Rating the Players: USA vs. Japan
All in all, a very good first game for the Americans as they come away with a 1-0 win. No big mistakes on defense, they made the most of their chances on offense and every player, pretty much, did their job. The biggest complaint was refereeing. The ref looked completely out of his league, gave weird yellows to both teams and did, indeed, miss a foul by Maurice Edu that would've given Japan a PK. Here are the squads' grades, on scale of 1 to 10:
GK Brad Guzan: 7
The Aston Villa keeper wasn't tested all that much. No diving saves or breakaway stops, but he was solid in the back when called upon. He did seem a little too laid-back, though. You want the goalie to be screaming and pushing his back-four. Guzan just seems like a nice young guy who's not comfortable in that role yet. Playing in England should toughen him up nicely. He also made a bit of misstep in the final minute of stoppage time when he didn't come out strong enough on a high ball in the area.
D Marvell Wynne: 8
Wynne looked like the oldest guy out there (yes, even older than McBride) and at times, he was also the best guy out there. He's extremely fast and athletic and set up the goal with a nice run and cross. He also did a good job on defense and stood up well to the Japanese pressure. In a couple years, he could give Cherundolo some serious competition for the starting right back spot on the USMNT.
D Michael Parkhurst: 6.5
I hardly noticed him out there, which for a center back is not a bad thing. He was definitely composed in the back and, obviously, didn't make any huge mistakes. But, he just doesn't seem forceful enough for the international game. He's not a threat in the air and doesn't seem to have any type of bruiser mentality. He makes you miss physical backline players like Onyewu and Bocanegra.
D Maurice Edu: 7.5
Playing out-of-position, Edu did a very good job holding the back four together. Unlike Parkhurst, he's tough and not afraid to get physical. He's definitely lucky the hapless ref decided to ignore his takedown in the box that should've resulted in a penalty, but he definitely left his impression on the game. He also looked good going forward from the back. A couple times, though, he looked a little lost when he got space and got to midfield and carelessly gave the ball away. His future's in the midfield, though, so nothing to worry about.
D Michael Orozco: 5
He looked great in the qualifying games, but Orozco looked a little timid today. Didn't contribute much to the attack, at all, and didn't get in many hard tackles in the back. His side-back mate, Wynne, played in a totally different stratosphere.
M Michael Bradley: 7
Didn't do anything spectacular, but he solidly held his ground in the middle of the field. He got a good early shot off and connected well with Kljestan and Adu on several occassions. He picked up a very suspicious yellow, which doesn't bode well because Bradley is a card machine. He'll miss a game this tournament, for sure, especially if the US makes it to the knock-out rounds.
M Stuart Holden: 7.5
Like Bradley, didn't do anything spectacular, but definitely got the job done on the right wing. He was in the right place to make a good shot on goal and set up Wynne's run with a nice pass from the center of midfield. Definitely looked comfortable in a high-pressure game and he should have a long USMNT career ahead of him.
M Robbie Rogers: 7
Looked extremely dangerous on a couple of runs, but he did a few too many C. Ronaldo wannabe step-overs. He's got the speed and confidence to be a good back-up for DaMarcus Beasley on the left wing.
M Sacha Kljestan: 7
Kljestan was everywhere for the US. He came back and defended, got in the attack and made several creative passes. He works well with Adu and Bradley, which is a good thing because those three will spend a lot of time in the midfield together over the next decade. Kljestan just looks like a baller. I'd be surprised if he's not in Europe by this time next year.
M Freddy Adu: 7
He never really asserted himself in this game, but you have to watch him every time he touches the ball. It may have been more of a positioning issue, though, because it never seemed like Adu got the ball with enough space to make anything spectacular happen. He got a careless yellow card, too, and that could come back to hurt him in later games.
F Brian McBride: 8
Just take a look at McBride's jersey today to understand the type of game he played. He was a constant nuisance for Japan's defense and provided a perfect target for all the tricky American midfielders. Having him on the team is so valuable to the US psyche. If he doesn't score a goal for the whole tournament, it doesn't matter. He knows exactly how to exert his influence on the match from the center forward position. He knows the tricks and exactly where to be at all times.
Subs
F Jozy Altidore: 7
He didn't have the chance to do much, but his physical game and his running at the defense, definitely distracted the Japanese in the final minutes. Altidore looks stronger every time he steps on the field. It's hard not to hype him up. What's scary is that he will still be under 23 at the 2012 Olympics. In retrospect, resting him for the majority of the game was a smart tacitcal decision by Petr Novak. They need him at full strength if they want to get by Netherlands and Nigeria, two squads that are much tougher than the Japanese.
