My ratings after just finishing the US v Mexico game, the neutral/average rating is 5: Howard - 6 - didn't have much to do considering how much possession Mexico enjoyed in the first half. Didn't have a chance on that goal. Cherundolo - 5.5 - he did fine, Guardado wasn't as dangerous as he normally is, and 'Dolo did his normal duties of pushing up and getting back and defending well. Chandler or Lichaj will have big boots to fill. Orozco-Fiscal - 6.5 - he honestly did fairly well. Now to be certain, this Mexican side plays a style that he is familiar with, so it will be curious to see how he looks against more physical sides. I was shocked when he was called in , but he looked good, you can't deny that. Rarely got caught out of position, and seemed to become comfortable with Boca and Howard as the game wore on. Bocanegra - 6.5 - always solid and dependable Boca. Again, I don't know who will fill this guy's shoes. Castillo - 4.5 - a few yrs back, I was a big proponent of calling this guy in, but now that we've seen him with the first team, eh. He is really tiny, and seemed to struggle with Mexico's size, which isn't saying much lol. His touch was terrible, he gave a fair share of possession away, and was never dangerous when he pushed up. I wasn't impressed. I would have liked to have seen Pearce or even Loyd out there at LB, but as we all know, we don't have the greatest options at this position. Defensively he usually seemed to be in good spots. I wasn't impressed. Bradley - 4 - now let me preface by saying I am actually a MB backer, and do feel he is the best CM in the pool, but he was lousy tonite. As we all know, the majority of the Euro/Mexican-based players are in preseason form, but MB looked really rusty. It was also his marker whom he allowed to score on the goal (1. he failed to recognize the offside trap, 2. he should have made a effort to clear the cross). He passed fairly well, and did move the ball, but he wasn't flying around the field breaking play up like he normally does. Forgettable performance. Jones - 4 - I forgot he was out there. Had one semi-dangerous pass that I can remember and broke up one play that jumps to mind (that I thought was a foul). Worst game as a Nat yet. Beckerman - 5 - tale of two halves. First half, he was as bad as his other fellow CMs, but in the second half, as he developed a rhythm with his teammates he looked much better. I was always felt he was destined to be a great club player, but a bad international, but this game has made me re-consider. He needed to play faster, he played slow at times, but I've seen him with RSL and know he is capable of it. Torres - 4.5 - I know I'll get killed for this, but I didn't really see it. He had some nice touches and a couple of decent passes, but considering how much people fawn over this kid, he didn't do it for me. Maybe I'll re-watch the second half and keep a closer eye on him, but to me I'd much rather see Adu or Donovan out there in his position than Paco. He does get a mulligan for that atrocious formation/player selection that Klinsmann used in the first half, but even in the second half he was dispossessed a lot and gave more than his fair share of balls away. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Paco Torres looks best when the other team does not press him and he has time on the ball; however, in a game that he faces a lot of pressure, he looks very ordinary. Donovan - MOTM 7 - another good v Mexico game for LD. He was dangerous on the ball, showed good vision, worked hard, good service on his corners (not crazy about him on free kicks though). Should've had a penalty. My MOTM. Buddle - 3 - terrible game, to be fair, he was stranded in that first half, but his touch was bad, and was never dangerous. He needs a partner up top if he is going to be played. SUBS: Shea - 7 - if LD isn't MOTM, than Shea is close. You can tell that this kid is playing with mega-confidence right now. He made great runs, tracked back well, was dangerous with the ball, and provided the assist on the goal. I think Dempsey's heir apparent has just made his presence known. I think his place on the team, as at least a sub, is solidified. Agudelo - 5 - he was better than Buddle was, but with how the US was altered in the second half, he couldn't have been worse. Despite it being midseason in MLS, he looked slow and unsure. I'd continue calling him in, just so he can work with a great forward like Klinsmann, but I think we need to cool it with crowning this kid. He's got ability, but its fairly obvious he's still needs a lot of time. Rogers - 6 - I was upset when he was the replacement for Edu, I feel he's just another inconsistent American winger. But he was good tonite. Made the necessary run and scored his sitter served up by Shea (ahem Wondo v Panama) and basically forced Torrado into a red card foul (if that's a competitve match he's being sent off). His pace and natural position on the wings forced Mexico to stretch which allowed space in the middle. Again, I'm not crazy about him as a player, but he does have his uses if he is in the right tactical set-up and in certain game situtation. Clark - 5 - not much time but worked hard and had a chance on goal (which is still flying). Manager Klinsmann - 4.5 - I give him a slightly subpar rating for that horrendous formation/player selection in the first half. The team had no width, were pinned in their own half, and were not dangerous at all. He said time and again that Americans are proactive and are by our DNA, looking to press the issue, and we did anything but that in the first half. Plus it took 3-4 subs in the second half to get the team into position to be dangerous. Plus, he still left some subs in his pocket, in a friendly?? Plus, no Adu. The team does seem to like him, and despite the fact that I wasn't a fan of this hire, there is something infectious about him. I just hope that he has a strong tactician (not Vasquez) to compliment that smile and ability to make good speeches.
