Howard - 9 This guy was on fire. Some great saves. Pearce - 8.5 Fantastic game from Pearce. I thought he played really well. Is fast as hell and didn't make any glaring mistakes. Gooch- 7.5 Defended well Califf - 7.5 Same. Dolo - 7.5 Thought he could have added more to the attack. But he did very well with Messi Dempsey - 5.5 What happened man? Bradley - 5.5 Hopefully he's tired Mastroeni - 6.5 When I saw his name on the lineup I nearly shit a brick but he played decently. He's good at what he does. DMB - 6 Did some good stuff. Nothing to great Donovan - 7.5 Showed that he can hang with these guys. Should have no problem getting a contract in Spain if he wants one. EJ - 5.5 He passed back even when he was 1v1 with the keeper. Seriously, it was like BS prophecy come sadly true. Subs: Edu - 6.5 Deserves more time Adu - 8 This kid just brings something to the table that noone else has. Lewis - 6 Didn't really notice him Sacha - 6.5 Was very active when coming on. Showed something to get another look.
The replay clearly showed that the keeper got a touch on the ball from EJ. It wasn't a good play, but it wasn't a backpass either. Surprised you rate him that high, with that as your comment.
It's true. Eddie was trying to slot it to Adu, but the keeper got a touch and it went back about 15 yards. It wasn't a backpass, but a side pass to a wide open Freddy.
Regardless his touch was horrible, as usual, and that resulted in him wasting that chance. Very similar to the 1v1 Freddy sent him on against Spain, his touch failed him and ruined any chance he had of getting a decent shot off. He has looked better these past few games but his inability to finish have made Jozy the clear number 1 choice at forward.
Howard - 10 - today is a good day, giffenbone! Cherundolo - 6 - good contribution to attack, absent at times defensively Onyewu - 7 - good performance Califf - 7 - surprisingly solid. Still pissed that Jay DeMerit didn't start Pearce - 7 - He's laid claim to the LB spot. Jonathan who? Dempsey - 6 - slow on the counter, but helped defensively and showed skill on the ball Bradley - 7 - solid half, great header forward to Pearce Mastroeni - 7 - did his job Beasley - 6 - solid, but didn't make any game-breaking runs Donovan - 7 - is there anyone more dangerous on the break? Johnson - 6 - A pretty average EJ performance. Subs: Edu - 7 - solid DeMerit - 7 - snuffed out a few Argentine attacks Adu - 7 - Just punched another stamp onto his starting ticket Lewis - NR Kljestan - NR, but this kid has skill. Hejduk - NR As you can see, my ratings are incredibly boring (Timmy aside), but I'm trying to shy away from using 1/2's, and I thought that this was really a solid team performance. Very few weak links out there tonight.
Howard - 9.5, couldn't really ask for more...a few more saves would have earned him a 10 Cherundolo - 6 Califf - 6 Onyewu - 5.5 Pearce - 6.5, liked his offense and defense tonight Dempsey - 6, better than recent games Mastroeni - 6, i'm pretending like the red didn't happen b/c it shouldn't have Bradley - 5 Beasley - 5 Donovan - 7, looked very good tonight Johnson - 5.5, looked much better than in recent games as well Subs: Adu - 8, fantastic job as a sub Edu - 6 Kljestan - 6.5, also very good in a sub role...i'm a big fan of his game DeMerit - 6.5, did very well Lewis - NR
That performance would go up there with Keller vs. Brazil and Meola vs. England, but Argentina didn't force him into any saves in the 2nd half hardly. Too bad we didn't win today like those other two games.
