TSG Analysis by Alvin CORNEAL (TRI)
Fantastic! That was the most exciting and intense game of the FIFA World Cup™ so far. Both teams were tactically excellent and served up a thrilling spectacle for the fans. The US dominated the midfield in the first half but were unable to convert their snappy, direct play into goals. Italy, in contrast, looked nervous and inhibited, but showed all of their guile and killer instinct in the 22nd minute to take a 1-0 lead with their first real sight of goal. Andrea Pirlo's world-class free-kick was so good all striker Alberto Gilardino had to do was get his head on the ball. The AC Milan midfielder would be entitled to claim a half-share of the goal.
The Azzurri were slowly beginning to take a stranglehold on the game when Cristian Zaccardo’s own goal gave the USA a fortuitous equaliser. When Daniele De Rossi was dismissed, Italy were intelligent enough to take the pace out of the game and deny their opponents any chances on goal. When the Stars and Stripes’ Pablo Mastroeni was also sent from the field shortly before the interval, the balance was restored and the two teams cancelled each other out in the midfield.

The second half got off to an explosive start. After Eddie Pope’s dismissal for a second caution, the Italians began to dictate the play, creating a number of excellent opportunities, only to be repeatedly denied by Budweiser Man of the Match Kasey Keller. The outstanding American number one radiated calmness, orchestrating and motivating the team perfectly from the back. However, if Keller was instrumental in securing a crucial point, the entire US team gave their all and pushed their bodies to the limit.

Italy were rarely able to capitalise on their numerical advantage, creating just a handful of openings on the break, often through substitute Alessandro del Piero. However, the Europeans’ most impressive player was Pirlo, who consistently drove the game forward, distributed the ball excellently in the midfield and provided quality service to the strikers. An intelligent player with outstanding vision, Pirlo was only narrowly edged out by Keller for Man of the Match.

The coaches too deserve credit for their reaction to the dismissals. Both were forced to improvise and acted swiftly to reorganise their teams and revise their strategy. I have to pay tribute to the tactical capability of Marcello Lippi and Bruce Arena. Overall, a draw was the right result. Both teams maintained their chances of progressing to the next round and can be pleased with their performance. We have seen many fantastic games so far, but this was one of the absolute highlights.

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