USA vs Slovenia - player ratings (R)

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by asdf2, Jun 18, 2010.

  1. asdf2

    asdf2 Member+

    Oct 11, 2004
    San Francisco
    Howard - could he have saved the first goal?

    Boca - beat for pace at times
    Gooch - some good plays but at fault for both goals
    Demerit, Cherundolo - better part of shaky back line.

    Torres - useless defensively, poor giveaways, nice free kick for a young, talented and overrated player
    Bradley - was everywhere if not perfect. Fantastic finish.
    Donovan - quiet first half. Golazzo.
    Dempsey - got fouled a lot.

    Altidore - tale of 2 halves. Play 90 mins young man.
    Findley - poor touches and speed worked only infrquently.

    Edu - shaky as hell. But the tactical change changed the match. Got a goal.
    Feilhaber - ok. Also a tad rusty. But the tactical changes worked bigtime.
    Gomez - great run created space for Bradley's goal. You just saved your country's ass young man. Thank you.
     
  2. jamezyjamez

    jamezyjamez Member

    Apr 27, 2007
    Dallas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Howard (6) - Not much to do today.

    Boca (6) - Solid game all around.
    Gooch (4) - A step slow and not well-positioned.
    DeMerit (5) - Too much space in the center of defense. Worked hard for 90 though.
    Dolo (6) - Combined well but unable to get forward much.

    Dempsey (5) - Not a good game for Dempsey, but showed fire from the opening minute..literally.
    Bradley (6) - A 4 in the 1st half, 8 in the 2nd. I split the difference. Poor chem with Torres.
    Torres (4) - Looked lost as if put in an unfamiliar position. Poor chem with MB.
    Donovan (7) - Inspiring in the 2nd half after he put his big boy underwear on at half.

    Jozy (6) - Dominating at times, missing at others. Better holdup play. Thinking he may be a 2014 guy.
    Findley (5) - Better than expected for me. Good chasing but made a few bad decisions in transition that may have cost us goals.

    Benny (5) - No impact. Forgot he was on our roster.
    Edu (6) - Covered a lot of ground, but wasn't really effective. Unfortunate on disallowed goal.
     
  3. schrutebuck

    schrutebuck Member+

    Jul 26, 2007
  4. Spry

    Spry Member

    Apr 25, 2006
    Pasadena
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Factoring in the first half I don't see how anyone, save Bradley and Donovan, could have earned more that a rating of 6. Of special note, Onyewu was just horrible in this match. I admit I gained a little too much confidence in him after the England match but quite honestly he had something to do with all goals score against us thus far. I'm calling for Goodson.


    Howard - 6
    Cherundolo - 6
    Onyewu - 4
    DeMerit - 6
    Bocanegra - 6
    Donovan - 7
    Torres - 5
    Bradley - 7
    Dempsey - 6
    Altidore - 6
    Findley - 5

    Feilhaber - 6
    Edu - 6
    Gomez - N/A
     
  5. NBlue

    NBlue Member

    Jun 17, 2002
    Orlando, Florida
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    5=average.

    Donovan -- 9. Absolutely Spectacular Goal. Was Class all day with a multitude of spectacular free kicks and corners. Hit Jozy on the head from midfield to the top of the box on the second goal and was simply class. MOTM

    Bradley -- 7. Weak first half. Spectacular second half. What an incredible finish on that goal and made some incisive passing. However, he was partially at fault for the first goal.

    Gooch -- 3. Was partially at fault for both Slovenia goals. Looked very shaky throughout though did have a very nice long throw.

    Dempsey -- 4. Could have seen red for the rash challenge initially and seemed to be devoid of ideas throughout the match. Could have done better and did not defend particularly well.

    Cherundolo -- 6. Classy throughout. Solid defending on the right and got forward well. Solid but unspectacular performance by Stevie.

    Jozy -- 6. Dangerous. Brilliant header to set up the second goal. A few very nice moves going through the defense and drew several fouls in dangerous positions.

    Boca -- 6. His play was a 5 but he is the captain and leader of this team. No game I have ever seen the US play has demonstrated strong leadership more than this one. Much credit to Boca for being the leader on this team. He was not at fault for either goal.

