And that’s all for today. Enjoy your evening on the right side of the pond, and enjoy your late afternoon on the left side.
From the Irish perspective, can’t really complain about rallying to win at home with a few young folks in the lineup as well. The patient defense was rarely out of place aside from one lapse before halftime.
From the U.S. perspective, that was mildly disturbing. It’s one thing for the young attackers to hesitate just a bit too much. It’s another for the anointed defense of the future to be at sea on every set piece. Bill Hamid makes a convenient scapegoat, but the center backs -- both with big-time clubs and getting experience on loan -- have to be better.
FULL TIME: Ireland 2-1 USA
A good cheer as the whistle blows.
90 min +4: Walters and Moore argue about something.
This can’t be argued:
We were by far the better the team, deserved that win 💪 serious performance tonight 🔥🔥 #COYBIG #IREvUSA
— Cíara Walsh (@ciarawalsh610) June 2, 2018
90 min +3: Have we seen an indication of stoppage time? Doesn’t matter. Ireland are killing it well.
90 min +1: Weah and Sargent pass back and forth in the box, unable to come up with a good shot.
GOAL: Ireland 2-1 USA (Judge 90)
McClean shreds the U.S. center backs, and the substitute Alan Judge practically takes the ball from his foot to rip it into the top of the net despite Hamid’s touch.
88 min: This time, Ireland take the free kick backwards and float in a harmless cross. The U.S. center backs struggle to flick it to a safe position.
Maybe it’s just experience, but the U.S. set-piece defense has been abysmal.
87 min: Shaq Moore announces his presence with a truly unnecessary foul on Daryl Horgan, who had just played a harmless cross.
The free kick from the flank will be retaken because the ref wanted to book Joe Corona for an elbow to the chest.
84 min: Another cross from the impressive O’Dowda, collected by Hamid.
Hard to see a late winner here. I write that knowing I will, through the rules of Murphy’s Law or karma, ensure that a winner will be scored.
Another sub: Joe Corona replaces Weston McKennie, prompting a soliloquy on the lack of solidarity pay from Taylor Twellman on behalf of FC Dallas, which got nothing when McKennie went overseas.
For Ireland, Harry Arter of Bournemouth replaces Jeff Hendrick.
On the goal (the one that counted), Graeme Thorn writes: “As soon as the US defenders cross behind the goal-line, they’re considered to be on the line itself for offside purposes, so Burke wasn’t offside when the shot came in. I can’t tell from the replay whether he actually touched it before the ball crossed the line, though.”
There were indeed a couple of American defenders so far out of the play that they could write a Yelp review of a nearby pub.
Debuts
For the USA, Luca de la Torre of Fulham replaces Rubin.
For Ireland, Enda Stephens replaces Shane Duffy.
Updated
76 min: Half-chance for Weston McKennie against a curiously passive Irish defense. A good first touch sets him up for a shot from 15 yards, which he hits with pace but straight at the keeper.
75 min: Hamid snares a McClean cross with an attacker lurking.
Unlucky Darragh Lenihan ...
Lenihan could've had a brace! A team-mate and a justified offside call have done in the centre-back! #COYBIG
— Eoin Harmon (@Eoin_Harmon) June 2, 2018
Darragh Lenihan - the first Meath man to make a senior international appearance! #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/vrq0sceVmH
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) June 2, 2018
Updated
Debut for Shaq Moore, the La Liga-based defender. He comes into the game along with Josh Sargent, the striker based in Germany. Two young prospects entering in the 70th minute with the USA reeling in Dublin.
U.S. defensive woes. No matter how much blame you give to the rusty Bill Hamid, whose move to Denmark has not panned out, the USA will have other options in goal.
Should U.S. fans be more concerned by the alleged center-back tandem of the future, Carter-Vickers and Miazga? They were poor on the goal and shaky at several more points today.
Goal called back
Irish free kick, and Lenihan heads the ball past Hamid. He was offside.
66 min: Half-chances for the USA. Wood has a tame shot saved. Weah shoots high.
