USA-Trinidad Match Ratings

[shooter6065]

Keller - 7 - Only notable save was a late rocket from Spann; helped keep an inexperienced back-line from cracking.

Spector - 5.5 - With all his EPL experience I am surprised he still gets caught out so much.

Parkhurst - 6.5 - After some shaky opening minutes he settled in nicely.

Demerit - 6.5 - Got the job done; still working out some international jitters.

Simek - 8.5 - MOM Shut down his side of the field and was very effective going forward. Folks, I think we found a long-term right back.

Ralston - 6 - Didn't add much and had some shoddy crosses. Nice defensive work though.

Clark - 7.5 - Quietly did all the little things right. Best national team performance yet.

Feilhaber - 5 - Ineffective; probably still tired from Thursday's game.

Mapp - 8 - Just like his club performances, he was the best player on the field for 65 minutes and then he was done. TnT didn't have an answer and had a great assist.

Ching - 6 - Worked hard but he can't be rated higher because he squandered too many chances and his goal was almost accidental.

Johnson- 5 - Normally I would say that his lazy, apathetic performance was because of his potential injury. But he looks like this every single USMNT game. At one point, Mapp carried the ball 15 yard with a guy on his shoulder and was looking to dish it........Johnson just stood there like he was at a hot dog stand. His off-the-ball skills are nonexistent. My 7 year old niece could have finished his goal better.....it was almost blocked.

Subs:

Dononvan - 7.5 - was dangerous from the moment he stepped onto the field

Bradley - 5 - Did he really play?

Twellman - 7 - Came off the bench and created a couple chances. Good work and assist the other night earns him more starts.


Officiating - 3.5 - What more can be said about this? At least they called them bad against TnT too. Was that linesman on the far side blind? The ref though was better than Thursday night.

FSC Broadcast - 2 - I have never seen such poor camera work. We missed a couple chances on net so we could get a face close-up on the TnT coach and close-ups on various players. Combine that with Caliguri's inane comments and I am begining to think Americans just can't do soccer broadcasts at all.

[Nidal Baba Superstar]

Any Johnson rating should have an asterisk. I'm not a big EJ booster, but his style was cramped today by a game-smothering ref job.

[shooter6065]

Any Johnson rating should have an asterisk. I'm not a big EJ booster, but his style was cramped today by a game-smothering ref job.

That is actually not a bad idea.

[argaen]

FSC Broadcast - 2 - I have never seen such poor camera work. We missed a couple chances on net so we could get a face close-up on the TnT coach and close-ups on various players. Combine that with Caliguri's inane comments and I am begining to think Americans just can't do soccer broadcasts at all.I watch the spanish broadcasts now. I have no idea what they are saying but they spent a lot of time ripping the linesman. It was great.

[branko97]

I watch the spanish broadcasts now. I have no idea what they are saying but they spent a lot of time ripping the linesman. It was great.

I've gone back to the Spanish channel as well. FSC's USMNT broadcasts have been terrible from a technical standpoint. Thursday it was a lack of replays; today picture cutting out and missed goal chances.

[Musichascolors]

Johnson- 5 - Normally I would say that his lazy, apathetic performance was because of his potential injury. But he looks like this every single USMNT game. At one point, Mapp carried the ball 15 yard with a guy on his shoulder and was looking to dish it........Johnson just stood there like he was at a hot dog stand. His off-the-ball skills are nonexistent. My 7 year old niece could have finished his goal better.....it was almost blocked.



I just don't understand you guys, I really really dont.

[S.J. Jim]

Keller - 7 - Only notable save was a late rocket from Spann; helped keep an inexperienced back-line from cracking.

Spector - 5.5 - With all his EPL experience I am surprised he still gets caught out so much.

Parkhurst - 6.5 - After some shaky opening minutes he settled in nicely.

Demerit - 6.5 - Got the job done; still working out some international jitters.

