Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesClark's goal was just his third goal in 33 games for the U.S. national team.
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- In the barren lands surrounding Phoenix, the U.S. endured a drought of goals against Venezuela on Saturday night.
In a dreadfully dull first half, the U.S. roamed freely as Venezuela showed little interest in closing down its ball-hogging opponents -- until they got into the final third. Consequently, the Yanks dominated completely, but in addition to the deep-sitting, parked-bus Venezuelan defense, which left precious little room for striker Teal Bunbury and playmaker Benny Feilhaber to maneuver, the U.S. was frustrated by both the vast pockets of space it had to cover on the huge field and its sloppy, imprecise final balls.
Nevertheless, there were many positives in the opening act. The opposition -- a Venezuelan team playing mostly domestically based second-stringers, just like the U.S. -- may have been meek, but many of the facets Jurgen Klinsmann has been hammering home since taking the head coaching job in July were adequately executed.
Deployed in a 4-2-3-1 with a triangle midfield -- Jermaine Jones and Jeff Larentowicz playing behind Feilhaber, plus wingers in Graham Zusi and Brek Shea -- the U.S. pressed high, controlled the ball, and was that favorite of Klinsmann's buzzwords: "proactive." This approach yielded three major chances. In the 19th minute, Bunbury was played the ball by the box, cut back and curled a handsome shot just over with his left foot. A minute later, Feilhaber threaded a pinpoint through-ball to Shea, who unleashed his superior physique to lose his marker but dragged his shot wide. Then, in the 23rd, one of the laser-guided free kicks that have vaulted Zusi from an unheralded MLS rookie to a U.S. national teamer, found Shea's blond mop before being parried wide by goalkeeper Jose Morales.
From there, the second half looked much like the first, with the U.S. eager to break the deadlock and Venezuela just as keen to maintain the status quo. The game grew increasingly physical as both sides pursued their respective goals. But it wasn't until the 62nd minute, when Feilhaber came out and the U.S. inserted a second forward in Chris Wondolowski, that the game opened up and the Americans started creating more scoring chances (though few were worthwhile). Zusi found room from a close, tight angle but skied his effort in the 73rd. Barely 10 minutes later, Morales saved well on a long, swerving shot from Jones. In the 88th, Wondolowski nodded goal-wards from close range, requiring another strong save from the masterful Morales. Adding to the drought was referee Roberto Garcia's disinterest in several credible American claims for a penalty.
In the end, the U.S.'s efforts against an opponent more interested in preserving a hypothetical, fictional point were nearly for naught -- two of them. It wasn't until the 97th minute, well past the minimum of four minutes of added time, that a Jones corner found a wide-open Ricardo Clark, who nodded the ball into the low, far corner for the liberating winner.
For a band of recently assembled backups, it wasn't a bad showing, with a satisfying last-gasp winner as reward.
Grades: 1-10 (1 is lowest; 10 highest)
GK - Bill Hamid, 6: Solid when called upon, which wasn't often. Although he was almost caught out by very, very long shot.
D - A.J. DeLaGarza, 6.5: A nice debut for the young Galaxy defender, although he got a little over-excited heading forward on occasion.
D - Heath Pearce, 5: An unremarkable 73 minutes for the left back, who didn't connect well at all with Shea up the wing.
D - Michael Parkhurst, 7.5: Well positioned and strong in the air. Rock solid.
D - Geoff Cameron, 7.5: Like Parkhurst, Cameron made a strong case for a more involved role with the first string. His long balls and runs were a weapon.
M - Jeff Larentowicz, 6.5: Filling in for the injured Kyle Beckerman, Larentowicz put in a solid 62-minute shift tidying up loose balls in front of the defense. Not all his passes connected, though.
M - Jermaine Jones, 8: A schizoid performance by far and away the best player on the field. Absolutely dominant on defense, Jones distributed possession well, save for the occasional horrendous turnover, one of which nearly turned into a scoring chance for Venezuela until Jones got back and chopped down his man, incurring a yellow card. His was the corner that allowed Clark to score the winner.
M - Benny Feilhaber, 7: He didn't have much room to operate in, but for the 62 minutes that he was on the field, almost all the danger the Americans managed to pose started with him, whether it was his hold-up play in the corners or deft through balls.
F - Graham Zusi, 5: On his 74-minute U.S. debut, Zusi wasn't hugely impactful on the right wing except for a nice free kick deposited on Shea's head. When switched off to the left wing, he brought even less.
F - Teal Bunbury, 6: His athleticism was on display early and he created a nice chance for himself early, but as the second half wore on, his influence receded considerably.
F - Brek Shea, 6: A mixed bag. But for a few flashes of offensive genius, resulting in two of the biggest U.S. chances, Shea was lethargic.
Substitutes:
M - Ricardo Clark, 7.5: After coming on in the 62nd, Clark distributed well, won balls and was useful on offense. And then he got a winner.
F - Chris Wondolowski, 6.5: Wondolowski gave the U.S. a much-needed second body in the box and was able to carve some decent half-chances in a half hour of work.
D - Zach Loyd, 7: Coming on in the 73rd, Loyd looked comfortable and capable in the back, showing also that he can contribute going forward.
F - C.J. Sapong, 6: Didn't get involved very much but helped out in the aerial battles.
M - Brad Evans, Incomplete: An eight-minute cameo for the hometown boy left scant opportunities for him to make an impact.
