, I didn’t get all of what I wanted on it, and it went right to their guy. He’s 35 yards out and hits a bomb. Sometimes you have to take your hat off.’’
As the US pressed for the equalizer, New Hampshire native Charlie Davies entered the game along with Kyle Beckerman in the 63d minute. In the 85th minute, Davies got a solid chance when Arnaud lobbed in a pass that caught Davies in the chest. Davies managed to control the ball and get off a right-footed shot, but it was blocked in front of the goal.
Holden, though, came through as time wound down, to allow the US to escape with the tie.
“I think there were some good things, but when you look at the consistency of the whole game it would fit with the fact that this was a group that hadn’t been there before,’’ Bradley said.
Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com. 