Howard - 9.5 (One of the best performances I've ever seen. The two one v. one saves in the first half, as well as the double save less than five minutes in were huge... his command of the box was good as well. His long balls weren't hitting targets, but overall his distribution was solid. Pearce - 7.5 (I'm surprised he got so little time with Rostock. He looked good the last three games. Very aggressive and decisive in his defending.) Onyewu - 6.5 (Was solid in the back... almost struck gold when he hit the cross bar... I wish he would have a little more poise with the ball.) Califf - 7 (He had a bad foul right outside of the box, but I liked some of his aggressive challenging... one play that stands out was him stepping up about 40 yards from goal and making a nice challenge that broke up a developing attack and lead to a counter) Cherundolo - 5.5 (He wasn't bad in getting up field... but there were plenty of times we saw Stevie chasing a guy past him with the ball on his feet and staring at goal. Maybe he needed better support? He recovered well mostly but, I expect more from our most seasoned and accomplished defender). Bradley - 6 (Worked well in the midfield defensively, some solid passing... nothing to really write home about overall IMHO) Mastroeni - 6.5 (I can't hold his red against him, it seemed totally unwarranted. I thought his challenges were good and he made himself available offensively more than usual). Donovan - 8 (Came out hard in the second half and was definitely the US's most dangerous player. Seeing him with the ball at his feet showed a lot of what we were missing the last two games.) Dempsey - 6 (Wasn't as bad as the previous two games... got pissed early and had a bit of an attitude, which you like from him. Wasn't bad but, nothing for me to write home about). Beasley - 6.5 (Has most of his pace back... I thought he defended pretty well, made some solid runs and looked to be getting c=much closer to full strength). Johnson - 6.5 (It was a solid performance. Offsides far too much... didn't do much with the best chance he had. Did do well to get his head to difficult balls and put a couple chances on goal). SUB - Lewis - 6 (Not too much from Eddie. One dangerous cross. One dangerous pass... unfortunately, the second one was dangerous to us and almost lead to a Argentine break). DeMerit - 7 (I thought he had a good performance and showed the most poise on the ball of any US center I've seen in a while). Edu - 6.5 (Solid, workmanlike performance. Wasn't bad on the ball and worked with Pablo well, the little bit they were both out there). Adu - 8 (How many fouls did he draw? 13? He made some bad decisions to try to dribble the ball out from deep when we were under pressure, but he gave the Argentinians fits. He's going to be key over the course of qualifying and the Olympics). Klejistan - 6.5 (Linked up well in the midfield... would be a 7, I just cringed when he started stumbling over the ball at his feet during the late game break after Adu's perfect set up pass. You REALLY need a good chance out of that play). Hejduk - NA (Not enough time out there... I'm sure he ran around like the caffeine freak that he is).
Howard - 9 The only other half I've seen by another keeper was Friedel vs. ManU last year. Pearce - 8 I guess he's solidified the spot. Now, can someone explain how he fell out of favor on a BDL2 team? He also gets forward nicely Gooch- 5 I don't think I would rate the two backs highly. It if weren't for Howard, it would have been 3-0, at least, and BS would be screaming. Califf - 5 Same. Dolo - 7 Another solid game. He's very, very steady. His service could have been a little better, though. Dempsey - 4 Who? Other than defending in the box on that one play in the first half, he seemed invisible. Bradley - 5.5 He's a young guy playing arguably the most difficult position. First, we're playing him now so that he'll be the guy in 2 years. He's played against some very tough midfields. Second, who else would do better? Third, he's had a good year in Holland (a step above MLS) and he's going to an even tougher league. Mastroeni - 6 Not a bad game, but he adds close to nothing to the offense DMB - 7 For a guy who is just back from injury, I thought he had a good game. He didn't do anything dangerous on defense but did scare the Argentines a few times. Donovan - 7 I think he still suffers from the injury - he just did not seem that fast. He normally will just blow by people. At times, he didn't even try. Not due to will, but due to injury. Provided decent service from the corners. EJ - 5 His job is to score, and he's not doing it. Would anyone else do better? Probably not, but that shouldn't change a rating. When I see him play, I remember my trips to Korea..."something's just not quite right" Subs: Edu - 6 Stop pointing at Mastro when the ref blows the whistle. Adu - 8 OK, this was a friendly so I won't blow my top, but if he does not start when it matters...If he gets minutes, he's going to go crazy in CONCACAF WC qualifying...just wait. Lewis - 6 Didn't do anything stupid in the back. Sacha - 7 Should get more time. At least he tried to dribble past some Argentines...EJ!
Howard - 10, More than perfect he was super-natural. Pearce - 8, best game ever for Pearce, if H Rostock don't want him he'll have no problem finding a new club. Gooch- 7, was all over Cruz, although a bit too physical. Califf - 7, surprised me. Dolo - 7, did well as usual. Dempsey - 6, did well in some plays poorly in others. should leave Fulham ASAP. Bradley - 6, Did ok, needs more experience. Mastroeni - 6, good game from the veteran. weird redcard. DMB - 6, still recovering from his injury. Donovan - 8, looked fresh and up to the challenge. EJ - 5, an improvement since the Poland game, lets hope a year at Fulham can help. Subs: Edu - 6, made a few mistakes but did good overall. Adu - 9, The X-factor for the USMNT but he needs to start, espcially in these games. Lewis - 6, The game got weird by the time he came on. Sacha - 6, Did very well for someone with little experience.