Here’s the Irish goal -- Burke may well have been offside. Or he may have been over the line. A call would’ve been harsh, and the USA were justly punished:
WATCH:@ShamrockRovers man Graham Burke bags his first International goal to make it 1-1 at the Aviva!
— eir Sport (@eirSport) June 2, 2018
It's probably the easiest goal he's scored this season, but what a moment for the 24 year old!#IRLUSA #COYBIG #LOI pic.twitter.com/zi2sYRFjOd
63 min: CHANCE -- Walters makes a nice move at the top of the box and has the goal at his mercy but fires wide.
62 min: Well, it’s all getting interesting now, as the phenom Weah (yes, George is his father) turns sharply and forces a save.
DEBUT for Tim Parker, formerly of Vancouver and now of the New York Red Bulls. He replaces the unimpressive Carter-Vickers.
60 min: Corner kick to the USA. Trapp delivers, no one’s there, the ball is played back to midfield and awkwardly headed back to Hamid.
Again, see the disclaimer, but I’m not sure what Hamid should’ve done differently on the goal other than shove three of his teammates out of the way.
Lenihan was the substitute for John O’Shea in the first half, and Ireland have just made another -- Daryl Horgan of Preston North End replaces the possible scorer Burke.
GOAL! Ireland 1-1 USA (Burke 57)
Ireland takes the corner kick back 30 yards. The ball is then played into the box, where about five people (mostly American) shelter Bill Hamid from the ball, taking him beyond the post. Lenihan fires into a nearly empty net, but Burke may have gotten the last touch. (And if so, he might have been offside.)
56 min: McClean’s cross hits Carter-Vickers in the torso, and the big defender didn’t enjoy that. Corner kick for the home side, and ...
55 min: This association football match desperately needs a substitution or four.
Trivia time:
The referee for today's Ireland-USMNT game is Andrew Dallas, son of Hugh Dallas, who reffed this 2002 World Cup game: pic.twitter.com/IbR5jrlOMj
— Paul Carr (@PaulCarrTM) June 2, 2018
Funny things found on Twitter:
Irish tips: 'the match' is always without context. It may mean:
— Darren Leathley (@DarrenLeathley) May 19, 2018
Football (association)
Football (Gaelic)
Rugby
Cricket (recent addition)
Wedding
50 min: Wood causes the Irish backline all sorts of problems. The USA wind up with possession, and they painstakingly work the ball backward to Hamid.
49 min: Yellow card. Meh. Tyler Adams and Callum O’Dowda each slide a bit recklessly for a ball at midfield. O’Dowda gets the worst of it, so Adams gets the card.
47 min: Wil Trapp fouls Jon Walters, adding more gray hair to the Irish forward’s head. McClean then tries his stepover skills against the unimpressed Yedlin.
46 min: And, to the surprise of ESPN, the second half is underway.
The goal ...
Big mistakes all the way around the Irish defense, and Wood makes them pay.
🗣Bobbbb
— U.S. Soccer MNT (@ussoccer_mnt) June 2, 2018
🗣Beeeee
🗣Wooood@MattMiazga3 with the flick on, @BobbyS_Wood with the finish! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/trvEGb0nkM
Want to chat? Email beau.dure.freelance@guardian.co.uk or yell on Twitter @duresport
Halftime: Not the most impressive half from the USA, but they won’t complain about having a 1-0 lead away.
GOAL! Ireland 0-1 USA (Wood 45)
A free kick from near midfield, Rubio Rubin wins the header, and nobody marks Bobby Wood, who reaches out his foot on the 6-yard line to poach a goal.
Ireland will have something to sort out at halftime, which starts ... now.
45 min: CHANCE. A good cross from McClean, a poor punch from Hamid, but Coleman seems startled by the ball landing at his feet and shoots/passes to nowhere.
44 min: A dicey back pass to the Irish keeper Doyle, who manages to settle it. Now back to a cagey midfield battle.
