USA NEWS

Haitian-American - Jozy Altidore Hat Trick Powers U.S. MNT to 4-3 Victory Against Bosnia-Herzegovina

U.S. Men’s National Team forward Jozy Altidore notched his second career hat trick and became the first USA player to score a goal in five straight games as the U.S. rallied for a 4-3 victory against No. 13-ranked Bosnia-Herzegovina in the first-ever meeting between the two sides at Asim Ferhatovic Hase Stadium.

IN THE IMAGE: Altidore became the only U.S. player to ever score in five consecutive matches

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (Aug. 14, 2013) – U.S. Men’s National Team forward Jozy Altidore notched his second career hat trick and became the first USA player to score a goal in five straight games as the Americans rallied for a 4-3 victory against No. 13-ranked Bosnia-Herzegovina in the first-ever meeting between the two countries.

Down 2-0 at halftime, the U.S. scored four unanswered goals, getting the first from Eddie Johnson. Altidore scored the next three goals, including one off a brilliant direct free kick, to give the U.S. their first come-from-behind victory on European soil.

The U.S. also extended its record winning streak to 12 games, which is currently the longest string of victories in international competition. The USA’s 13 victories in 2013 also tie a record for a calendar year, matching the win total in 2005 and 2009.

The U.S. MNT resumes 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying on the road when it faces Costa Rica on Sept. 6 at Estadio Nacional in San Jose. The game kicks off at 10 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on beIN SPORT.

Following that game the USA will then head into its quadrennial home World Cup qualifying clash with Mexico. Presented by AT&T, the USA-Mexico match on Sept. 10 will be played at a sold-out Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The match starts at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN, WatchESPN and UniMas. Fans can also follow U.S. MNT matches via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and on Twitter @ussoccer.

Bosnia-Herzegovina built a two-goal lead in the first half, starting with Edin Dzeko scoring off of his own rebound in the eighth minute. Dzeko stayed onside with his initial run up the middle, dribbled to his right, hesitated and then hit a right-footed shot that U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard saved with his body. The rebound immediately ricocheted back to Dzeko, and with Howard positioned well off of his line, Dzeko’s left-footed shot bounced into the back of the net.

Though the USA saw some improved possession after the goal, Bosnia added to its lead when Zvjezdan Misimovic crossed the ball from the right to Vedad Ibisevic and he headed home in the 30th minute. Ibisevic cut in front of U.S. center back Geoff Cameron and drove his well-struck header past Howard, who partially tipped the shot with his glove.

Johnson cut into Bosnia-Herzegovina’s lead in the 55th minute as Michael Bradley started the attack with a pinpoint deep ball from midfield to Altidore. The spinning pass held up perfectly for Altidore, who was able to tap it with his left foot just in front of charging Bosnia-Herzegovina goalkeeper Asmir Begovic providing Johnson with an open net for the easy finish from near the top of the penalty area. 

Altidore did the rest for the USA, starting with a whipping left-footed shot inside the right post to tie the score at 2-2 in the 59th minute. Fabian Johnson set him up, nutmegging the defender to dish to Altidore on the left side before the U.S. forward lashed his shot just inside the right post.

Altidore notched his second goal in the 84th minute with a free kick over Bosnia-Herzegovina’s six-man to give the USA a 3-2 lead. Altidore’s powerful shot hit the upper left corner of the goal, giving Begovic no time to react.

Two minutes later, Altidore struck again as Bradley slipped a perfectly weighted ball through for him near the top of the penalty area. Altidore split the Bosnia defense and fired to the right side of the net to complete the hat trick. With the three goals, he now has 20 career goals for the National Team and sits all alone in seventh place all-time.

The hat trick was the 16th in USA history and the second this year, following up Chris Wondolowski’s three-goal effort during a 6-1 victory against Belize on July 9. Altidore’s other career hat trick came against Trinidad & Tobago during a 3-0 victory in FIFA World Cup Qualifying on April 1, 2009, in Nashville, Tenn.

Dzeko scored his second goal of the match in the 90th minute to cut the USA’s lead to 4-3, but his header inside the far right post was not enough for Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Three players made their U.S. MNT debuts on Wednesday. Twenty-year-old John Brooks earned the start at center back. Aron Johannsson, a 22-year-old forward, was a second-half substitute for Eddie Johnson in the 63rd minute. Johannsson’s application to FIFA for a change of association was approved Tuesday, and the former U-21 Iceland player created two shots on goal in the 74th and 77th minutes against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Irvine, Calif., native and 20-year-old forward Bobby Wood also made his first U.S. MNT appearance when he replaced Brad Evans in the 87th minute.

