*There are two "Man of the Match" awards this week. Its a little unorthodox but nonetheless fitting. Enjoy*
Howard (6/10): Gave up two goals but besides that, not a whole lot to do. Did well to parry the few shots that did come in and was tidy in the air.
Cherundolo (6.5/10): One of the USMNT's best players on the day. Was solid defensively and ventured up well in the second half. Needs to again avoid a yellow card against Algeria.
Demerit (7.5/10): Had a rough first half, bud didn't we all? Defended like a lion and vastly improved in the second half and cleaned up where Gooch made a mess. And Gooch was messy.
Onyewu (4/10): Really poor performance. Too slow, physically and mentally. It will never happen, but I would welcome the addition of Goodson against Algeria.
Bocanegra (5/10): Still isn't the best defender, but it could be worse and we all know, it literally could be worse. He's a decent leader but needs to add more going forward. Dempsey can't go it alone.
Dempsey (6.0/10): Decent game, but not his best. Did more defensive work than most will probably give him credit for but just needs to impose himself on the game more throughout.
Bradley (7.5/10): I'm starting to come around on little Bradley. He was very active against the Slovenians and the finish was top rate. Again, needs to work on his distribution and thats about it.
Torres(4.5/10): Not a good outing for Torres. He wasn't as bad as some will have you believe, but he was trying to do too much on his own. But, he's still young and look for him to play a major role for the States in the years to come. Just don't look for him to play a major role in South Africa.
Donovan (7.5/10, Man of the Match [TIE]): Vintage Landycakes. Didn't have a great (or decent) first half but immediately took the game into his own hands and sent a bomb past the Slovenian GK following the break. Extremely active in the final interval and will need to emulate this performance on Wednesday.
Altidore (5.5/10): Drew some good fouls but besides that didn't show me enough in the first 70 minutes of action. Did well to knock down LD's ball for Bradley but needs to be more active. Altidore's dedication (specifically with respect to training) has come under some scrutiny in the past few months and I can't help but see that showing through in his play. Simply put, he needs to man up.
Findley (4.5/10): Another sub-par performance for Findley. Unlucky to get the yellow card but didn't really perform. Lacks the quality to play the killer final ball. Will miss the last group game, but however this thing shakes out, I hope we see Findley in USMNT Camps for years to come because he DOES have potential. Look for Buddle to get the nod.
Substitutes
Edu (6/10): An improvement, however much it pains me. Added that urgency in play that we needed. He did give up possession quite a few times which will have to be remedied against the Algerians, but nonetheless, an improvement. Also clearly unlucky to not have "scored" the winner in the greatest comeback in USMNT history.
Feilhaber (5.5/10): Decent, needs to be better in possession and distribution if he wants to play a big role in South Africa, but overall he was decent.
Gomez (5.5/10): Saw limited time but did well, especially pulling the centerback away from the ball which Bradley finished.
Coach
Bob Bradley (7.5/10, Man of the Match [TIE]): I have to give kudos to Bob on this one. Not only did he make a ballsy move in starting Torres (which I encourage) but had the stones to make real moves in the second half. Replace a mid with a mid and a forward with a mid, moving Dempsey up top. Tactically sound. But the real move came around the 75th minute when he replaced Gooch with Gomez, going with 3 at the back and 3 up top. He realized what needed to be done and did it. I know it sounds strange, but a lot of coaches find that increasingly hard to do. Job well done.
WELL, that's about all I've got for you. Everyone needs to rise up for the Algeria game on Wednesday (8:30 am central time, ESPN). If we win, we are in. This IS the most important game in USMNT history and do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Look back shortly after the game on Wednesday for video footage of Mine and Dr. Bob's reactions to the game. COME ON YOU YANKS!!!
Cherundolo has been the biggest surprise for me. He has held his own in both games and connects well with either Donovan or Deuce (whoever is manning that flank at the time). Algeria has yet to score in the tournament, and Cherundolo will be critical in keeping it that way as he will be constantly tested by Belhadj (from what I've seen, their only threat).