42 min: Was Burke expecting the U.S. wall to jump a couple of feet in the air? His free kick finds nothing but American ankles.
40 min: Spoke too soon, as Miazga heads the ball off the fortuitously placed Carter-Vickers. Might have been an own goal if not for that.
Ireland’s attack, though, seems a little toothless.
And as I type that, Ireland wins a 20-yard free kick. I need to see a replay.
On replay -- Yedlin wins the ball from O’Dowda, but his trailing leg catches the Irish attacker. Legitimate call.
37 min: Nothing’s happening.
Carter-Vickers just not on the level of Brooks, Miazga, Parker, or Zimmerman. At least not yet.
— Optimus Primetown (@JayPrimetown) June 2, 2018
Maybe we’ll see Parker later today. Miazga is already out there and hasn’t done anything notable, which isn’t always a bad thing for a center back.
John O'Shea says goodbye
Surely a planned move here, as O’Shea hands over the armband and is substituted out of his 118th and final game.
34 min: Rubin takes a harmless shot on goal rather than patiently unlocking the two lines of four in front of the Irish box.
30 min: Are we sure this is Cameron Carter-Vickers? The defender slides straight through Walters’ legs, missing the ball by a mile. He’s really not looking like a guy on the books of a top-flight English side.
25 min: CHANCE. Suddenly, the USA are in the ascendancy. Tim Weah makes a surging run on the right, and Bobby Wood takes a shot near the top of the arc that goes just outside the upper left corner.
24 min: CHANCE. Wil Trapp takes a corner from the other side of the field. It goes out of the box to Tyler Adams, who fires it in toward the near post. Rubio Rubin tries to redirect it like a hockey forward, but it goes high.
NEARLY for @tyler_adams14!#USMNT | #RBNY pic.twitter.com/s8Dru5M9rh
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) June 2, 2018
Updated
22 min: Some good work down the left, unnoticed by our announcing crew talking about the Bundesliga, and the USA win a corner. Trapp swings it into the box, where it’s frantically cleared.
J.R. in Illinois writes:
I’ll one up you by saying I was married and had my honeymoon in Ireland! If I had to choose a favorite county it would be Clare. If I had to choose the best pint it would be at Syd Harkin’s in Kilkenny.
Anyway, at the start it almost looked like Ireland were playing a back 3 (or 5) with Coleman and McClean as wing backs. Is that possible? If they are playing 4 at the back who’s playing LB? To be honest I can’t tell what in the hell is going on out there.
Here’s a USA attack ... maybe we’ll find out.
19 min: Ireland completes a string of passes that would make Barcelona envious.
Then a shot from McClean, the experienced West Brom man, forces Bill Hamid to slap the ball away. The USA counters, poorly.
Updated
16 min: A half-chance for the USA, and a surprising chant of “USA!” from some pockets of the crowd.
14 min: Nothing’s happening. Looks pretty in Dublin, though.
11 min: Walters lets fly as the ball bounces 25 yards out. It just misses Bill Hamid’s post.
(Disclaimer: Hamid’s father coaches at a club that has taken a fair share of your correspondent’s money. Delightful guy.)
Ouch ...
Turned on #USAvIRE in time to see that Yedlin is still not good.
— Chelsey Bush (@ChelseyWrites) June 2, 2018
In fairness, Chelsey, no one for the USA has looked particularly good in the first 10 minutes.
7 min: The U.S. set-piece defense is getting the practice it sorely needs. And John O’Shea nearly gets a chance!
4 min: The free kick hits traffic in front.
3 min: Cameron Carter-Vickers can’t play the ball in the back, so he leaps onto and pulls the shirt of O’Dowda. That’s what they teach at Spurs?
Updated
2 min: Villafaña must think he’s playing Gaelic football, because he just launched one several feet over the crossbar from 30 yards out.
Updated
We're off ...
Ireland’s rainbow numbers are easier to read than the USA’s.