Re: US v Mexico player ratings Howard - 6; whenever you get beaten by a slow shot it looks pretty bad, but he didn't have much to do. Cherundolo - 7; another impressive performance that confirms his injury may have lost Bob Bradley his job Orozco - 6; solid re-debut; did not make any mistakes. Bocanegra - 7; still the best CB in the pool Castillo - 4.5; all the Mexican attacks came down his side, and he had some strangely horrendous mistakes with the ball. And never ever let the ball bounce. Beckerman - 6.5; the superior DM and kept the passing simple and short Jones - 5.0; less effective as a DM; his passing was less effective and was problematic because he and Beckerman were adding nothing offensively because they were doing the same thing. Torres - 5.5; anonymous as a LM, had a good spell as a CM. Is good at maintaining possession, but his passing can be ridiculously slow Bradley - 5.5; was the only distributor for the first 60 minutes and did a good job spreading the field, but he was not good upfield and was at fault for the goal. So -1 point for that. Donovan - 6.0; excellent 2nd half Buddle - 4.5; a casualty of the lack of spreading the field ... Shea - 7.5; excellent performance Agudelo - 6.5; I wish his holdup play was this effective in June Rogers - 6.0; decent play and got open for the goal. Clark - 5.5; didn't due poorly and created a chance in injury time. Klinsmann - 6; a typical Bob Bradley coaching job.
Re: US v Mexico player ratings Using the "average 6" scale: Howard - 6 Cherundolo - 6.5 Bocanegra - 7 Orozco-Fiscal - 6 Castillo - 5 Jones - 5 Beckerman - 6.5 Bradley - 5.5 Torres - 6 Donovan - 7 Buddle - 5.5 Shea - 7 Rogers - 6.5 Agudelo - 6.5 Clark - NR
Re: US v Mexico player ratings Howard - 6 - It's good to see Tim Howard play when he isn't doing a full Sam Kinison on the backline. Not at fault for the goal. Cherundolo - 6 - Great crosses throughout, and played solidly. Could have seen red on a foul against Guardado, but a quick Mexican retaliation basically led to "offsetting fouls" where the Referee had to either send both players off or none. Either way, he wore Guardado's pants the whole match. Did well. Orozco - 6 - I loved Orozco back in the 2008 Olympic qualification, because he never got pulled out of position. Here, he never got pulled out of position. Played pensive early but improved considerably as the game went on. Showed he belongs on the US National Team. Bocanegra - 6 - Nearly had a stunning goal that was brilliantly saved. While old and can do better, still shows he has class and composure. Castillo - 4.5 - While a bad Left Back who was caught out of position twice, he is certainly a step up over Bornstein and Pearce. Not adequate, but at least he's Lichaj's backup. A good band-aid for the USMNT until somebody better pans out. (Is Kosuke Kimura eligible for the USA?) Bradley - 2.5 - Looked awful. While he was on, we effectively played a man down. While JK's system is for constant ball movement and one-touch, everyt time MB had the ball he held up, stalling the US game for as long as he was on the pitch. The USA was a much better side without his "contributions". And yes, he could have done better on the goal, even if it was a bit fluky. Effectively, he played himself off of the US National Team tonight. Jones - 4 - A bad game, looked lost out there. Still, he had some hard hitting tackles, and nearly scored a goal in the first half. Probably has a future playing in the US backline, but certainly not in Klinsi's new look midfield. Beckerman - 5 (First half), 6 (Second Half), overall 5.5 - Beckerman seems to only play as good as the talent around him. With Bradley and Jones flailing about lost, he looked lost himself because it was obvious he was not on the same page as Jones and Bradley were. Once they were subbed off, Beckerman really found his stride, and seemed to synch well with Torres and Shea. Unfortunately, his good performance may be bittersweet, because now Beckerman will have to compete with the returning Stuart Holden for this coveted CM position. Torres - 4.5 (First Half), 7 (Second Half), overall 6 - Torres played the first half on the flank, which is only done at Pachuca for defensive purposes. He made some incisive passes but didn't read the game well from the flank, especially since Bradley and Jones were not on the same page, the attack broke down constantly, forcing Torres to make runs that were unadvisable, to say the least. In the second half, played centrally with Donovan, he absolutely dominated the Mexican midfield, making a monkey out of Torrado and providing service to very dangerous Donovan and Rogers. Klinsi was pleased and so was I, he probably becomes our defacto #10 shirt. Donovan - 7.5 - In my mind (And in the mind of anybody, really), that was a penalty. Played great all around, and without Chicharito around to give them confidence, the Mexicans are terrified of him. Buddle - 4 - No service. But even with no service, didn't look so hot when he had the ball. Probably won't be called back in. Shea - 7.5 - MOTM. You know, there is a reason why Atletico Madrid wanted this kid. Because he's that freakin' good. Quite simply, he was the best player on the field on either team, and that's with Gio Dos Santos on it. Agudelo - 5 - While a step up over Buddle and had improved touch, Agudelo is still a bit raw for this level of play. Had Dempsey come on over Agudelo, I think we tear up Mexico a bit more in the second half. Still, I appreciate his effort and appreciate JK giving him a look in an important match. Agu will be back. Rogers - 7 - Got robbed in the Torrado tackle, but made life miserable for Mexico. His speed and touch actually looked better than Dos Santos's. Robbie Rogers has had bad games for the US, but he did his part to play himself back on the US. Also, in perfect position for that goal. Clark - 5.5 - Settled well and passed much better than Jones or Bradley. Still needs to not shoot when he has options in the box, however, as despite his good play he squandered a great US goalscoring chance. He should get a look in the backline next time. Klinsmann - 8 - People may give him stick for his "Poor" roster selection and starting lineup, but in a way, his lineup was a contrast between the Bob Bradley era (With Jones and Bradley) and the system where he wants the US to move to. Sure, we played awful in the first half, but that was the point. We were able to see just which players wanted to bring it, and who were just going through the motions. It wasn't pretty but this game gave us far more usable data than any of Bob Bradley's friendlies after the World Cup. Klinsmann has shown which of the old guard belong in the new system, and who doesn't. And he did well to adjust and nearly break Mexico's back in the second half (Okay, we DID break Mexico's back, too bad they paid that referee off). Basically, this match was a textbook example of how to manage a friendly- Data collection paramount, performance secondary, result third. He did all three. Welcome to the National Team, Klinsi.
