USA-Ireland Live: Ireland Downs Team USA With Three Goals In Second Half

USA vs Ireland Final, 4-1 Ireland: It’s over at Aviva Stadium. The United States falls flat in its final game of 2014.

Team USA ends the year on a low note after Ireland’s second-string team drubbed it in Dublin. Brady scored twice, and McClean added one in the hosts’ second-half flurry.

The United States played well in some stretches of the contest, but the performance was far from the complete showing that Klinsmann and fans were hoping to see. The Americans’ sharp first-half showing gave way to a sloppy second period that was riddled with defensive mistakes and misplaced passing.

When Ireland raised the tempo, the United States was unable to respond. The scoreline is a harsh reflection of the balance of play, but Ireland was the better team overall.

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90th minute +2, 4-1 Ireland: Johnson is cautioned with less than two minutes to go.

90th minute, 4-1 Ireland: There will be a minimum of three minutes of added time in the second half.

89th minute, 4-1 Ireland: McGeady is cautioned.

86th minute, 4-1 Ireland: Ream replaces Beckerman, as the U.S. makes another substitution.

86th minute, 4-1 Ireland: Brady scores a beautiful, curled goal, beating Hamid with a free kick.

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85th minute, 3-1 Ireland: Cameron is cautioned.

85th minute, 3-1 Ireland: Elliot replaces Given as the Ireland goalkeeper.

82nd minute, 3-1 Ireland: McClean scores, and the U.S. now is down by two.

McClean’s shot deflected off of Cameron and beat Hamid, who had dived in the opposite direction.

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82nd minute, 2-1 Ireland: Long curls a shot off the post, as Ireland looks to double its lead on the counter attack.

81st minute, 2-1 Ireland: Morris finds Garza’s overlapping run. Garza shoots, and Given makes another fine kick save.

79th minute, 2-1 Ireland: Hendrick heads Brady’s corner kick wide of Hamid’s goal.

77th minute, 2-1 Ireland: Given saves Bedoya’s header.

77th minute, 2-1 Ireland: O’Neil counters with two substitutions. Long and Hendrick replace McGoldrick and Murphy.

76th minute, 2-1 Ireland: The United States makes two substitutions. Morris and Rubin enter in place of Chandler and Diskerud, respectively.

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75th minute, 2-1 Ireland: Clark blocks Diskerud’s shot after the U.S. midfielder ghosted past a midfield challenge and shot from the top of Ireland’s penalty area.

The United States is looking dangerous on the counter-attack.

72nd minute, 2-1 Ireland: Hamid collects McGeady’s cross. The Ireland winger is causing problems for the United States with his speed and dribbling ability.

67th minute, 2-1 Ireland: Given’s kick save denies Wood from scoring his first international goal.

Wood was one-on-one with Given after running onto a long pass and racing in behind the defense. Wood did a lot of good work, but his finish wasn’t clinical enough to beat Given.

66th minute, 2-1 Ireland: Altidore is cautioned for barging over Christie.

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64th minute, 2-1 Ireland: McClean takes Pilkington’s place, as Ireland makes another change.

The United States is bringing Garza on for Morales.

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62nd minute, 2-1 Ireland: The United States’ performance is deteriorating, as it struggles to maintain possession or play the ball through Ireland’s first line of defense.

60th minute, 2-1 Ireland: Ireland makes its first substitution, as McGeady replaces Stokes.

59th minute, 2-1 Ireland: Christie’s cross lands in Hamid’s hands, but Ireland continues to capitalize on the United States’ mistakes.

55th minute, 2-1 Ireland: Brady puts Ireland back in front.

Brady intercepted Johnson’s attempted clearance and played it to McGoldrick, whose return pass was deft. Brady received it, composed himself and beat Hamid from close range.

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54th minute, 1-1: Ireland comes close to scoring, as Johnson intercepts Pilkington’s cross before Murphy could connect with it at the far post.

50th minute, 1-1: Altidore tests given with a shot from 15 yards out, but the Ireland goalkeeper turns it away with an awkward save.

The United States is on the front foot in the early stages of the second half.

46th minute, 1-1: The second half is underway at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

The United States made one substitution at the break, replacing Wondolowski with Wood.

Halftime, 1-1: That’s the end of the first half. The score is tied.

The United States raised its game in the first half and delivered a better performance than previous, recent showings. The Americans’ passing was sharp, which helped create openings in Ireland’s defense. Diskerud’s goal was just rewards for the United States’ attacking intent.

Conversely, the United States was vulnerable defensively — particularly when Ireland counter-attacked. The form of the players on the back line is clearly an issue, and Ireland might have scored more if Hamid hadn’t made key saves in the half.

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43rd minute, 1-1: Altidore hits the crossbar, as the United States threatens to take the lead.

Bedoya cut a pass back towards Altidore, and the U.S. captain rattled the crossbar with his strike from the penalty spot.

39th minute, 1-1: Diskured scores, and the game is tied.

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The United States’ high pressure created the goal. Diskerud initially won the ball in Ireland’s third. Altidore floated a cross to Wondolowski, who headed back to Diskerud. The U.S. midfielder then stabbed it home.