Pride numbers:
The back of tomorrow’s match kit. Not just a number, this is a statement. Ireland, supporting #LGBT rights. 🏳️🌈🇮🇪 #EqualGame #COYBIG #COYGIG #IRLUSA pic.twitter.com/Becg6ki0VW
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) June 1, 2018
ESPN thinks Ireland will be in a 4-4-2 with Walters and Burke up front. Univision said 4-3-3.
Apologies to U.S. viewers, as ESPN has violated the cardinal rule of programming:
Never schedule ANYTHING after college baseball. College baseball takes forever.
Oops -- it appears they will switch to soccer after all. Enjoy.
Ireland lineup
All playing in England except Burke
GK: 1-Colin Doyle, Bradford City
D: 4-John O’Shea (captain, final game), Sunderland
D: 5-Shane Duffy, Brighton
D: 21-Kevin Long, Burnley
D: 2-Seamus Coleman, Everton
M: 8-Callum O’Dowda, Bristol City
M: 12-Declan Rice, West Ham
M: 13-Jeff Hendrick, Burnley
F: 11-James McClean, West Bromwich Albion
F: 24-Graham Burke, Shamrock Rovers
F: 19-Jon Walters, Burnley
For the 118th and final time... #COYBIG #ThanksJosh pic.twitter.com/mxH0J0cpWD
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) June 2, 2018
Updated
USA lineup
GK: 1-Bill Hamid, Midtjylland (Denmark)
D: 2-DeAndre Yedlin, Newcastle United (England)
D: 5-Cameron Carter-Vickers, Tottenham (England)
D: 3-Matt Miazga, wherever Chelsea loans him next
D: 19-Jorge Villafaña, Santos Laguna (Mexico)
DM: 20-Wil Trapp (captain), Columbus Crew (USA)
M: 11-Tim Weah, Paris St. Germain (France)
M: 4-Tyler Adams, New York Red Bulls (USA)
M: 6-Weston McKennie, Schalke (Germany)
M: 23-Rubio Rubin, Tijuana (Mexico)
F: 7-Bobby Wood, at last check, Hamburg (Germany)
Watch for possible debuts for Luca de la Torre (Fulham), Shaq Moore (Levante) and Tim Parker (New York Red Bulls).
Updated
Similarities and differences ...
Neither team qualified for the World Cup.
Each country has a domestic league fighting for audience share with a powerful neighbor and England’s Premier League (in Ireland’s case, the EPL is also the powerful neighbor; in the USA, that neighbor is Mexico).
Each country has a domestic version of “football” that is simply bewildering to outsiders.
Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO/REX/Shutterstock
The biggest difference: The USA has traffic jams bigger than Ireland.
You say goodbye, and I say hello ...
For Ireland, this friendly is a chance to say farewell to a stalwart who is equally familiar to Manchester United and Sunderland supporters. John O’Shea is playing his final match for his country.
For the United States, it’s all about the kids. Cameron Carter-Vickers starts on the back line. Tim Weah, Tyler Adams and Weston McKinnie also are in the starting XI, with Josh Sargent and Shaq Moore available on the bench.
To state the obvious, both teams hope to be playing more meaningful games in four years. Let’s not talk about that.
Your correspondent today is American but spent a lovely honeymoon in Ireland and plans to return for an upcoming anniversary.
Updated
Beau will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s how the US got on in their last friendly:
Josh Sargent scored on debut, fellow 18-year-old Tim Weah added a goal in his second international and a young United States team beat Bolivia 3-0 on Monday night.
Walker Zimmerman put the Americans ahead in the 37th minute and Sargent doubled the lead in the 52nd. Weah, the son of former World Fifa Player of the Year and current Liberia president George Weah, scored in the 59th. Weah became the fourth-youngest American to score an international goal when he displaced Sargent, who was born two days earlier. Sargent’s goal was particularly memorable. With his back to the goal, he intercepted an errant pass from the Bolivia goalkeeper, twisted round and fired home. Weah’s goal came from close range after an Antonee Robinson cross eluded the Bolivia defenders.
