The 100th anniversary year of American soccer opened with a dismal, dysfunctional and uninspired 0-0 draw against Canada on Tuesday night Jan. 29, 2013 in Houston, Texas.
Pre-game pleas for some rhythm from National tteam coach Jurgen Klinsman fell on deaf ears as the USA eleven squandered one opportunity after another. The inconsistency was never more evident than in the 23' minute when Houston's Brad Davis lifted a ball into the box that just missed connecting with the hairline of Chris Wondolowski. Wondolowski, the 2012 MLS leading scorer, missed three opportunities alone and found himself on the bench to start the second half.
In an effort to inject some life into the anemic offensive first half, Klinsman sent in Josh Gatt and Benny Feilhaber to open the second forty-five minutes of play. The move created some early energy but then the USA regressed and went back into into stumbling self.
In the post-game news conference, Klinsman tried to put a happy face on the performance.
"We have worked hard the last three weeks," Klinsman said. "I was pleased with our effort despite not being able to finish our chances."
The USA who held possession for 66% of the match and an 11-2 edge in shots could not dent the Canadaien defense.
In the 53', Davis narrowly missed on the USA's best scoring opportunity. Davis broke in on the right side and delivered a sliding attempt that deflected wide of the net.
The USA team now heads to Miami to prepare for their 2014 World Cup qualifier against Honduras.
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