By Oliver Brown in Amsterdam Published: 6:12AM GMT 04 March 2010
Pitch battle: USA striker Jozy Altidore (right) battles for the round with Holland"s Nigel de Jong in Amsterdam Photo: REUTERS England have been handed a warning, created in pale orange. When Fabio Capello finds the time to investigate the justification of this match, he should be less endangered about the enterprising dire of the USA than the free flitting of Bert outpost Marwijks Holland.
Forget the vagaries of Group C: the Oranje are the group any manager still in South Africa for the World Cups latter stages will be anticipating fervently to avoid.
Holden out for 6 weeks Robben targets World Cup excellence History repeats itself Last suppers Injury progress for Robin outpost Persie Gullit: Africa to explain centre theatreCapello had finished with one of his majority devoted scouts, the former Chelsea striker Kenny Swain, to the Amsterdam Arena to scrutinize the American plea that awaits England on Jun 12. The inform that lands on the Italians table at Wembley should be an confident one. In 100 years the US had never scored a rival idea opposite the Dutch and looked doubtful to do so here.
In the counterclaim of manager Bill Bradley, this was usually a rough fabrication of the group staid to be deployed opposite England at Rustenburgs Royal Bafokeng Stadium. Landon Donovan, savouring a cultivatable loan spell at Everton, not to discuss Hull striker Jozy Altidore, competence be cast-iron choices for the finals, but Bolton winger Stuart Holden is as nonetheless a some-more marginal presence.
This did not rage the stress of Holdens exit after hardly half an hour, the outcome of a drifting plea by Nigel de Jong. The twenty-five year-old, a Jan merger for Bolton from Houston Dynamo, left down the hovel with an ice pack strapped to his ankle: a steer to show up Bradley when he was already covering for an damage to Fulhams Clint Dempsey, still out with vinculum damage, in the same position.
There was a sense, though, that even an American group of full strength would have struggled to enclose Holland, who had postulated a undiluted jot down in subordinate to rouse themselves to third in the universe rankings.
Among the hosts ultimate exponents of "total football, Wesley Sneijder, presumption the same purpose with that Jose Mourinho entrusts him at Inter Milan, had sum carry out as the tie in between midfield and attack, his gait proof an strident headache for the Americans fresh executive midfield pairing of Jose Torres and Michael Bradley.
"We indispensable to be quicker to close Sneijder down," pronounced Bradley, reflecting a small ruefully on the last compare prior to he selects his 23-man World Cup roster.
The usually approach to block Sneijder was to clout agriculturally at his ankles or yank his jersey, both of that Jonathan Bornstein done the inapplicable designation of you do inside the chastisement area 6 mins prior to half-time. Dirk Kuyt, who had so far been denied a transparent steer on idea as the sole striker, buried the indirect spot-kick with relish, wrong-footing Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard.
The untimely Bornstein was advantageous not to concur an additional chastisement moments after when he appeared to hoop Sneijders cross.
The reorganization that the Dutch engineered in the second half reflected the abyss of their squad. Any group that can means to leave a brazen of the description of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on the dais has critical World Cup credentials.
As it happened, Huntelaars stroke was instant, as the Milan striker seized on the cranky of Rafael Van der Vaart to dispatch a long-range shot over Howard around the backside of Bornstein - experiencing a night he would wish to dont think about all as well quickly.
To their credit, the Americans refused to relent, and cumulative their prerogative a notation from time pleasantness of surrogate DaMarcus Beasley, whose inswinging free-tick was incited in by the head of Carlos Bocanegra.
Bradleys group competence have been terribly naïve in a little of their defending, but the satisfaction underlined their hazard from set pieces. It was the men in splendid orange, though, who did majority to illuminate Capellos plans.