Individual player ratings USA v Mex Thought I'd use a 10 pt ratings system to rate the players. Howard - 8.5 - really nothing to do all night and no possible hope of stopping the one goal, distribution was okay. Castillo - 4.5 - really couldn't find the game at all offensively. Surprisingly okay if not spectacular defensively. Bocanegra - 8.0 - Solid defensive effort and a fine header, perhaps could have aimed it a bit better. Orozco Fiscal - 7.0 - Had a quiet night, generally a good thing for a CB, slightly out of position a few times. Cherundolo - 8.5 - Did what a RB is supposed to do, committed a smart foul, and his work with Donovan along the right side was the only bright spot of first half. Beckerman - 7.5 - Got moved off the ball a bit, but looked better than any other defensive midfielder. Donovan - 9.0 - As the announcers mentioned his defensive intensity was noticable and he was a quality attacker/passer throughout the match. Clark - 6.0 - Not much to judge, but his 2 passes in the box were not good... at least I think the first one was a pass and not a shot? Torres - 7.0 - Struggled as the team did to find the game early, and didn't cover well for Castillo at all on the left side. Controlled the ball well when it was at his feet and did well late. If not for his move inside would have rated MUCH lower. Rogers - 9.0 - Goal scorer, could have had 2. Played the position he was supposed to beautifully, made good runs/decisions. Need to see more of this from him! Bradley - 2.5 - Couldn't find the game, drifted into central defense rather than staying in the hole playing out of position ALL Night! Could have defended on the Mexico goal better. I believe in him, just not as an AM and not when he's so out of form. Shea - 9.0 - Made things happen, and made superb decisions, showed skill. Jones - 5.5 - Positioned himself decent at times, struggled and chased others. Made a good play then a bad one. Agudelo - 8.5 - Continues to try and take on 2 & 3 defenders but once he gets that out of his system he settles down and plays excellent attacking soccer. Good decision maker tonight and instrumental in the goal plus the outlet pass to Rodgers was perfect. Buddle - 6.5 - Perhaps this is a bit harsh, because he had not service or support within 30 yards, but it is what it is.
Re: US v Mexico player ratings Pretty much this, although I may bump Bradley, Jones, and Buddle down a half point. Sure it was the system, but they were out of sync, and they didn't have the late game to redeem themselves. Maybe Castillo too. I still favor him over Bornstein, but he was definitely the worst in the back.
Re: US v Mexico player ratings howard-6 cherundolo-6.5 orozco 5.5 bocanegra 5.5 castillo-4- bad donovan- 7-good jones 5.5 beckerman-6 good second half Bradley- 3 - the babying of him needs to stop and he needs to do more than blow defensive coverage. torres- 6 buddle-4 agudelo-7 shea-7.5 clark- 4 mehhh rogers-6
Re: US v Mexico player ratings Howard - 5, nothing too bad or good Cherundolo - 5.5, usual solid self Bocanegra - 6, better than usual making key tackles Orozco-Fiscal - 5, didn't notice so that's good Castillo - 3.5, out of position a lot and lost ball often though no horror errors like Bornstein Jones - 4, no impact really Beckerman - 5.5, struggled in 1st half w/ constipated midfield then did well in 2nd Bradley - 2.5, shockingly bad game when called upon to play a more attacking role and doomed the US with his indifference Torres - 5, bad 1st half then picked it up when Bradley left Donovan - 6, caught on fire after indifferent play at the start Buddle - 4, no service or support but did not help himself either Shea - 7, absolute beast and terror on left Rogers - 6.5, scored goal and was involved Agudelo - 6, very bright in attack and sprang Rogers with a deft outlet though decision making was a bit slow at times Clark - NR, missed a shor badly when he might have passed
Howard - 7 Cherundolo - 7 Bocanegra - 7.5 Orozco-Fiscal - 5.5 Castillo - 6 Jones - 4.5 Beckerman - 6.5 Bradley - 4 Torres - 6 Donovan - 7 Buddle - 5.5 Shea - 8.5 Rogers - 7 Agudelo - 7.5 Clark - 4.5
Wow, quite a range of scores for Agudelo. I think some of you are somehow missing how important he was tonight. Considering that Donovan had some very bad moments in the first half, I think Agudelo might have been MOTM. He orchestrated the attack, set up the goal sequence beautifully, and that ball he played to Rogers (where Robbie was dragged down) was a thing of beauty. Agudelo was reading the game, getting the ball off his foot quickly, and really looked secure and confident out there.
He was as far as I was concerned. His hustle kept the ball alive which Brek ended up crossing and resulted in our goal. He broke up a play on defense and sprung Rogers with a beautiful pass which should have either resulted in a goal or a red card for Mexico. Once he came on he was consistently looking to get the ball forward. As impressed as I was with Brek I was equally as impressed with Juan.
