Review: USA - Bosnia & Herzegovina - Player Ratings

No

No. They were referring to his attemptted layoff in the 1st half

 

Can you refresh me on the Don Quixote analogy? I've become even more confused now since we are not following the same narrative arc you assumed months ago.

 

Ok.. I was napping then... Didn't see the first half.

 

It was kind of weird.
He did everything right. He had a nice move to fake out his defender and instead of shooting like most strikers would in that situation he tried to pass it off.
A real head scratcher for sure.

 

Can anyone name another match or even 3 of which Jozy had a better game than today's?

 

Note: I rate from .5-9

GK Howard: 7.5 - A few big-time saves and not liable for any of the goals
LB F. Johnson: 6.5 - Nothing glaring defensively as the LB, and while he gave the ball away a few times at LM he certainly made up for it with his sublime run and assist on the game-tying goal
CB Brooks: 5 - Certainly has the tools, but he was shaky more than once.
CB Cameron: 4 - I really hope this is the end of the Geoff at CB fiasco. He was flat-out beaten to the front post on Bosnia's second
RB Evans: 5.5 - A gifted player would've accomplished more down his flank, but there is no denying that he is a relatively accountable defender who is good in the air for a RB.
CM Bradley: 8.5 - It doesn't get much better than that.
CM Jones: 4 - That was poor. He didn't seem interested in running tonight, which makes him almost useless
LM E. Johnson: 5 - Had a horrible giveaway in his own half and he struggled making the right play. Yet he's able to put defenses in compromising positions with his creativity and athleticism. The odd duck isn't ALWAYS the bad duck.
RM Bedoya: 5.5 - Lots of work but not much fuss. But I actually think he's shown enough to open a competition with Graham Zusi for the RM pecking order.
CAM Diskerud: 5 - Deployed out of position and it looked like it. Mix has great vision, but he doesn't have the technicality to consistently manage the tight spaces a "10" needs to. He just got dispossessed far too often despite a few brilliant plays.
ST Altidore: 9 - Best night in the shirt. He did it all. He established possession in the attacking third and had two absolutely world-class finishes. Tonight's performance could force Jurgen's hand into playing with two forwards.

LB Castillo: 7.5 - Lost his mark after a broken set piece, but other than that he was brilliant. He consistently attacked the Bosnians, earning the free kick for Jozy's second golazo.
ST Johansson: 7.5 - Tricky, hard-working and dangerous. Could be the end of Herc with the full nats.
CM Kljestan: 7 - Had the most integral hand in the US's beautiful fourth goal and otherwise played cleanly.
RM Corona: 5.5 - Fairly anonymous
DF Parkhurst: 6 - Spirited

 

Jozy (10) - fantastic game. A complete game. I thought about a 9.5, but honestly, don't know what else the guy could have done. 1 assist, 3 goals, involved in every goal and several free kicks. Tracked back as well.
Diskerud (5.5) - earned a PK, but overall looked overwhelmed, got muscled and stripped off the ball, and not sure CAM is the right role for him. Liked him better playing under LD.
EJ (6) - responsible for the first goal, and frankly, even though he got a goal (that Jozy basically earned), was poor. Bad touches and bad decisions, and didn't help Fabian out defensively at times. Without the goal would have been a 5.
Bedoya (6.5) - challenged a few times, then faded in the 2nd half.
Bradley (8) - Involved in attacking plays, calm on the ball, tracked back, aka, the usual.
Jones (4) - Turnover machine. Not a surprise we looked better when he was gone.
FJ (6.5) - Not much to say to be honest. Got burned a few times at LB and was culpable on one of the goals.
Brooks (6.5) - Has promise. Pulled an Omar at the end of the game. Therefore, has not wrested control of the backline spot, but still...promising. Liked his manhandling of Dzeko - didn't look intimidated or panicked.
Cameron (6.5) - made some mistakes like Brooks. But still not bad for someone who doesn't play CB at his club.
Evans (7) - much to my surprise.
Howard (7) - couple of great saves, nothing he could do on the goals
Castillo (7) - Again much to my surprise.
Johansson (7) - hello spark plug!
Parkhurst/Kljestan/Corona - too little time...though Sacha looked decent.

I don't understand the folks that are giving Jozy a 9-9.5. What else could the kid have done?

