KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The United States Under-23 squad might be heavy favorites to leave Kansas City with six points from their first two Olympic qualifying matches, but that doesn't mean they're hitting on all cylinders just yet.
“Every game's different, and hopefully the next game we just settle the ball a little more and keep the ball,” Real Salt Lake midfielder Luis Gil told reporters on Thursday night, after scoring the final US goal of a 3-1 victory over Canada on a stoppage-time penalty kick. “It's never going to be pretty if we don't keep the ball.”
Cuba, Saturday's opponent in the second Group A match for both sides, took a roster hit with four player defections from their 20-man squad even before their first training session. Still, Los Leones del Caribe came out and turned in a scrappy performance before running out of gas and conceding a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Panama on Thursday.
“I actually saw a little bit before our game, watching on TV,” Gil said. “They battle a lot, but they've also got a couple of special players on their team. It's going to be one of those games where we need to possess the ball and take the chances we do have.”
The US controlled the run of play early in their opening match, going up 1-0 on Jordan Morris' first goal just 34 seconds after kickoff, but had difficulty making connections in the final third when Canada shifted to a more defensive setup shortly before the half-hour mark.
The Cubans weren't as organized defensively in their opener as Canada were, but their hustling play at both ends of the pitch – combined with Panama's lack of intensity through the first 45 minutes – didn't go unnoticed by US coach Andi Herzog.
“They expect us to win against Cuba,” Herzog told reporters. “Then we have two games, six points. That would be huge for us – but Cuba is not easy to play. They have some style of play that's not predictable, so we have to be right on our toes from the first minute.
“But overall, we have to play our game. We have to be much better in possession and create more opportunities from different variations.”
Steve Brisendine covers soccer in Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