Re: US v Mexico player ratings Howard - 6: didn't have much to do; not at fault for the goal Dolo - 5.5: made some uncharacteristic poor decisions with the ball in attack, solid in defense Orozco - 6: quiet game, which is a good thing; no major mistakes Boca - 6.5: most consistent player, helped teammates, a couple bad passes Castillo - 4.5: some good defensive plays but way too many bad passes right to the opposing team Beckerman - 5: too slow with the ball and in making decisions, some good defensive plays Jones - 5.5: covered a lot of ground, showed well for ball, some good passes, not enough on defense Donovan - 6.5: dangerous when involved, but disappeared for stretches, should have had a PK Bradley - 2.5: poor performance; tracked too far back, out of position too often, responsible for goal Torres - 4.5: invisible first half, no defense, only effective when moved to center Buddle - 4: didn't hold the ball up well, didn't make himself dangerous, no help from teammates Agudelo - 6.5: good movement and vision; too many touches in box Shea - 7: game changing performance, dangerous, created the goal; MOTM Rogers - 6.5: owes Shea dinner; used speed effectively in attack and tracking back Clark - 5: wasted a goal scoring opportunity
I agree with this assessment, but he also had a giveaway and did have problems with Mexico's backline, even without Marquez. Agudelo is confident and secure, but as I said, he's a bit raw back there for a team of the caliber of Mexico. I really would like to see him run against Costa Rica, so he can complete his game. He's about 1-2 years away from playing big big sides right now.
It should be interesting as Klinsman sees more players and selects a team for qualifications. His ratings are the only ones that count.
Raw "back there"? We are talking about Juan Agudelo, the forward, are we not? I'm not saying he's fully arrived, or that he's a finished product, but to say that he's "a bit raw for this level of play" is harsh, in my opinion. I think he deserved far more than a 5 for this performance.
6 is the average. Howard: 6 Cherundolo: 6 Orozco: 6.5 Bocanegra: 6.5 Castillo: 3.5 Jones: 4 Beckerman: 5.5 Bradley: 3.5 Torres: 6 Donovan: 7 Buddle: 5 Agudelo: 7 Shea: 7 Rogers: 6.5 Clark: 5
Ratings should be higher for Agudelo and Rogers. The game turned when they entered, along with Shea. Wow, what a difference. Having Agudelo, Shea, and Rogers up front gave Donovan and Torres more options and made them look better...that's how good A, R and S were. Klinsman - no rating since it was a friendly and he's experimenting. However, why was our pressing so poor in the first half. I mean, Mexico had plenty of time on the ball. You don't necessarily need to have great players to press hard. Castillo may get another call, but I don't think anyone would be upset if not. Buddle should not get another call. He's too slow, heavy touch, and lacks energy...and he's 30 - no upside. Other than that....
Agudelo is hard to rate. If you focus on his best three moments, he was great. These were his one touch pass to Shea that led to the goal, flick header to Donovan that led to a scoring chance, and his long ball to Rogers that should have led to a red card against Mexico. The common theme is that when he didn't have to trap, think too quickly/complicatedly, or see the field at all, he did well. On the other hand, every occasion he got the ball with time and/or space he seemed to do the wrong thing. He had two easy balls to his feet he couldn't trap and eventually lost right after coming in. These were really bad mistakes because the US was struggling to possess the ball overall and had pushed forward to support him expecting to maintain possession. He had two good chances for crosses in dangerous positions that he never made, instead dribbling until losing the ball. He skied a bad shot when he had a bunch of good runs as options and many other times decided to pass up easy options only to immediately get surround by three Mexican players and lose the ball. He also failed to run with plays that he wasn't directly involved in and would have possibly scored on one Shea shot if he had even remotely tried to follow for a rebound. Even the pass to Rogers was poorly trapped, hit off his leg awkwardly and had to be hit while bouncing because he took so long to control it. In this game he showed that he makes awful decisions most times there isn't a very obvious choice, too often has trouble bringing the ball under control, and does not work off the ball well or hard enough. Yet he still was dangerous and help create a few chances. To put it another way, I believe that if he had been in Shea's place on the goal he wouldn't have been able to make the run, keep the ball in play, or see the pass. It is also my worry that if he had been in Rogers place, when the play started, he very likely wouldn't have gotten into good enough position to score. Overall I'd still give him a 6.5, but make him watch game film showing how poor he is when he has the ball for more than a second.