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36th minute, 1-0 Ireland: Beckerman is cautioned for a foul on Pilkington.

34th minute, 1-0 Ireland: After increasing its defensive pressure, Ireland has seized the initiative in recent minutes and pinned the United States into its own half.

28th minute, 1-0 Ireland: Pearce heads Brady’s corner over the bar.

27th minute, 1-0 Ireland: Murphy eludes challenges from Besler and Cameron and breaks in on goal, but Hamid leaves his line, charges forward and makes the save.

The U.S. goalkeeper bailed out his central defenders, whose mix-up gifted a scoring chance to Murphy.

26th minute, 1-0 Ireland: Quinn’s shot from a tight angle is deflected out for a corner kick.

While the United States has committed numbers forward, Ireland remains dangerous on the counter-attack.

22nd minute, 1-0 Ireland: Johnson hits the post with a left-footed shot from 25 yards out.

The chance came from a corner kick. The United States has tried a number of unconventional entries from those early set pieces.

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20th minute, 1-0 Ireland: Altidore nearly meets Bedoya’s floated cross at the far post, but Brady heads it out for a corner kick.

Despite the early deficit, the United States is increasing its share of possession and the tempo of its passing.

13th minute, 1-0 Ireland: Chandler’s shot sails over Given’s goal.

10th minute, 1-0 Ireland: Bedoya sends a dangerous cross into the Ireland penalty area, but a defender clears it before it can reach a U.S. forward. Team USA is seeking a quick response to Pilkington’s goal.

Seventh minute, 1-0 Ireland: Pilkington finishes the counter-attack, and Ireland is in front early on.

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McGoldrick played a perfect through-ball forward. Pilkington ran onto it and chipped it over the on-rushing Hamid.

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Fourth minute, 0-0: Morales volleys a shot far over the goal, as the United States looks to capitalize on an early corner kick.

Third minute, 0-0: The game has opened at a leisurely pace, as neither team appears keen to take control early on.

Kickoff: USA-Ireland is underway in Dublin.

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Pregame: Klinsmann makes a host of changes to the United States lineup.

Cameron and Besler, partners in central defense, will be flanked by Chandler and Johnson.

Morales joins Beckerman in central midfield. The pair likely will sit deep, while Bedoya and Diskerud handle creative duties.

Wondolowski will start up front alongside Altidore.

Hamid is a surprise starter in goal.

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2:15 p.m.: Here are the lineups:

United States

Bill Hamid (22), goalkeeper
Timmy Chandler (21), left back
Geoff Cameron (20), center back
Matt Besler (5), center back
Fabian Johnson (23), right back
Alfredo Morales (4), midfielder
Kyle Beckerman (15), midfielder
Alejandro Bedoya (11), midfielder
Mix Diskerud (10), midfielder
Chris Wondolowski (18), striker
Jozy Altidore (17), striker

Substitutes

Sean Johnson (25), goalkeeper
Tim Ream (2), defender
Greg Garza (3), defender
Miguel Ibarra (14), forward
Julian Green (16), forward
Bobby Wood (19), forward
Rubio Rubin (9), forward
Jordan Morris (24), striker

Ireland

Shay Given (23), goalkeeper
Robbie Brady (17), left back
Alex Pearce (20), center back
Ciaran Clark (5), center back
Cyrus Christie (6), right back
David Meyler (24), midfielder
Stephen Quinn (18), midfielder
Anthony Pilkington (13), midfielder
Daryl Murphy (21), forward
Anthony Stokes (14), forward
David McGoldrick (21), striker

Substitutes

Rob Elliot (22), goalkeeper
Darren Randolph (16), goalkeeper
Richard Keogh (15), defender
John O’Shea (4), defender
Seamus Coleman (2), goalkeeper
James McClean (11), midfielder
Jeff Hendrick (8), midfielder
Aiden McGeady (7), forward
Jon Walters (19), forward
Shane Long (9), striker

11:30 a.m. ET: The U.S. men’s national soccer team’s wild ride through 2014 ends in Dublin.

The United States takes on Ireland on Tuesday at Aviva Stadium in its last game of the calendar year. Team USA is keen to end 2014 on a high note following last month’s home draws against Ecuador and Honduras and Friday’s disappointing loss to Colombia.

Ireland is looking to rebound from Friday’s defeat against Scotland in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying. Head coach Martin O’Neil and his assistant Roy Keane want their team to show their quality, commitment and pride against the Americans. The fans at the 51,700-seat Aviva Stadium also will use sights and sounds to lift their heroes.

The United States has struggled since the 2014 FIFA World Cup, as head coach Jurgen Klinsmann looks to integrate fresh faces into the national team set-up. Klinsmann is challenging his players to perform against tough teams and in difficult venues. Some players are responding better than others.

Klinsmann has pared down the United States’ squad since Friday’s game. Klinsmann released defenders Jermaine Jones, DaMarcus Beasley and DeAndre Yedlin and midfielder Lee Nguyen so that they can re-join their clubs for the MLS Cup Playoffs or, in Beasley’s case, begin the offseason.

USA-Ireland kicks off at 2:45 p.m. ET. Join us right here for all our coverage from Aviva Stadium.