Coulibaly Is Not Solely To Blame for U.S. Draw

Do not blame the referees.  Koman Coulibaly officiated a terrible game, and that is beyond question. 

Whether it was the phantom handball against Robbie Findley, which expels him from playing against Algeria (though any US MNT supporter should probably thank Coulibaly for the awful call, as Findley has looked absolutely dreadful), or the call that literally took the breath out of the US's historic comeback.

You'll read ad nauseum about the horrendous foul, as Coulibaly apparently noticed Maurice Edu doing something that wasn't allowed, besides scoring the winning goal.  I was at Dempsey's Bar in New York, and the swing from sheer joy to utter rioting was remarkable, and the curse words directed to Coulibaly and his crew ensured that I would never introduce my mother to that crowd. 

Alexi Lalas called him a disgrace. 

Coulibaly, in a word, was awful.

Yet, when the Yanks only play 45 minutes of a 90 minute soccer game, a draw should be a blessing.

The first half saw the US MNT looking almost as bad as the officiating.  The Gooch shied away from a long ball by Valter Birsa, effectively blocking out Tim Howard with his size and his refusal to sacrifice his body for the team.  This early goal was only the start of the Gooch's bad first half, as an apparent offside trap (or just terrible defense) sprang Ljubijankic for a one-on-one goal against Howard.

Our offense in the first half wasn't any better, as Altidore and Findley combined for maybe one credited shot.  Too many passes, too many poor touches, and too many bad decisions made the first half forgettable.

Compare that to the second half, where the US strikers, especially Altidore who just dominated with his strength and speed, had five shots on goal.  Not only was Donovan creative, he showed leadership to carry his team to the draw. 

And our defense?  Our defense in the second half, led by the air king Jay DeMerit, was clearly superior to anything Slovenia could throw at it. 

The US MNT's second half should go down as one of the best halves of soccer that our team has ever played.  I would rank this right up there with the first half of the US-Brazil game last year.  Yet, soccer is not a one half game.

The reason no one should blame the refs is that the blame for a draw, if there is any blame, rests solely on the shoulders of our national team.  Teasing us with a phenomenal second half only makes suffering through the first half more unbearable. 

And no matter how poor the referees were, and no matter how much we want to scream at FIFA for allowing such a bad, and more importantly wrong, call to stand, there are only three things that we should take away from this emotional draw:

1.  Don't only blame the refs. 

2.  The US needs to play with the same fire and intensity of the second-half for a full 90 minutes to advance

3.  Even with this draw, as long as the US beats Algeria next Wednesday, we should still be in the Knockout Round.