Midfielder Stuart Holden isn’t known for his offensive skills.
But his shot from the top of the penalty box in the 47th minute was all the U.S. needed to down Japan, 1-0, in its opening match of group play on Thursday.
The victory in front of a crowd of 37,177 at Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, about 70 miles from Beijing, was America’s first in Olympic men’s soccer since 2000.
“If we hadn’t gotten the three points [in the standings] it wouldn’t have been as exciting,” Holden said. “But to come out and do that in the first game was obviously our first goal.”
And it also was the first goal for the U.S. in three matches, as the team had gone 0-2-1 without scoring a goal in its preparation for the Beijing Games. The U.S. had the majority of the possession in the first half, but routinely turned the ball over in the attacking third or failed to generate chances due to poor crosses.
Japan continually used its speed in counterattacks to keep the U.S. off-balance and generate scoring opportunities, but neither team could finish their chances before intermission.
“We knew that the Japanese team is very dangerous on the counter attack and they find good spots to get between our defenders and midfielders,” U.S. coach Peter Nowak said. “We did make a few adjustments in the locker room at halftime to correct these problems. There were some lapses. Like I said, it wasn’t a perfect game from us.”
In the second half the U.S. struck early, as defender Marvelle Wynne’s cross into Japan’s goal box deflected to Holden. The midfielder collected the ball and put a shot on target that diving Japanese goalie Shusaku Nishikawa got a hand on, but couldn’t keep from trickling across the goal line.
U.S. midfielder Freddy Adu, who grew up in Potomac and plays professionally for France’s AS Monaco, played poorly, and was given a yellow card after an aggressive tackle.
Meantime, defender Maurice Edu, a former University of Maryland star who plays professionally for Major League Soccer’s FC Toronto, played superbly in the shutout.
The U.S. (1-0) is atop Group B with three points, followed by Nigeria (0-0-1), the Netherlands (0-0-1) and Japan (0-1). The U.S. plays the Dutch on Sunday morning at 7:45, who tied Nigeria, 0-0, on Thursday. The top two teams advance from group play into a single-elimination tournament. The Dutch, who have won the past two under-21 European championships, were a pre-Olympic favorite to medal.
“We’re not worried about what’s happened in the past, we are worried about this team,” U.S. goalie Brad Guzan said. “With the attitude we have on this team and the talented players here, we’re going to open a lot of eyes.”