 

Using the Sky Sports Scale:
10: Out of this world - very rare, exceptional performances only.
9: Excellent - Top-class display, probably the matchwinner.
8: Very Good - Outstanding, very influential.
7: Good - Impressive, eye-catching.
6: Average - No major faults, nothing overly impressive.
5: Below Average - Some faults, out-of-touch.
4: Poor - Many faults, easy to criticise.

Altidore: 10
E Johnson: 5
Bedoya: 6
Diskerud: 6
Jones: 5
Bradley: 9
Johnson: 6
Brooks: 5
Cameron: 6
Evans: 6
Howard: 6
-----------------
Castillo: 7
Johannson: 7
Corona: 6
Kljestan: 7
Wood: NR

 

Didn't think Geoff played as poorly as people have listed...huh. Was definitely not "good," but didn't think he was terrible. Off to read more about that.

Definitely thought the worst player was Jones - seems to be consistency there.

 

Before I clicked on this thread, I said to myself if this kid grades Brooks as the best defender of the game for the USA, I will stop reading from that point on............

 

lol.... I will say that he was graded a point too high. He had an ok game for his first match and he outplayed Cameron who may not play CB often but should have more experience and knowledge not to commit the mistakes he did to allow those goals. Jack of trades, master of none. Evans was the best overall but needs to work on the offense aspect. Castillo is good coming forward but needs work defending.

 

He had an okay-below par game, imo. My point being, many on this board are overvaluing Brooks and Aron, to the point where they're including them in their starting lineups for Brazil. If Gonzo would have played the exact same game and made the exact same mistakes many on this board would have criticized him to death for ball watching on that third goal and miscommunicating with Cameron on the first. If you're going to analyze a player do it without bias not with "Eurosnob glasses" on.

 

There's a big difference between what the appropriate grade for Brooks should be from an analyst's point of view, and what it should be from a coach's standpoint. If you're an analyst, you say that he made a number of mistakes that cost his team. If you're a coach, you say that you've got a kid with a certain amount of composure who can defend 1v1, pass his way out of trouble, contribute to the attack with his passing, and he's getting his chances in the Bundesliga at 21. What is there not to be practically overjoyed about?

Those who expect a mistake-free player at age 21 with only a year of experience in the 2. Bundesliga I'd say are totally unrealistic. But another year of experience in the Bundesliga will polish him quite a lot if he stays healthy and gets consistent time through the season.

 

I'm not a Eurosnob but I will say this... With Johannsson, if JK can figure out a way to get him onto the field with Donovan, Altidore and Deuce.... He will produce.... There was a reason why Iceland fell out over AJ's switch... He is more technically gifted than any player that we've produced minus...... a latino one that I can't think of the name right now. EJ only has the benefit of helping the squad qualify. EJ isn't better than him.. He could have been but he didn't have the desire to be great.

As for Gonzo and Brooks.... I rate them the same and both have the potential to grow. There are two things that separate them... Gonzo is older and been apart of the Nats longer and still in MLS where he has peaked and would do well to challenge himself in Europe so he can keep his spot. Brooks plays in the Bundesliga and is young. Ultimately, it's JK's decision to make but I going to assume if JAB keeps his starting position for the entire season, he will be better than Gonzo. Gonzo is signing that MLS contract for DP money instead of trying to keep his starting XI position on the national team.

Gonzo should be better but he isn't.

 

What are you, a mind-reader?

 

For the record, this is GAM's second goal against non-CONCACAF opposition. He scored a PK against Argentina in the '07 Copa America.

 

Brooks was our best CB hands down yesterday. he was not at fault for the first or second goal. on the third he needs to be stronger but he will learn. his positioning at times was outstanding.

cameron was garbage in the first half. poor positioning and kept players onsides too often.

 

Brooks was at fault for the first goal by lollygagging (along with Cameron) back to cover Howard's line.

 

meh. some truth to it. but cameron should have been zooming back too. brooks was sliding back in the goal and moved quicker than geoff did.

either way eddie johnson is the biggest at fault.

 

Totally agree.
And Bosnia is exactly the type of team that we're gonna see in the World Cup. Not good enough.
Mix got tossed around like a ragdoll. Jones, I don't even know what the guy was trying to do out there and his body language confirmed just how horrible of a time that he had.

 

Who the hell is GAM?

 

For anyone still confused, the play we're talking about starts at 1:25 or so here:

 

In response to an interviewer's question in 2008 about which video games he liked to play, Johnson reportedly said: "I don't play video games. I'm a grown-ass man."