Howard was solid as always, making three saves and earned his 50th career victory, improving to 50-25-15 all-time. He is second only to Kasey Keller (53) in career victories.

Additional Notes:

-U.S. Men’s National Team Match Report-

Match: U.S.  Men’s National Team vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina
Date: August 14, 2013
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Asim Ferhatovic Hase Stadium – Sarajevo, Bosnia
Kickoff: 8:30p.m. local
Attendance: 24,000
Weather: 73 degrees, clear

Scoring Summary:    1      2      F
USA                            0      4      4
BIH                             2      1      3

BIH – Edin Dzeko                                               8th minute
BIH – Vedad Ibesevic (Zvjezdan Misimovic)      30
USA– Eddie Johnson ( Jozy Altidore)                55
USA– Jozy Altidore (Fabian Johnson)               59
USA– Jozy Altidore                                             84
USA–Jozy Altidore (Michael Bradley)                 86
BIH – Edin Dzeko (Edin Visca)                          90

Lineups:
USA: 1-Tim Howard (capt.); 6-Brad Evans (11-Bobby Wood, 87), 20-Geoff Cameron, 5-John Brooks, 23-Fabian Johnson (15-Michael Parkhurst, 80); 4-Michael Bradley, 13-Jermaine Jones (16-Sacha Kljestan, 69), 19-Alejandro Bedoya (10-Joe Corona, 63), 8-Mix Diskerud (2-Edgar Castillo, 46), 18-Eddie Johnson (7-Aron Johannsson, 63); 17-Jozy Altidore
Substitutions Not Used: 12-Brad Guzan, 9-Terrence Boyd, 21-Tim Ream
Head coach: Jurgen Klinsmann

BIH: 1-Asmir Begovic; 4-Emir Spahic (capt.) (23-Toni Sunjic, 46), 3-Ermin Bicakcic, 15-Sejad Salihovic (7-Miroslav Stevanovic), 21-Ervin Zukanovic (19-Edin Visca, 62); 16-Senad Lulic, 6-Elvir Rahimic (14-Adnan Zahirovic, 46), 8-Miralem Pjanic (18-Haris Medunjanin, 61), 10-Zvjezdan Misimovic; 9-Vedad Ibisevic (2-Avdija Vrsajevic, 46), 11-Edin Dzeko
Substitutions Not Used: 22-Asimir Avdukic; 12-Jasmin Fejzic
Head coach: Safet Susic

Stats Summary: USA / BIH
Shots: 10 / 12
Shots on Goal: 7 / 6
Saves: 3 / 3
Corner Kicks: 5 / 11
Fouls: 10 / 10
Offside: 1 / 3

Misconduct Summary:
BIH – Emir Spahic (caution)                             27th minute

Officials:
Referee: Damir Skomina (SVN)
Assistant Referee 1: Primož  Arhar (SVN)
Assistant Referee 2: Marko Stančin (SVN)
Fourth Official: Emir Alečković (BIH)

Budweiser Man of the Match: Jozy Altidore

- See more at: http://www.ussoccer.com/news/mens-national-team/2013/08/130814-mnt-vs-bih-match-report.aspx#sthash.4Dm4VgXr.dpuf

Houston Dynamo acquires Honduran international Lopez

The Houston Dynamo announced the acquisition of Honduran international Alexander Lopez (red) from Olimpia on August 7, 2013. (Photo: Mexsport)

HOUSTON -- The Houston Dynamo announced Wednesday that it acquired Honduras international Alexander Lopez via a transfer from Olimpia. Lopez was a standout at the recently completed CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he played in five games. 

Both Houston and Olimpia are participating in the 2013-14 CONCACAF Champions League.

“We’ve seen him up close, including last year in Champions League and this year in the Gold Cup,” said Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear. “He is very versatile and a good fit for our team.

“He is a young international with a bright future and I thought he was good at the Gold Cup.”

Lopez also appeared in three games at both the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The 21-year-old scored 18 goals in 51 career Honduran league games with the Lions.