Simek - 8.5 - MOM Shut down his side of the field and was very effective going forward. Folks, I think we found a long-term righ back.

Ralston - 6 - Didn't add much and had some shoddy crosses. Nice defensive work though.

Clark - 7.5 - Quietly did all the little things right. Best national team performance yet.

Feilhaber - 5 - Ineffective; probably still tired from Thursday's game.

Mapp - 8 - Just like his club performances, he was the best player on the field for 65 minutes and then he was done. TnT didn't have an answer and had a great assist.

Ching - 6 - Worked hard but he can't be rated higher because he squandered too many chances and his goal was almost accidental.

Johnson- 5 - Normally I would say that his lazy, apathetic performance was because of his potential injury. But he looks like this every single USMNT game. At one point, Mapp carried the ball 15 yard with a guy on his shoulder and was looking to dish it........Johnson just stood there like he was at a hot dog stand. His off-the-ball skills are nonexistent. My 7 year old niece could have finished his goal better.....it was almost blocked.

Subs:

Dononvan - 7.5 - was dangerous from the moment he stepped onto the field

Bradley - 5 - Did he really play?

Twellman - 7 - Came off the bench and created a couple chances. Good work and assist the other night earns him more starts.


Officiating - 3.5 - What more can be said about this? At least they called them bad against TnT too. Was that linesman on the far side blind? The ref though was better than Thursday night.

FSC Broadcast - 2 - I have never seen such poor camera work. We missed a couple chances on net so we could get a face close-up on the TnT coach and close-ups on various players. Combine that with Caliguri's inane comments and I am begining to think Americans just can't do soccer broadcasts at all.

I agree with most of this, but...

I think Bradley deserves more than a 5... he came on and did his job, I thought. Maintained possession, distributed well, worked hard defensively.

Ching deserves more, I think. No, his finish on the goal wasn't pretty, but he got into position and finished it. He connected very well with everyone around him, I thought, and along with Donovan was repsonsible for the second goal. He knows how to make space for people, and makes good quick decisions in terms of getting into spaces that will allow the attack to build. He's got great vision, and might have had a nice assist in that first half if it hadn't been for the incompetent ************ of a linesman.

I thought Ralston was generally very good. A few mistakes to be sure, but he did his part in keeping our well-oiled machine running.

I already commented on EJ in the attackers thread, but I agree- lazy performance overall. Better than his Guat performance, but still not very good. It's almost a shame that he got a goal (and I only say that because I watched him closely for the whole match, and I really think he deserved a goal less than just about any of our other players).

Feilhaber also disappointed me a bit. Obviously, he was the only one out there who wasn't fresh, so I'll cut him some slack for sure.

Spector still seems kind of green to me. He needs to develop more finesse on his medium to long-range passes, and if he's going to get forward, he needs to be more accurate both passing and shooting.

The ref was decent. The linesmen should immediately be replaced, if that's possible. That ranks among the worst performance I've ever seen, and I've been watching the sport since the early 1970's. The offside calls against us pretty much ruined my enjoyment of the match. When they called that ball out of bounds along the left touch line in the first half, I just about got up and turned off the tv.

FSC was maybe even worse today than on Thursday (hard to believe that's possible). Christian Miles (is that the guy's name) is not good sitting there all by his lonesome. Dave Johnson (is that the guy's name ;)), sounds like he just drank a POT of coffee, and Caligiuri... well, he was a pretty good player, but I wish he'd find something else to do now. Knowledgeable, but so repetetive (Johnson too). Not the worst pair I've seen, but subpar, imo. Whoever is directing (cameras, replays, etc) is a complete joke.

[Tonerl]

I just don't understand you guys, I really really dont.

Don't bother trying. They're lost causes.

[EDIT: These comments refer to the anti-EJ sentiments only. Don't take them the wrong way.]

[cknsand]

Going to have to agree on the announcers. Is there someone who will announce a game that I won't mute?