The US national team did an amazing job especially Howard!! Wow! Im still trying to figure out what the red card was for? The only player i really didnt like out there was eddie johnson. I hate to say it but he has no business being on the national team. He just doesnt cut it. He doesnt have that caliber or consitency. Everyone else really played well. This was such a great game. Sacha should get more time and definately replace eddie. Adu is going to be amazing in 2010.
Did SFS actually give someone from the USA a 10? You must either be drunk, or someone else logged on to your screename.
Tim Howard - 8, maybe even pushing a 9, it was that good Cherundolo - 6.5 Onyewu - 6.5 Califf - 6 Pearce - 7 Mastroeni - 6 Bradley - 6 Dempsey - 6 Beasley - 6 Donovan - 7 Johnson - 6 DeMerit - 6.5 Adu - 7 Edu - 6 Kljestan - 6.5 Lewis - 6 Hejduk - NR
Howard - 9 - Great Performance Cherundolo - 6 - Did well defensively, lacked offensively Onyewu - 6.5 - Thought he would get ran around the field, proved me wrong Califf - 6.5 - See Onyewu Pearce - 7 - Did well defensively, was dangerous offensively Dempsey - 5.5 - Showed some flashes of skill, but looks tired Mastroeni - 6 - Can still contribute at this level Bradley - 5.5 - Got forward at some points, but still looked a step slow Beasley - 6 - Solid Donovan - 7.5 - One of his better performances Johnson - 5.5 - How many offsides calls? He held the ball better than expected Edu - 6 - Solid Adu - 7 - Should be starting, but where? Lewis - 6 - Late sub didn't make any mistakes Klejstan - 6 - Showed he deserves more time DeMerit - 6 - Did well Hejduk - NR
Howard - 10 - Perfection Cherundolo - 5 - Wish someone would step up and take his starting spot. Onyewu - 7 - Amazing how good he can be when Boca is off the field. Califf - 6 - Better than I expected. Pearce - 7 - He's playing well. Dempsey - 6 - His best game of the three. Mastroeni - 7 - What the bucket requires. Bradley - 5 - If only his benching meant something more than being rested for next week. Beasley - 6 - Started well enough. Faded. Donovan - 7 - Got himself in dangerous situation but his final touch was not as good as it normally is. Johnson - 6 - A 6 feels like an 8 when it's Johnson. But it was simply a 6. Edu - 6 - Better than Bradley. Adu - 7 - Makes everyone around him better. Lewis - 6 - Fine. Klejstan - 6 - Okay. DeMerit - 6 - Ditto. Hejduk - NR Bob - 6 - Like Johnson, a 6 for Bob feels like an 8. But it's just a 6.
Howard- 9.5 - Really could not have asked more from him, he was a bear in the box. Califf- 6 - Solid play, he seemed to do well with Gooch. Committed a couple of poor fouls. Cherundolo- 5 - Disappointed in his play. He was alright supporting the offense. However, he was getting torn apart in the first half. Tim saved his butt more than a couple of times. Gooch- 6 - He is a lock for our team. Good on set pieces. I think if he is able to position himself better he can be a rock for us. Pearce- 7 - Best game he has played for us. Likes to get forward and shoot. Good defensive effort. Beasley- 6 - Speed kills and was able to use it tonight. Coming off that injury only a few weeks ago he showed well. Dempsey- 4 - I expect more out of him. After last WC he was the guy we placed our hope in. His defense wasn't bad, but he brought nothing offensively to the team. Mastroeni- 6 - Not sure what happened on the red card. The midfield was overran in the first half, but Pablo was good in the minutes he saw leading up to his red. Bradley- 5 - Looks spent out there. A couple of poor passes and was stripped of the ball. I hope he can get some deserved rest and show well in a couple of months. Johnson- 5 - Still has a poor touch and is unable to finish on breakaways, but he is showing hope with some decent link up play. Donovan- 7 - Man of two halfs. No support in the 1st half, but was able to put his stamp on the game in the second. Subs- Edu- 6 - He looked shaky in the beginning, but he is the most offensive d-mid we have and had some excellent passes. Adu- 7 - On the fringe of getting an 8, but not enough time to fully impose himself on the game. It hurt being a man down but Adu was still able to perform. Drew vital fouls that relieved the pressure on us, and made some nice passes. He needs to get more than 30 minutes. Him and Landon will have fun with CONCACAF if Bradley is willing to give him minutes. DeMerit- 6 - Solid minutes. Would have liked to seen for a full half. Kljestan- 6 - Can be a good sub for us in WCQ. Lewis- Not enough time to fully judge. Had a great cross. Hejduk- Not enough time
