From the stands, the USA's inexperience seemed to impede their potential against Haiti

Last night I had the priviledge of sitting in Row 12 of Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA, for the USA's 2-2 draw with Haiti to conclude the group stage. Part of a tripleheader including the Revolution-Wizards MLS game and Honduras-Grenada Gold Cup tie, an absorbing match intimated a bright future for a few young stars, but showed that this U.S. second team needs more experience in matches such as these to be steadier and ready for more quality opponents.

After a miserable scoreless draw between the Revolution and Wizards of MLS that almost exclusively featured unsuccessful balls sent over-the-top, the national teams took the field. At just over 24,000, the crowd was somewhat disappointing, possibly due to being split fairly evenly between Americans, Haitians, and Hondurans. The biggest cheer during the introductions was reserved for Jay Heaps, a native of nearby Longmeadow, MA, and ironically enough, scattered boos were heard for Stuart Holden, longtime nemesis of the hometown Revolution as a key member of the Houston Dynamo. But by the final whistle, his contributions would prove vital, while Heaps would epitomize most of the rest of the U.S. squad in struggling with inexperience throughout the night.

From the opening kick, the U.S. looked dominant in possession, and good build-up play led to a perfect opening goal. Holden played an incisive ball through to Davy Arnaud, who finished expertly just past Haitian keeper Jean Dominique Zephirin into the left corner. Though he didn't receive any clear-cut chances the rest of the night, Arnaud played well overall, threatening the Haitian defense effectively in addition to scoring his first goal for the national team.

The U.S. showed a clear superiority in talent for the remainder of the first half, but they often got in their own way with mistakes that created unnecessary chances for Haiti. Holden represented the pick of the Americans' first-half offense, highlighted by a wonderful long-range volley in the 25th that dipped and struck the bottom of the crossbar, dropping in front of the goal line by inches. Numerous other chances in front of goal narrowly missed the frame, as the American offense was rarely in doubt.

However, the side's inexperience manifested mostly in defense. Defenders often looked unsure of themselves when dealing with men pressing forward, evident in Parkhurst's foul and subsequent yellow card in the 30th minute. Luis Robles showed the same lack of confidence, as his tentative parry of a saveable Fabrice Noel shot continued goalbound before he scrambled back to knock it away just in time.

Haiti punished this tentative approach swiftly after the second-half restart. Flying down the wing, Leonel Saint-Preux made an absolute mockery of defender Jay Heaps before firing a cross to the far post for Vaniel Sirin to finish with a stooping header. While Heaps looked totally lost trying to defend the deceptive winger, some of the blame undoubtedly falls on Parkhurst for uncharacteristically drifting from his mark during the play.

Further mistakes by inexperienced internationals led to the second goal, as Robles came out late and failed to effectively call off Jay Heaps. The native New Englander cleared the ball poorly to Mones Chery, who unleashed a thunderbolt into the left corner as Robles rushed back fruitlessly. While the shot would have been unstoppable even with perfect positioning, the chance itself was created by Robles' defensive temerity in hesitating to come out, along with Heaps' unfortunate clearance. Indeed, most of the Americans' problems came from players' inexperience with the national team, as the game's chief offenders were Parkhurst in his 7th national team appearance, along with Robles and Heaps in their debuts.

However, it is telling that the fightback was also led by a player with little international experience. Though Charlie Davies and Brian Ching brought experienced pressure and finishing ability when they were introduced as subs, they simply provided the threat of a conclusion to Stuart Holden's wonderful playmaking ability. Holden never missed a tackle, rarely lost possession with his masterful ball control, and created numerous chances for the entire team, aided by pinpoint passing from the ever-improving sub Kyle Beckerman.

For the rest of a scintillating second half, the teams went back and forth creating chances, but each team succesfully countered the other's blows. The USA had improved drastically at defending the runs from Saint-Preux and James Marcelin since the beginning of the half, no longer looking shockingly out of their depth. Meanwhile, the Haitian defense held strong, turning away numerous American chances, including one bold and selfless dive to block Davies' skilled chest trap and volley. Though the back-and-forth nature of play slowly gave way to desperate U.S. pressure, their unbeaten record in Gold Cup group play looked legitimately threatened as time dwindled away.

Yet Holden had been the sole player the USA could count on all game to give the team what it needed, whether it was a defensive stop or a controlling presence, and his 30-yard rocket did not disappoint the Americans' need for an equalizer. His strike in the second minute of injury time was both beautiful and powerful, taking his tally to 2 goals for the tournament, and indeed for his fledgling international career. Given his total control over the match and importance to this Gold Cup squad, he will certainly not lack more opportunities in the near future.

Holden's assurance and dominance were rarely found in the rest of this relatively novice team, but the good news is that such nervousness is the result of a collective lack of experience, which disappears more and more with every important contest like this. Their skill was evident in most of the USA's offensive play, and since mistakes are natural while adjusting to the international pace, nobody should believe that this was the best that this group has to offer. As Holden proves, the future is somewhat distant but brilliantly positive.