ReplyDeleteMichael Bradley deserves an extra .5 added on to his rating after every game he doesn't get a red card (and/or goes off on a tirade against American soccer fans for doubting a team that had been outscored 6-1 in its previous two matches).
Bradley made one change from the first game in midfield and now he's forced to make another up top with Findley's suspension. Findley has not had the same impact that Davies had last year anyway. I think Gomez is going to get the nod against the Algerians.
Feilhaber is a good impact player off the bench. Remember in 2007 when he was the king of the world after "The Volley" and the big move to Derby County? LOL. I think Torres will get the start again on Wednesday next to Bradley.
Good call on CBB being Co-MOTM. I was impressed when he made changes during the game. I trust him to make the right choices when he names his squad Wednesday morning.
I guess we'll talk more about the players when Dr. Bob and Clutch announce their potential starters for the US vs Algeria match.
DTOM
The comment you made about gomez really impressed me. I assume the Slovenians were aware of his threat from studying film from warm ups. The work off the ball helped us tie the game and we should have won it with the great work by our players on the set piece .
ReplyDeleteSimple Jake,
ReplyDeleteFirst we appreciate the comments. Second I agree with most of what you said however I dont agree with your comment about torres and i dont think gomez starts but i dont want to give too much away for the upcoming projected lineup. Also, in the words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friend. With respect to Algeria, Belhadj is not their only threat. Their forwards are weak but they have some serious quality in the center mid. Also, the mammoth bougerra WILL be a threat on set pieces. Again thanks for the comments
Youre right the guy who plays for marseille in algerias midfields good as well as boughera, id love to have him on our team.
ReplyDeletehey what do you think about france?
--------------Lloris-----------------
-Abidal----squillaci---Gallas---Sagna--
----Gourcuff------diaby ------Toulalan---
--Ribery------Henry (c)------ Malouda
They could literally win the cup clutch. its honestly as simple as starting titi... VA VA VOOM
Don't get me wrong, I'll be cheering for RSA today- it's just an incredibly weird situation. Ribery is a diver and France has played some of the worst football in this tournament . There's more to it than squad selection. Evra was a poor leader and gallaa is trying to get a contract somewheree so that's probably why he's not speaking up. Interesting story nonetheless
ReplyDeleteOk obviously they cannot win the cup with that squad bc they played almost the exact lineup and got ran off the field. The french team is completely shite and the single most embarrassing sporting performance ive seen in my life. period.
ReplyDeleteAloudiarra is a joke and diaby is immature atthis level. He couldput the ball in a dangerous spot and pass it to a RSA defender. I don't think the French had one tackle. Poor defensive effort . But hey I think the better story is SA- game1 vs Mexico was one of the mor entertaining matches of the tourey IMO. Uruguay is a very good team from what looks to be the most competitive region (conmebol). And then to dominate the way they did today- I wish there was more to offer them. The French were lucky to be in the cup not only because of handball but the way they struggled in qualifying - they barely made 2nd in their group.
ReplyDeleteI used to be a big ribery fan _ but in the past threeyears , he has become possibly the dirtiest player in fotball. He's a terrible diver and makes sick dangersous tackles when he gets frustrated. It hard to watch him. Gourcuff yo know got sent off today and I've recently thought he could move up from league un but I'm not so sure now... League un is becomig weaker each year it seems like( not that it's ever been thatstrpng). Lyon and bordeaux made deep runs in champs leauge but they had shedules very much in their favor.
What do. You make of the English? I don't necessarily agree with platini that the epl relies too much on foreign talent( I do agree witu the homegrown quota). However when you do look at Spain , who despite the result of their first game still appear to me as the best team inthe world, the players' club football transfers over to intl level with largely the same style and results. English clubs are so differnent. England have great talent in some parts of the pitch ad mediocroe in ther places- but players like Gerard and lamps and gooney make tem look better than they are. Spain have quality at eery position. Doesn't mean they'll win the WC though. I see a south America. Side bringing it home this year.
I'm tired of typing on my iPhone so I'll letthis one go for the moment haha
It's unfortunate to watch le roi d'highbury (possibly) end his intl career like that but honesty he couldn't have done anything about it.