Finally, the US played the type of game against Guatemala last night that I would love to see them play every time they step on the field. Everything that was missing against Mexico on Sunday worked to perfection last night, for which I credit head coach Bruce Arena, and the fact that Landon Donovan's head appeared to be in this game now that his club situation is settled. The US pressured non-stop, attacked in waves, broke up just about every string of passes Guatemala tried to put together, and just kept them rocked back on their heels, and it resulted in one of the most lopsided 2-0 wins I've ever seen. Eddie Johnson scored again (he now has 8 goals in 8 international appearances and 7 in 6 World Cup Qualifiers), and Steve Ralston added an insurance goal in the second half. Landon Donovan was robbed of a beautiful finish by a very questionable offside call, and Brian Ching missed a net that couldn't have been more open if the goalie had stepped aside, but the US had so many chances, if they had finished a third of them this game would have been an embarrassing blowout.
I have to say, aside from the US's dominant play, my favorite part of the game was seeing Steve Ralston play so well. Here's a guy in the later part of his career who has always been a great player at the club level, but has struggled to make an impact with the National Team. He's a real class guy, and in the last few US games has really been an important part of the attack, including scoring a huge goal last night after an emotional sequence where the US should have had two or three goals due to some missed calls. I've always been a fan of Steve's, and it's nice to see somebody who deserves good things finally get their reward.
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