U.S. men's soccer falls to Ireland, 2-0

by Sarah Segal on September 4, 2009

Team Ireland soaked up a 2-0 victory against the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team at the first game of the 2009 Taipei Deaflympics on Friday morning — and the Irish goals were not against the run of play. According to McDonald, Ireland had something this morning that ultimately made them superior to the U.S.: heart. In the midst of a downpour, with players slipping and falling left and right, American failures seemed to come in fives: a penalty kick by the attacking team within the first five minutes, five yellow cards throughout the game and five corner kicks versus the nine made by triumphant team Ireland. Ireland scored its first goal with a free kick; the second was achieved when American goalkeeper Chris Jones fumbled the ball, which was wet from the rain. The U.S.’s tactless, short game consisted of dribbling and passing the ball from side to side in trying weather conditions and was no match for team Ireland, who went into the game with an aggressive mentality and strategy by playing long and strong. Although the team was divided, assistant coach George Danner and McDonald were particularly displeased with the offense. “Even when we do get the ball upfront, we can’t generate anything,” Danner shouted to McDonald on the sidelines during the game. McDonald and Danner hoped to see the men turn it around in the second half. “We’ve got 45 minutes to turn it around,” Danner said at halftime. “Let’s gain some momentum and turn it around.” Defense tightened up after halftime, but the U.S. offense could barely get the ball past the Ireland defenders, even after McDonald made some adjustments to the line-up and team captain Mike Lawson gave the team a pep talk. The team eventually bombed out altogether and lost the game, 2-0. To advance to the next round, the men must win their next two games, against Japan and Great Britain, the six-time world champion team. Forward Brandon Lemus went to the hospital after the game with possible broken ribs and heatstroke. Lemus, who checked out fine, will play “light” at the men’s practice Saturday to recover from his injuries.

U.S. men's soccer falls to Ireland, 2-0

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