I was going to answer in depth but I think Dancy did a great job of breaking down Agudelo's game to illustrate his relative rawness. I was tempted to give Agudelo a 6, handicapping him based on his age, but that seems a bit unfair, considering he's already had a share of appearances. That said, there is nothing in Agudelo's game that can't be fixed by experience and continued playing time. He's got a future with the USMNT, and he will be getting more looks, unlike Buddle, who I think is done. And sorry by saying "Back there". "Up there". Basically, he's just 18. I expect him to play at a "5" against a side like Mexico. If he genuinely played at a "6", then there is no way Rodgers would start over him at NYRB.
On Agudelo: I will say that he has a strong foundation of "soccer sense" io him. He puts himself in dangerous positions constantly. Sometimes he over dribbles or takes too many touches. This is something considering he has only played 1000 professional hours or so. I think he will be a our first forward ready to play and dominate at the euro club level and the int'l level.(Please no one mention Rossi)
I think your post fairly characterizes his high points and his low points in the match generally speaking. However, I find your worrying about him potentially having made a poor decision right if he was in another players position to be somewhat odd and I'm not sure how that factors into a rating? Also, I observed him have some very nice combination play on a few other occasions and made some nice runs off the ball when he did not receive a pass. I was also impressed by his ability to hold up the ball on a few occasions and make a nice pass out when pressure came. The two most dangerous opportunities of the match for the US were set up directly by him. The pass he made to Shea was excellent to set up the goal. You say he may not have either been in the position Shea was or made the pass Shea did but I thought his pass to Shea was at least as good and probably better than Shea's pass to Rogers. Second, the pass he made to Rogers was brilliant and should have resulted in a red card. Yes, he made some mistakes but he also helped to create our best opportunities as a sub off the bench. I'd give him a 7 and say he was just under Donovan for MOTM. I was very impressed with his play overall and hope to see more of that from him moving forward.
5.0 is the average start point, Second half rating is after the subs came in and things changed indicated by // Howard 4.5//6.0 (at least attempt a reach or a dive) Dolo 6.5//7.0 yep Solid night for the RB Boca 6.5//7.0 Sad thing is he may be to old for the next cycle Orozco 5.5//6.0 No really bad moments, all his bad passes were in the first half Castillo 3.5//5.0 Shea actually made him look good in the end of the second Jones 4.0//3.5 Started decent but whole midfield plan was BB style not attacking Bradley 1.5//2.0 1. offside trap go back to high school and listen to your GK. Oh and every time he touched the ball you could hear crickets. Beckerman 4.5//6.5 Once the BB midfield was gone really stood out. Donovon 4.5//7.0 Solid second half best 90 minute player we had. Torres 3.5//6.5 Once the midfield situation cleared up his passing and 1 touches were great Buddle NA He may get another call up with the new look midfield formation Subs Agudelo 7.0 involed either directly or indirectly in half of our total chances Shea 8.0 MOTM. Was that a 4-5-1 I saw? or a 4-3-3 Rogers 6.5 Really made that 4-5-1 formation look like a 4-3-3 huh Clark 5.0 not enough time to evalulate which is important given our depth at his preffered pos (DM) Klinsi 1.5//8.0 We saw the old style first half vs the new style second and the differences are absolutely clear The smiles were great, the celebration of the goal was great, and the post game interview classic.
I'd love to know exactly what Castillo did so tragically to get all these 3's and 3.5's. In my all due respect honest opinion, anyone who has anyone rated lower than Jones is straight clowning. Be for real.
Shea 7.5 - Wowza wee waa Agudelo 7 - Sexy Time Rodgers 7 - Very Nice Donovan 7 - I love you too Orozco 6.5 - Ah, is good Boca 6.5 - I like you Dolo 6.5 - Dziekjue Torres 5.5 - I ok Beckerman 5.5 - A little Jones 5 - Not much Bradley 5 - What you do? Howard 5 - Not important Buddle 5 - What? Castillo 4.5 - Brother Bilo Klinsi 6 - Why you laugh?