6/9, USA v T&T -- defenders and goalkeeping {R}

[babytiger2001]

Thoughts on the play of the USA's backline and goalkeeper Kasey Keller in the Americans' 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago...

[Nutmeg]

Spector: Not bad. He got involved going forward and made a couple of nice passes. His defense was OK, but not great.

Parkhurst: Contrary to popular opinion, I thought he was very good.

Demerit: Didn't notice him much outside of a couple of nice physical challenges. That's a compliment.

Simek: Look out Cherundolo.

Keller: One nice save, a few horrible distributions.

[Plxix]

Spector: He did ok. Much room for improvements but time is on his side.

Parkhurst: He did good.

Demerit: Did good.

Simek: Did good.

Keller: What's the point of playing this guy again?

[dncm]

Simek was very solid.

Parkhurst started out fine, then made a couple of errant passes, before settling down again.

Demerit was also fine.

Same with Spector.

But this was T&T "C" team.

[golazo68]

Shame that Parkhurt doesn't play defensive mid. He reads the game so well. He is really small for a central defender, and I see that only working within a few schemes, and will be very difficult internationally and/or in a top Euro league.

He's good, though

[DCFAN96]

Simek looked very good going forward, needs to work on that final ball a bit but hes solid defensively and goes forward well, what else can you ask for.

Demerit really throws his body around, he gives 100% on every single play hes involved in. Definitely gonna be useful come qualifying.

Spector like Simek did well supporting the attack, however he did get caught out of position defensively a couple fo times. Still he looked the most comfortable on the ball then any of the other 4 defenders.

Parkhurst didn't have a terrible game, but was probably the worst of the back four. He was ok defensively but his distribution was terrible and some of his clearances were very poor. Maybe it was a bit of nerves, but he looked out of place. He may be a solid CB but I just don't see him coming close to beating out any of our other CB options.

[superdave]

One thing I was thinking was that our fullbacks were very solid defensively. Sure, they got caught upfield sometimes, which frankly, was by design. But when they were back, they were solid.

[Deuteriumoxide]

Simek > Hedjuk

[olephill2]

Keep in mind our defense wasn't under a lot of pressure tonight, playing against the C team of T&T.

Frank Simek was great and he's definitely going to push Steve Cherundolo. Simek totally quieted my past critiques of him when I said he couldn't get forward. He did get forward today and did so in good fashion. I'm not sure we're going to need Frankie Hejduk for the rest of this tournament, as much as I like to see Hejduk play because of his pace/workrate/tenacity.

Jay DeMerit was really solid in the back, except for on one or two occasions. He seems very composed back there and can really body up with people despite not being a very big guy. I think he's on the verge of breaking into our A squad. Jimmy Conrad is still ahead of him right now, as is Bocanegra (by a little bit), but you have to think DeMerit is chomping at the bit.

Michael Parkhurst was solid for his first cap. He lacks size and lost out on a few air balls because of it, but I see why Revs fans have complimented his touch and distribution. He had a few errant passes but also some great touches that got himself out of trouble. I definitely want to see more of him, but I doubt he'll ever be a first choice CB for us.

Jonathan Spector did alright. Not a great match but he didn't do anything noteworthy of criticism. He could've done better with that ball in the box that Mapp fed for him, but attacking isn't really his strong suit.

Kasey Keller did well. Great punch away in the 1st half over the head of a T&T forward, and had 2 nice saves in the 2nd half. I'm very comfortable with either him or Tim Howard back there, at least against this level of opposition.

[ulyssesr]

Shame that Parkhurt doesn't play defensive mid. He reads the game so well. He is really small for a central defender, and I see that only working within a few schemes, and will be very difficult internationally and/or in a top Euro league.

He's good, though

I like Parkhurst's positioning and he reads the game very well. Too bad he won't win many headers. I thought he played very well.

[babytiger2001]

Shame that Parkhurt doesn't play defensive mid. He reads the game so well. He is really small for a central defender, and I see that only working within a few schemes, and will be very difficult internationally and/or in a top Euro league.

He's good, though
And not bad for a first cap -- in an actual official competition, that is -- for him, by all accounts.

