U.S. aims to regroup against Malawi

KANO, NIGERIA -- For American coach Wilmer Cabrera, Monday night's loss to Spain was all about chances. The failure of his team to take advantage of its multiple scoring opportunities and the opponents' clinical proficiency for putting away their own made the difference in the Americans' 2-1 opening loss to a Spanish team that navigated 89 minutes with just 10 players.

Beth Herold/BCI Photo/Other

Forward Stefan Jerome disappointed in the opening game against Spain.

"You are playing against 10 men at this level; you have to put those chances away," Cabrera said. "If you want to make the difference in the World Cup, you have to be able to finish those opportunities, because against very good teams, the chances will be not too many."

The Americans' high-powered attack faltered at the last hurdle time and time again in the opener, wasting a number of gilt-edged scoring opportunities. Particularly demoralizing were two one-on-one breakaways that neither forward Stefan Jerome nor his second-half replacement, Victor Chavez, could place in the back of the net.

So the team came up short in its quest to make a splash by knocking off world power Spain. But thanks to a quick three-day turnaround, the Americans immediately will get another even more important chance, when they attempt to regroup and relieve some pressure in what suddenly is a vital second match against Malawi, on Thursday in Kano.

"We are not used to losing too often," Cabrera said. "But this team is strong; that's why we work. So I hope we can come back. The players showed [Monday] night that they just want the next game right away. So they want Malawi right away. On Thursday, we will have Malawi in front on the field, and I hope we can finish what we almost did against Spain."

The result against the newcomer African squad, competing in its first FIFA World Cup at any level, will depend largely on the Americans' ability to convert. They should get plenty of opportunities to score against the Malawians, who threw everything forward Monday and are likely to be aggressive again, as they also desperately need a win.

Malawi came out blazing in its opening match against the United Arab Emirates but, like the Americans, had trouble finding the back of the net, hitting the post early on and having a goal called back for offsides in falling 2-0. As Monday afternoon wore on, things began to fall apart quickly for the Malawians, who had dominated the first half but looked increasingly discouraged when their efforts came up short. After some careless second-half tackling, Malawi will be forced to take on the U.S. short-handed, having lost two starting defenders to red cards.

Despite Malawi's surprising performance Monday, Cabrera and his team said they had not had time to focus much on their upcoming opponent as of Tuesday's afternoon practice session.

"We were focused on Spain," Cabrera said. "I had the possibility to check their game a little bit, and it's not Spain, basically. You have to respect the opponent, but Malawi is not Spain."

One attribute Malawi does possess, however, is that of being an African country. Such a detail could figure into the equation Thursday, since the match kicks off at 4 p.m. local time under the still-blazing African sun. (The Americans' opening match began after dark.) In their opener against the UAE, the Malawians never ran out of gas despite the steamy conditions, and several of their players didn't even bother to go to the sidelines for the FIFA-mandated water breaks in the middle of each half.

Aside from the possible advantage of a game day climate with temperatures expected to climb well into the 90s by kickoff and the thick smog that blankets Kano by late afternoon, the Malawians boast a quick passing attack similar in style, if not quality, to the one that gave the American defense fits for spells in the opening match against Spain.

"We saw a little bit of their game," attacker Luis Gil said. "They're a pretty decent team. It's going to be another struggle with them."

That means to get three vital points, the Americans will need not only to finish the chances they get, but also to play with more confidence and organization in the back. Against Spain, a halftime switch reunited the central defensive pairing that teamed up throughout qualifying. Defender Jared Watts looked more comfortable alongside his twin tower, Eriq Zavaleta.

Wingbacks Zachary Herold and Tyler Polak also lent second-half form to the defense while getting involved in the attack, something they will be looking to do against Malawi as well. But the group will have to be careful to keep the shape in the back that abandoned the U.S. on Spain's two first-half goals Monday. That organization will be essential early against Malawi, which likes to attack in numbers.

"If we want to qualify, we need to beat Malawi," Cabrera said. "We all know that; they know it. We have the tools to do it, we have the soccer, we have the mentality; it's just to be well organized and not get crazy. Because if you get crazy, you get disorganized, and you're going to lose."

The Americans can't afford another loss Thursday if they are to realize their high hopes for success in Nigeria. The keys to success for Cabrera's group are simple enough: stay organized in the back and capitalize on those chances when they come.

Brent Latham covers U.S. soccer for ESPNsoccernet. Based in Dakar, Senegal, he also covers West Africa for Voice of America radio and can be reached at brentlatham@ymail.com.