[Huss]

Grade the US' performance versus Mexico

[Centennial]

I rated them a B , Actually, I would have liked to give them a B+ because they were playing a less experienced Mexican side. We played some of the best Defense I have ever seen from a US side. Very impressive, however we just couldn't find the net. To get an A this team would have had to capitalize on at least two other occasions and win 3-0. They dominated from start to finish but couldn't put Mexico away until stoppage time. Not good enough for an A but a great confidence booster. I love the way we were able to see players like Donovan and Matroeni dribble past players with confidence. Our combination play was very good. These are the types of games that are great for teams to build the confidence needed for the World Cup. Good job.

[Keeper 77]

I'll give them a solid B. I agree that we missed some finishing oppotunities (not to take anything away from the Mexican keeper). I also saw a few bad touches. Overall, an above-average performance deserving an above-average grade. Bravo to the Nats on a well played and exciting game.

[Nutmeg]

Hmm, let me think about this one:

• Goalkeeping: Johnny Walker did a great job of dodging TP and other miscellaneous objects. Postgame reports verified he didn't get tagged once. And he was super classy when he went back and picked up another ball after Mexico shanked their shots. He didn't flip off one Mexican! Good show, Johnny. A

• Defense: I'm new to this soccer thingy. Is holding the other team to three total shots good? Just a hunch, but I think it might be. Pope scores the goal, and Mastroeni dominates defense. And he gets bonus points for talking trash to the Mexicans in their native tongue. You can't beat that! A

• Midfield: It was like watching a 90 minute show of "hot-potato" (when the US had possession, which was, like, always) with a little bit of "smear the queer" (the 4 times Mexican midfielders accidentally touched the ball) thrown in just for fun. Plus, I think this Donovan kid may turn out to be a pretty good player. A

• Attack: Remember that Shakespeare play where Oswald says, "I will not be struck, my lord?" (Or something femmy like that.) My ass, Oswald. You got served. Conor Casey put the beatdown on you not once, but twice, and he still got to run around a while longer and elbow some of your buddies. Big props in my book. OK, so the finishing wasn't so super. But Twellman bumps this up to a B.

• Tactics and Coaching: Really, is there anything better than the cat and mouse game between Arena and his compadres to the south? Let's see, a straight 442 with a dash of Mathis, a little 352 with some Reyna on the right wing, sprinkle some Cobi in to taste, and top it all of with the cherry of a box midfield 442 we saw last night. Sounds like Bruce Arena's got his own secret recipe for some Whoopass Pound Cake. A

Um, yeah. I'm gonna have to go with an A.

[mpruitt]

A- if only because they should've finished far more chances. If this had been a qualifier and they dominated a team like that for so long and had to get the winning goal in the dying minutes we would be pretty skittish right now.

[Keeper 77]

Originally Posted by Nutmeg

Hmm, let me think about this one:

• Goalkeeping: Johnny Walker did a great job of dodging TP and other miscellaneous objects. Postgame reports verified he didn't get tagged once. And he was super classy when he went back and picked up another ball after Mexico shanked their shots. He didn't flip off one Mexican! Good show, Johnny. A

• Defense: I'm new to this soccer thingy. Is holding the other team to three total shots good? Just a hunch, but I think it might be. Pope scores the goal, and Mastroeni dominates defense. And he gets bonus points for talking trash to the Mexicans in their native tongue. You can't beat that! A

• Midfield: It was like watching a 90 minute show of "hot-potato" (when the US had possession, which was, like, always) with a little bit of "smear the queer" (the 4 times Mexican midfielders accidentally touched the ball) thrown in just for fun. Plus, I think this Donovan kid may turn out to be a pretty good player. A

• Attack: Remember that Shakespeare play where Oswald says, "I will not be struck, my lord?" (Or something femmy like that.) My ass, Oswald. You got served. Conor Casey put the beatdown on you not once, but twice, and he still got to run around a while longer and elbow some of your buddies. Big props in my book. OK, so the finishing wasn't so super. But Twellman bumps this up to a B.

• Tactics and Coaching: Really, is there anything better than the cat and mouse game between Arena and his compadres to the south? Let's see, a straight 442 with a dash of Mathis, a little 352 with some Reyna on the right wing, sprinkle some Cobi in to taste, and top it all of with the cherry of a box midfield 442 we saw last night. Sounds like Bruce Arena's got his own secret recipe for some Whoopass Pound Cake. A

Um, yeah. I'm gonna have to go with an A.

An A for your post, sir.

[somebody]

I gave them an A.
For affort.

[dienasty]

A B. they simply needed better finishing but it was a friendly so they were a bit rusty

[Celtic3]

Finally saw a Bruce Arena team that played attacking football,liked Donovan's distribution from the middle of the field though he tried to thread the needle to often at the edge of the penalty box,thought Beasley was playing on the wrong side of the field,Frankie Heyduk was superb as an attacking right full back but the attack looked toothless until Twellman was brought on.Thought he played really well in the few minutes he was on the field,can't see why the Casey experiment continues.

[RFK 315]

Solid B to B+
Certainly could've finished better. Dominating performance, though.
Might've paid dearly for some of Connor's antics, but damn, it was nice to see us bring some smashmouth football to the Mexicans for a change !

but on the whole, an (almost) all MLS squad that was expected to have trouble here surely exceeded expectations, and helped make up for the uninspired showing against Haiti.
Would still like to see some of our Euro brethren for the WC qualifying matches. Looks like we've got some depth after all...