M Benny Feilhaber, M Danny Szetela: Inc.
Late subs never got the chance to assert themselves. Feilhaber is looking rugged with the shaved head/beard look, though.
GK Brad Guzan: 7
The Aston Villa keeper wasn't tested all that much. No diving saves or breakaway stops, but he was solid in the back when called upon. He did seem a little too laid-back, though. You want the goalie to be screaming and pushing his back-four. Guzan just seems like a nice young guy who's not comfortable in that role yet. Playing in England should toughen him up nicely. He also made a bit of misstep in the final minute of stoppage time when he didn't come out strong enough on a high ball in the area.
D Marvell Wynne: 8
Wynne looked like the oldest guy out there (yes, even older than McBride) and at times, he was also the best guy out there. He's extremely fast and athletic and set up the goal with a nice run and cross. He also did a good job on defense and stood up well to the Japanese pressure. In a couple years, he could give Cherundolo some serious competition for the starting right back spot on the USMNT.
D Michael Parkhurst: 6.5
I hardly noticed him out there, which for a center back is not a bad thing. He was definitely composed in the back and, obviously, didn't make any huge mistakes. But, he just doesn't seem forceful enough for the international game. He's not a threat in the air and doesn't seem to have any type of bruiser mentality. He makes you miss physical backline players like Onyewu and Bocanegra.
D Maurice Edu: 7.5
Playing out-of-position, Edu did a very good job holding the back four together. Unlike Parkhurst, he's tough and not afraid to get physical. He's definitely lucky the hapless ref decided to ignore his takedown in the box that should've resulted in a penalty, but he definitely left his impression on the game. He also looked good going forward from the back. A couple times, though, he looked a little lost when he got space and got to midfield and carelessly gave the ball away. His future's in the midfield, though, so nothing to worry about.
D Michael Orozco: 5
He looked great in the qualifying games, but Orozco looked a little timid today. Didn't contribute much to the attack, at all, and didn't get in many hard tackles in the back. His side-back mate, Wynne, played in a totally different stratosphere.
M Michael Bradley: 7
Didn't do anything spectacular, but he solidly held his ground in the middle of the field. He got a good early shot off and connected well with Kljestan and Adu on several occassions. He picked up a very suspicious yellow, which doesn't bode well because Bradley is a card machine. He'll miss a game this tournament, for sure, especially if the US makes it to the knock-out rounds.
M Stuart Holden: 7.5
Like Bradley, didn't do anything spectacular, but definitely got the job done on the right wing. He was in the right place to make a good shot on goal and set up Wynne's run with a nice pass from the center of midfield. Definitely looked comfortable in a high-pressure game and he should have a long USMNT career ahead of him.
M Robbie Rogers: 7
Looked extremely dangerous on a couple of runs, but he did a few too many C. Ronaldo wannabe step-overs. He's got the speed and confidence to be a good back-up for DaMarcus Beasley on the left wing.
M Sacha Kljestan: 7
Kljestan was everywhere for the US. He came back and defended, got in the attack and made several creative passes. He works well with Adu and Bradley, which is a good thing because those three will spend a lot of time in the midfield together over the next decade. Kljestan just looks like a baller. I'd be surprised if he's not in Europe by this time next year.
M Freddy Adu: 7
He never really asserted himself in this game, but you have to watch him every time he touches the ball. It may have been more of a positioning issue, though, because it never seemed like Adu got the ball with enough space to make anything spectacular happen. He got a careless yellow card, too, and that could come back to hurt him in later games.
F Brian McBride: 8
Just take a look at McBride's jersey today to understand the type of game he played. He was a constant nuisance for Japan's defense and provided a perfect target for all the tricky American midfielders. Having him on the team is so valuable to the US psyche. If he doesn't score a goal for the whole tournament, it doesn't matter. He knows exactly how to exert his influence on the match from the center forward position. He knows the tricks and exactly where to be at all times.
Subs
F Jozy Altidore: 7
He didn't have the chance to do much, but his physical game and his running at the defense, definitely distracted the Japanese in the final minutes. Altidore looks stronger every time he steps on the field. It's hard not to hype him up. What's scary is that he will still be under 23 at the 2012 Olympics. In retrospect, resting him for the majority of the game was a smart tacitcal decision by Petr Novak. They need him at full strength if they want to get by Netherlands and Nigeria, two squads that are much tougher than the Japanese.
M Benny Feilhaber, M Danny Szetela: Inc.
Late subs never got the chance to assert themselves. Feilhaber is looking rugged with the shaved head/beard look, though.
posted by Alonzo @ 9:29 AM
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