For a week that was buried in controversy with coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s coaching tactics and locker room relations, the USMNT stepped on to the field Friday night at mile-high Dick’s Sporting Goods Park with an even bigger problem – a field buried in snow. 

The members of the U.S. national team fought through a thrilling 90 minutes of relentless snowfall that had viewers wondering if they had accidentally stumbled upon a makeshift backyard hockey game instead of a crucial World Cup Qualifier. Nonetheless, the Yanks pulled through and came up with a 1-0 win off a 16th minute tap-in by Captain Clint ‘Deuce’ Dempsey despite the game nearly being called off in the 55th minute.

Though there were many times viewers could not see the action on the pitch due to the yellow match ball and camouflaged U.S. players (this was the debut game for the white commemorative centennial jerseys), there was still a great deal of positives to be taken away from this game. Here are some things to take away if you missed the game:

1) Jozy Altidore did things. After disappointing on the national stage for too many minutes to count, Altidore finally came through and looked like the lethal striker he is that scores 25 goals in Europe. Though he didn’t get on the score sheet, it was his deflected shot that led to Dempsey’s classic rebound goal. Jozy fought through the full 90 holding the ball well up top to feed his supporting cast plenty of opportunities while creating chances out of nothing for himself as well. If he carries this form into the next game against an underperforming Mexican side, a historic result may be in store for the U.S. come Tuesday evening.

2) The defense didn’t completely suck! A resounding smack of the palm against the forehead was heard all around the nation when the official released roster included Clarence Goodson in the backline, but there weren’t too many groans to be heard during the game because Goodson actually put in a decent performance. It might have even warranted a starting position against Mexico and some future call-ups. DaMarcus Beasley also came through with a solid performance at left back that could see him remaining in that position against Mexico as well. Omar Gonzalez also redeemed himself from a forgettable Honduras game with a strong performance and several courageous last-second shot-blocks. To sum it up, this backline made Klinsmann’s tactics look genius!

3) This one’s for the haters: In America, soccer is notorious for divers, cheaters, lack of physical contact and underwhelming scorelines.  Granted, many American football games are played in snow, but credit must be given to the fact that two teams came out and risked their health and safety in the cold to put on a show all with a layer or two of jersey material for protection. Also take into account that both teams had the choice to stop the game in the 55th minute (Costa Rica was losing 1-0) but chose to continue anyways.  This was a game that will surely become a U.S. Soccer instant classic, but will also be one to remember for U.S. sports in general.

Though it was a great win, it was flooded with asterisks. The U.S. made the most of the weather and came out on top, but on Tuesday evening they’ll be playing in the dreaded Azteca stadium against a Mexico side looking for redemption after drawing two games they should have won – but in almost completely opposite conditions in a smoggy and hot Mexico City.  The U.S. will need to rest up, keep warm and regroup and put all their focus on Mexico to improve their standing in the road to Brazil 2014.

 

Reach Staff Writer Zaki Khan here.