First off let me say how proud I was of these guys today and of the crowd. To get 78,000+ for a US Nats game that didn't involve Mexico was inspiring! Plus the way they came out and gave a stacked Argentina squad all they can handle was fantastic! I think that is why we were so disappointed in the England friendly, because we knew they were so much better than that. Now for the ratings: Howard - 10 MOTM - Wowwie wow wow! That's all I can say! That was some unbelievable stuff by Timmeh tonight. He was legendary today. Pierce - 8 - get the permanent marker out and throw away the pen and pencil, welcome to the LB spot Heath. You can't tell me that Hansa Rostock has a better LB than him right now. Onyewu - 6 - Played about as good of a game as he can play. Matched up well with a big, physical player like Julio Cruz. However, he did get totally caught upfield at times when Cruz had some solo chances. Good game, but he's lucky Howard bailed him out a few times. Califf - 6.5 - When I first saw his name instead of DeMerit, I thought, Oh No. But he played well. For a CB on a Danish SuperLiga team, he really looked good against some elite competition. Physical, stayed in good position to break stuff up. He should be in the WCQ mix, not necessarily a 1st team starter, but someone who can come and help at times. Cherundolo - 7.5 - Good game by 'Dolo. Did well against great players like Maxi Rodriguez, and was able to help out in the attack as well. We are pretty set in the fullback department it looks like. Dempsey - 6 - A better game by Clint, but not the explosive player that I know he is. He did alright, lost possession at times, but made the smart, safe pass as well. But again, this isn't his natural position, so I won't hold this against him. Bradley - 7 - A better game by Bradley. I owe this more to tactics and team selection though. He's been a stud at Heerenveen this season, and it wasnt by playing as a D-Mid, but playing more up front. Tonight, by having a seasoned vet like Mastroeni with him, it allowed him the freedom to go up which is why he looked so good in the first half (and why are attack looked good as well). He did lose possession at times but he is still young and learning. Made some good tackles, showed well for the defense and Pablo and usually linked well with Donovan. Mastroeni - 7 - despite the bull pooh pooh red card. I thought he looked real good tonight. Perhaps he had the little bit extra going against his countrymen of birth. But I thought he was good tonight. He broke up alot of plays, tracked back well, and distributed well - I hope Rico Clark was watching this. Beasley - 6.5 - a better game by Beasley, he was strong in defense and made the safe pass. He wasn't explosive, but I'll give that up to coming back into form still. Donovan - 6.5 - Looked a little rusty, but its probably due to the injury. But he attacked the Argentines at every opportune moment, and was dangerous with his pace and vision. I would have loved to have seen him against England and Spain. Johnson - 6 - Again, he looked OK. Even though he's still only 24, I don't see him ever getting better. Per usual, he should have done better with his chances, but until guys like Altidore, Cooper, etc. are ready and available for the big time, this is who we are going to go with. He wasn't as maddeningly frustrating as he usually he is though. Edu - 6 - Had a good game again. He is a quality d-mid. He still can lose possession too easily, but these Nats games must be doing wonders for him. He makes a good partner it seems to whomever he's paired up with. He'll be in Europe within two years. No doubt. DeMerit - 7- Looked good. Wasn't sure about his playing considering he got dropped from Watford's lineup. But distributed well, stayed in good position, stayed on his feet (pay attention Gooch) and was good in the air. I'd like to see more of him instead of the standard Onyewu/Bocanegra pairing. Kleijstan - 7 - Now normally, I'm not a fan of his in the Nats, I just think we have alot better players than him at his best position, plus he never looks good to me when he plays for the Nats. But he looked good tonight. Perhaps it was all the talent around him, and he was getting some space from the Argentines, but he linked up well with his backline and the forwards. Adu - 6 - Thought he just looked OK. Don't kill me, I know he's everyone's favorite player right now. But I thought he looked much better against Spain. He lost possession a little too much for my taste, and held the ball for too long at times when he was dribbling, but he did have some sparks and showed things that are others players can't do consistently. These three games have shown that he should be getting called in all the time now. Quite a turn around from a year ago, no? Hejduk - N/A Lewis - N/A Bradley Sr. - 7 - I'll give him good marks from the standpoint that he wasn't afraid to try some new things and players against a great opponent. Plus he's shown the ability to learn from mistakes (like the empty bucket against England).
Agree with everything except I think Kljestan and Demerit deserve a 7, Demerit was in my opinion the best CB of the night, great composure battled hard and put his heart and soul in the game. He also looked to connect passes out of the back rather than hoof it forward, Kljestan brought create flair and technical skills, combining with Donovan and Adu they were a handful at the end, would really like to see these three play together again.