Paul is terrible. Eric is terrible. JP is TERRIBLE. Eric is the worst trying to be the best. SHEP is lost in the NASL.

I mean come on.

[shooter6065]

I just don't understand you guys, I really really dont.

What part don't you understand? My generous rating for him? He is the most overrated player in the USMNT pool.

You are right, Johnson should have been a 3.

I watched Johnson all game VERY close this game. He is the laziest forward I have ever seen. Period. He has zero off-the-ball skills and in my opinion he completely stopped the attack 4 or 5 times due to his lack of movement. He is holding this team up and should be dropped.


I can't even recall the last time he had a good game for the United States.......it must have been around two years ago before his 12 month toe injury.

[Nutmeg]

Ching: 8
Johnson: 7

Mapp: 7
Feilhaber: 6
Clark: 8
Ralston: 6

Spector: 6
Parkhurst: 7
Demerit: 7
Simek: 7

Keller: 5

Donovan: 8
Bradley: 4
Twellman: 6

[blue32828]

Keller - 6
Spector - 6
Parkhurst - 5
Demerit - 6
Simek - 8
Ralston - 5
Clark - 6
Feilhaber - 6
Mapp - 8
Ching - 6
Johnson- 6

Subs:

Dononvan - 7
Bradley - 5
Twellman - 5

Officiating - 5
FSC Broadcast - 2
FSC MLS intro song - 1 (Ya-gotta-git-that-crap-offa-da-air)

Burrito I ate at halftime - 7

[JoeMax]

Going to have to agree on the announcers. Is there someone who will announce a game that I won't mute?

Paul is terrible. Eric is terrible. JP is TERRIBLE. Eric is the worst trying to be the best. SHEP is lost in the NASL.

I mean come on.

I disagree on Wynalda. I think he's smarky-ness is hilarious. But, OH MY GOD, what's wrong with Calagiri? I was waiting for him to pass out from never taking a breath. I never thought a ex-national teamer could possibly be worse than Balboa but Paul takes the nasty cake.

Let's put that linesman together with the ref from Thursday for tomorrow's Mexico match.

[dark knight]

What part don't you understand? My generous rating for him? He is the most overrated player in the USMNT pool.

You are right, Johnson should have been a 3.

I watched Johnson all game VERY close this game. He is the laziest forward I have ever seen. Period. He has zero off-the-ball skills and in my opinion he completely stopped the attack 4 or 5 times due to his lack of movement. He is holding this team up and should be dropped.


I can't even recall the last time he had a good game for the United States.......it must have been around two years ago before his 12 month toe injury.

Sorry - but that's just ridiculous. Did you happen to see his goal where he ran from box to box off the ball? Was that lazy? Did you see his layoffs to Mapp and Spector in the 64th minute? The guy is working harder and he's connecting better with his teammates. Please name the points in the game where his lack of movement stopped the attack.

[Tonerl]

Keller, 6: Not much to do. A little shaky on a few occassions (but he probably forgot what the ball looked like since he didn't have to touch it with his hands for most of the game). A couple nice moments.

Simek, 7: Not tested defensively, but very aggressive going forward. Nice outing.

Demerit, 6: A couple miscommunications with Parkhurst, but a good competitive debut.

Parkhurst, 6.5: See Demerit, but gets a little extra for a couple artful touches.

Spector, 6.5: Used his hidden speed well, looked dangerous in attack, combined well with Mapp on a few occassions.

Ralston, 5.5: Wasn't as dangerous on crosses as I expect from him, and without that he doesn't really offer much.

Clark, 7.5: His best national team performance. Great command of the middle, and had a few smooth touches. Robbed by the assistant ref of a potential assist. Man of the Match.

Feilhaber, 7: His peaks are dizzying in height. Definitely a little leggy, but ran the show pretty well in the first half. Robbed on at least two occassions by the AR.

Mapp, 7: The Mapp I always hope to see. Kept it simple and was miraculously dangerous because of it. His ball skills shone brightly.

