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Former Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst (center) returned to Gillette Stadium to start Saturday's match against Haiti. (Photo by CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com) |
Davy Arnaud gave the U.S. the lead just five minutes into the match, but Haiti came out strong from halftime and took the lead. The U.S. finally seemed to come back to life after falling behind and Stuart Holden scored a spectacular equalizer in stoppage time to give the U.S. a draw and finish the group stages with seven points.
The U.S. rested many of the players who had significant roles in the team�s wins over Grenada and Honduras. Massachusetts native and New England Revolution veteran Jay Heaps made his national team debut and former Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst also got the start. Goalkeeper Luis Robles and midfielder Sam Cronin also made their U.S. debuts.
�When you begin the tournament the goal is to win the group and advance, so the first thing that we said after the game is we�ve accomplished that goal,� said head coach Bob Bradley. �We always know that a team like Haiti is a difficult opponent. They are physically very talented and you have to have a way to keep the game in order. I think we learned a good lesson.�
The U.S. took the lead in the 6th minute through Arnaud. Arnaud was played in on goal with a nice through ball from Holden and slotted it under goalkeeper Jean Dominique Zephirin to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead.
The U.S. nearly added another in the 29th minute when Holden powered a shot toward goal from 30 yards out. Holden�s shot hit the crossbar and bounced down off the line and back into the box.
Seconds later, Robles denied a great effort from Haitian midfielder Fabrice Noel. Noel blasted a shot from about 25 yards out that Robles tipped up and then had to slap off the line and out of bounds for a corner kick.
The U.S. nearly added a second goal in the 45th minute when a Holden corner kick found Jimmy Conrad at the near post. Conrad�s powerful header was just over the bar.
Seconds before halftime Haiti nearly equalized when Parkhurst was beat on the left flank and a low cross by Haiti found Noel in the box. Noel�s powerful shot was on frame, but Robles was there to clear it off the line. The ball then fell to Sirin Vaniel, whose effort was into the side netting.
�We scored an early goal, which is always a good thing, but I think it came so early that we hadn�t really found a rhythm in the game yet. As a result, after that we were still trying to find that rhythm,� Bradley said. �They were able to take some plays and cause some trouble. We talked at halftime about regaining control and obviously started off the second half doing just the opposite. Lessons that I think are important, but nonetheless a good first round.�
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Jay Heaps earned his first senior international cap in Saturday's draw with Haiti. (Photo by CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com) |
Haiti equalized just a minute into the second half. Leonel Saint-Preux sent in a cross from the right flank that was out of the reach of Robles and found Raymond Ednerson, who headed it in at the near post.
Two minutes later Haiti took the lead when Heaps cleared the ball out, but right to Mones Chery. Chery blasted a shot from 30 yards out that hit off the post and entered the net just inside the upper corner, leaving an out of position Robles with no chance.
Attempting to come back, the U.S. switched things up in the 63rd minute by bringing on Charlie Davies and Kyle Beckerman for Kenny Cooper and Santino Quaranta.
Arnaud had a chance for a second goal in the 66th minute when a poorly cleared corner kick fell to him in the box. Arnaud blasted a shot from close range, but a Haitian defender managed to get in the way to block the shot.
Davies had a chance in the 69th minute. When Judelin Aveskas attempted a weak header back to his goalkeeper Davies managed to intercept it and get a shot off under pressure from his defender, but it went wide of the far post.
Holden tied the match in the second minute of stoppage time. Holden got the ball about 25 yards out and hammered a blast into the upper corner that left Zephirin with no chance.
A Haitian player went down injured right after the goal and after play was allowed to start the referee ended the match, despite approximately a minute and a half being of the three minutes of stoppage time being left when the goal was scored.
�We were pushing the whole second half,� said Holden, who was named man of the match. �The chance fell to me in the last minute. At that point you just want to strike it as well as you can and keep it on target, so if it doesn�t go in it gives somebody a chance. Luckily enough I hit it well enough that it went in the back of the net. It was a great feeling, but I was still hoping that we�d have a couple of minutes that we could get the ball in and try and get another goal because we were knocking on the door for most of the second half.�
The U.S. will move on to the quarterfinals on Saturday in Philadelphia, where their opponent has yet to be determined.
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