[beergod]

I liked this back four.

Simek is a player I want to see a lot more, he seems solid defensively and his willingness to make forward runs was a positive. With some work on his crossing he could be a very good fullback. I loved that chip that he almost scored.

DeMerit was very solid and physical without picking up unnecessary fouls.

Parkhurst looked very good for his first cap. His elegant style compliments DeMerit's physicality very well. He made some mistakes which I put down to unfamiliarity and nerves.

Spector was good going forward and I liked him better than Bornstein at the back.

Keller was Keller. Great job marshaling the backline but shoddy distribution.

[Tonerl]

Spector showed off his sneaky speed well a couple times when T&T countered and broke up a few plays and intercepted a few passes. Looked pretty dangerous in attack, as well.

Parkhurst and Demerit I thought were both good, but defenitely uncomfortable with eachother. A few mixups or misunderstandings between them made me uncomfortable, and a couple clearances by both were iffy. Pretty good game for the first time together and each players first action in a meaningful game.

Simek was not tested defensively, but he was aggressive going forward and contributed when called upon.

Keller was decent. Got the clean sheet, but not his finest game. He was mildy shaky on T&T's couple of late chances, but it's tough to stay in a game like this for a keeper, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Also should note that despite the comments of some here, I felt his distribution was actually better than usual for him (though that really isn't saying too much :)).

[eric_appleby]

The back four looked good.

But, we have to take into account this was TNT, one of the weaker teams we face.

[lmorin]

T&T was a very weak team and nobody at the back played poorly. That almost guaranteed defensive success. Demerit impresses me with his ability to step up and win contested headers. Bood positioning and accurate timing. Biggest problems were several major lapses of organization which, I suppose, can be attributed to lack of familiarity among the defenders. I'd like to see Demerit with Conrad in a competitive game. Two soccer-smart dudes.

[Maitreya]

T&T was a very weak team and nobody at the back played poorly. That almost guaranteed defensive success. Demerit impresses me with his ability to step up and win contested headers. Bood positioning and accurate timing. Biggest problems were several major lapses of organization which, I suppose, can be attributed to lack of familiarity among the defenders. I'd like to see Demerit with Conrad in a competitive game. Two soccer-smart dudes.

If I'm not mistaken, we saw that against Guatemala on March 28th. I also like the combination and would like to see it sometime in a umm actual match against another team that plays soccer, not lacrosse with legs.

[MikeR]

I liked the DeMerit/Parkhurst combination, especially after the Gooch/Boca comedy routine on Thursday night. I'm sure some of that is down to Guatemala being a better team than T & T, but still. I was pretty impressed by Parkhurst. He always seemed to be in the right spot to clean when a ball got behind the other defenders, and looks pretty smooth on the ball. He's pretty small, but I did see him win some headers. It's not absolutely necessary to be big to be a good central defender. I think Cannavaro is 5'9". I almost never noticed DeMerit, which I think is a good attribute in a central defender.

[Nutmeg]

I was pretty impressed by Parkhurst. He always seemed to be in the right spot to clean when a ball got behind the other defenders, and looks pretty smooth on the ball.

We've seen enough of Parkhurst to know that's know accident, either. He reads the game better than any US Defender in the pool aside from maybe Conrad, and he's exceptionally calm on the ball for a defender. His passes are clean and played to a participant who has options.

[Maitreya]

We've seen enough of Parkhurst to know that's know accident, either. He reads the game better than any US Defender in the pool aside from maybe Conrad, and he's exceptionally calm on the ball for a defender. His passes are clean and played to a participant who has options.

One impressive thing about watching Mexico when they're playing well is how the fullbacks and centerbacks join in with, lead, and rejuvenate their attacks. I like the way Marquez especially does this. Maybe such play can lead to counterattack issues, especially against fast teams. But, if the USA wishes to continue to play a large amount of one/two touch possession soccer, having Parkhurst at centerback could definitely make our attack smoother.

[Ghost]

I can't believe people thought Parkhurst played well. He's physically overmatched. He distribution out of the back was subpar to say the least. And he looked really shaky defensively at times. Not a good start.