November 14, 2009 BEATEN IN BRATISLAVA U.S. falls to Slovakia, 1-0
Jeff Cunningham (above) and Eddie Johnson did not do much as substitutes in the U.S. 1-0 loss in Slovakia Photo by Michael Stephens
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia -- If U.S. coach Bob Bradley was hoping to see Eddie Johnson or Jeff Cunningham show that either one could fill the shoes of the injured Charlie Davies in the 1-0 loss to Slovakia Saturday, he didn't witness much to impress him.
Neither player, who came on as halftime substitutes, showed much in the international friendly.
Bradley will have to wait until Wednesday's match in Denmark to see if either player could be the answer to Davies, who is expected to miss the World Cup in June after suffering severe injuries as a passenger in a car accident in northern Virginia last month.
Davies added speed to the American lineup, which stretched opponents' defenses.
Neither Johnson or Cunningham did much Saturday.
With several regulars unavailable for selection due to club commitments and injury, Bradley tested his depth without the likes of Landon Donovan, Oguchi Onyewu and Tim Howard. Other than U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra, the three central defenders with the most caps in 2009 – Onyewu (knee), Jay DeMerit (eye) and Chad Marshall (knee) – were unavailable due to injury, which meant Jonathan Spector got his first start in central defense alongside Bocanegra. With Howard staying in England to nurse a foot injury, Brad Guzan started in goal for the first time since the 3-0 win over Egypt at the FIFA Confederations Cup.
“This match was on opportunity to see some different players," Bradley said. "I think the area tonight that let us down was the sharpness and execution in the attacking part of the field.”
Marek Hamsik converted a penalty kick past Guzan in the 26th minute after Jonathan Bornstein had taken down Vladimir Weiss in the penalty area a minute earlier.
The U.S. had several opportunities to score in the first half, including a header from Benny Feilhaber from close range and Clint Dempsey's long-range shot, but goalkeeper Jan Mucha stopped everything that was sent his way in the opening 45 minutes.
“I thought we had a good start to the match in the first 25 minutes," Bradley said. "The penalty and going down 1-0 changed the game. Slovakia is very well organized and has a lot of people behind the ball. We were not sharp enough with our ability in the attacking third to make a play and get through the defense.”
Johnson, who has played only three times for his English team, Fulham FC, this season, came on for Casey at halftime. Six minutes into the half, Johnson motored down the right wing, but could not get a shot on goal as his attempt hit the right side netting.
He was fouled in the 67th minute, but nothing came of Demspey's free kick.
A pair of Dempsey free kicks, however, made life interesting for the Slovakia backline.
In the 37th minute, Dempsey pushed Mucha to make his best save of the half on a free kick from long distance on the left wing. The U.S. set up a play that drew one of two players out of the Slovakia wall, opening the space for Dempsey to hit a low line-drive at the far post.
His second free kick again called on Slovakia’s defense to make a play. After Robbie Rogers was taken down 27 yards from goal, Róbert Vittek stuck out a leg on the right side of the wall to block the shot into the air before it bounced and spun just wide of the right post as Mucha struggled to slug through the muddy six-yard box to try and cover.
While there were no New York Red Bulls player on the roster, there was a Red Bull presence in the game as Dusan Svenko, a member of Red Bull Salzburg, came on to replace Robert Vittek in the 68th minute.
FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty made his international debut for the U.S. in the 72nd minute, replacing Dempsey. Clarence Goodson also came on at the same time, taking the place of central defender Carlos Bocanegra.
Two minutes later Guzan was called on to deny Stanislav Sestak, who got behind the U.S. defense. But the former Chivas USA goalkeeper made a point-blank save by kicking the ball away with his left foot.
Cunningham, who led MLS with 17 goals this season, earned his first cap since Sept. 7, 2005 as he replaced former Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore in the 82nd minute. Former Seton Hall standout Sacha Kljestan, who endured a disappointing season with Chivas, also came on at the same time, taking over for Rogers.
Spector, who has been outstanding as a right fullback this year, acquitted himself well with Bocanegra in central defense.
Bradley said the duo "played well together and both showed good understanding. It’s the first time we’ve used Spector as a center back. We were able to use Clarence Goodson as a reserve and we were able to see him. I think both in Jonathan’s case and Clarence’s case, it was good tonight.”