Ching, 6: He's definitely struggling right now, but mayhap his goal will get him back on track. Missed a few easy ones (and tried his damndest to miss his sitter). Worked hard.

Johnson, 7: Made himself available for the midfielders. Got jobbed by the AR. Contrary to some comments made here, had what I thought was a nice finish (much better quality than, say, Dempsey's from Thursday).

Donovan, 7: Perfect game for his skillset, was aggressive and it paid off.

Bradley, 5: His worst performance for the senior side, just seemed out of sync with his teammates and had trouble holding the ball in traffic. No worries, though.

Twellman, 6: A few nice combinations, especially with Donovan, impressed in his limited time.

[coresport]

Don't bother trying. They're lost causes.

[EDIT: These comments refer to the anti-EJ sentiments only. Don't take them the wrong way.]
I give Eddie Johnson a 3 rating; he only makes an effort if there's a break-a-way. Horrible passer also. Yes, I know he scored a goal. On a break-a-way of course. I give Ching a 4; does he ever have a first touch that doesn't end up five yards away? As a target forward, he's useless on the nat. level. Ralston... I'm giving him a 2. Horrible. Pathetic. Embarrasing. You name it. I've always been a Ralston fan (thought he should have been on the WC last time) until today. How can you have a winger that slow? I'm predicting we'll never see him on the nats again. Ever. Mapp has to be on the field... somewhere, I don't care where. Love the guy. Rag on Landon all you want; but he's our best player, end of story. Everyone else was o.k. or slightly better. I want to see Simek against tougher comp.; but I was impressed today.

[bostonf4lyf]

SHEP is lost in the NASL.

haha:D

[olephill2]

Kasey Keller - 7

Frank Simek - 8 - great match. very impressed with ability to get forward.
Jay DeMerit - 7 - Composed, good defensive work, ok distribution.
Michael Parkhurst - 6 - solid first cap. Good ball control, but weak in the air.
Jonathan Spector - 6 - some ups and some downs. Solid effort.

Steve Ralston - 6.5 - solid match; crosses erratic but good work otherwise
Ricardo Clark - 7.5 - great match, covers acres of space, nice ball control
Benny Feilhaber - 7 - good work till he tuckered out, nice vision, ball control
Justin Mapp - 8 - great for 70 minutes; dynamic, excellent with ball.

Brian Ching - 6.5 - missed some chances, but nice link with LD, solid hold up.
Eddie Johnson - 5 - Lazy effort, poor off ball movement, ok when on the ball.

SUBS:

Landon Donovan - 7.5 - great assist, nice energy, could've scored off TT.
Michael Bradley - 5 - didn't do much; didn't get the ball wide, turnovers.
Taylor Twellman - 7 - some nice setups for Donovan that could've been assists.

[cknsand]

Donovan, 7: Perfect game for his skillset, was aggressive and it paid off.

Bradley, 5: His worst performance for the senior side, just seemed out of sync with his teammates and had trouble holding the ball in traffic. No worries, though.

Twellman, 6: A few nice combinations, especially with Donovan, impressed in his limited time.[/quote]



Generous with the ratings. I think. Though I like the way Bradley normally plays, he didn't deserve a 5.

[Tonerl]

Sorry - but that's just ridiculous. Did you happen to see his goal where he ran from box to box off the ball? Was that lazy? Did you see his layoffs to Mapp and Spector in the 64th minute? The guy is working harder and he's connecting better with his teammates. Please name the points in the game where his lack of movement stopped the attack.

I felt this as well. I think people see a soccer player not running and assume its laziness or lack of understanding of what to do on the player's part. Several times in this game EJ moved into a hole and sat down so he was available to receive the ball. In those cases it was right to stop running, and several times he kept the attack going by doing this and providing an outlet and moving the ball along. He looked pretty smart out there to me today. I keep thinking that Curt Onalfo is doing him a world of good.