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Wed, Aug 13th 2008, 09:09

US falls 2-1 to Nigeria, out of tournament

The US Olympic Team played valiantly in their final preliminary round match up against Nigeria, but came up just short. The US was forced to play almost the entire game a man down after defender Michael Orozco received a red card ejection for an elbow in the third minute. After going a man down the US was forced to play defensively and look to counter attack against the Nigerians. Mo and the US defense held their ground until the 39th minute when Promise Isaac tapped in a pass from Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi that left goalkeeper Brad Guzan no chance. The US chances were few and far between, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort as the defenders and midfielders made numerous long runs to support the lone forward, Brian McBride. The US went down 2-0 in the 79th minute when Victor Obinna finished from inside the 18 as the US failed to get back after pushing men forward. To most onlookers the goal looked to be the nail in the coffin, but for the US players it just made them work harder. The work paid off in the 87th minute as Mo Edu ran onto a flick in to the box by Brian McBride before being taken out by the sliding Nigerian goalkeeper Ambruse Vanzekin. The US was awarded a penalty kick which Sacha Kljestan converted. After pulling within one, the US frantically pushed forward in attempt to tie the score. With just seconds left in extra time the US earned a free kick which was played in nicely, but Charlie Davies’ header found the cross bar before being cleared away.

Despite the loss, the US proved that even a man down they could hang with some of the best teams in the world.

US Soccer Game Recap….
Quotes from the US Players….

Don’t miss the rest of Mo’s videos from his trip on Edu TV