    DeMerit -- 6. Our best defender. Solid in the middle. Very nice header that almost scored a goal.

    Torres -- 5. I thought he was better than given credit for, but not much. His free kick was extremely dangerous and would have likely been a goal against a lesser keeper. Had difficulty getting stuck in and looked lost at times.

    Feilhaber -- 5. Made a couple nice passes but was a liability at the defensive end. I thought Timmy might kill him when he let a Slovenian have all kinds of time and space in the middle of the field. Tried a couple of nice passes but did not pull anything off.

    Findley -- 4. Consistently got himself in dangerous positions and consistently screwed them up.

    Howard -- 4. Needed to make a save on the second goal but could not. Otherwise was not tested.

    Herc -- 3. Did not look comfortable.

    Edu -- 5. Inconsistent. Actually made a couple of good tackles and got in great position to score the winning goal that was unfairly disallowed. Also made some terrible passes and decisions. Would be a 4 but I give him a 5 for the should-have-been goal.
     
  6. alocksley

    alocksley Member

    Jan 30, 2004
    Burbank, CA
    Howard: 5 - Good on set plays. Not sure if he ever had a chance at the 1st goal, but was frozen.
    Bocanegra: 5 - The usual parade of balls whacked out out of touch.
    Onyewu: 4 - Beaten several times. Not his usual presence.
    DeMerit: 6 - Battled hard.
    Cherundolo: 6 - Work hard defensively. Was as effective as usual going forward.
    Bradley: 8 (MOTM) - Great work rate. Smart tackles. Timely runs.
    Torres: 6 - Not sure why so many are down on his performance. Was composed, if unspectacular. Had one bad giveaway, but also a great set piece.
    Dempsey: 6 - Worked hard. No creative inspiration today.
    Donovan: 7 - Tracked back well. Great goal. great leadership.
    Altidore: 6 - Does everything but finish.
    Findley: 4 - Out of his depth here. Time to give Buddle a run out?
    Edu: 5 - Looked very rusty. Great goal though.
    Feilhaber: 6 - Reminded me of why we once rated him.
    Bob: 5 - Great halftime adjustments. Buddle should have started for Findley.
     
  7. asdf2

    asdf2 Member+

    Oct 11, 2004
    San Francisco
    I'm surprised not to see more love for Gomez. He made the space for the game tying goal. Which is plenty for 10 minute of work. Heck Altidore didn't touch the ball for his first 15 minutes.
     
  8. cc-atl

    cc-atl Member

    Jul 8, 2005
    Howard (5) - I'm not sure he could have saved either goal but he was totally fooled.

    Boca (6) - good game
    Gooch (3) - I thought he was to blame for both goals. Very indecisive and not aggressive.
    DeMerit (5) - ok
    Dolo (5.5) - Decent defensively, not great going forward today

    Dempsey (5) - not a lot of chances, but his effort seemed solid
    Bradley (7.5) - perhaps our most consistent player. always max effort. does not make many insightful passes but has not been giving the ball away either.
    Torres (4.5) - His style does not seem to fit. He controls the ball but really slows down the game which is not the best pace for our team.
    Donovan (8) - Very good game. Very dangerous going forward and tracked back well.

    Jozy (6.5) - much more consistent this week.
    Findley (5) - same old same old. he looks good right up to when he has to make a decision.

    Benny (6) - was not quite able to unlock anything but came close a few times.
    Edu (5.5) - Nervous at first but settled in well
     
  9. giffenbone

    giffenbone Member

    Jan 22, 2006
    Raleigh, NC
    anybody who gives onyewu more than a 3 (or at very best a 4) has no credibility to me.
     
  10. American Arsenal

    Jun 5, 2008
    Chicago, IL
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Howard - 5

    Stevie G - 5
    Gooch - 1
    Demerit - 6
    Bocanegra - 5

    Donovan - 8
    Bradley - 8
    Torres - 4
    Dempsey - 4

    Altidore - 6
    Findley - 4

    Gomez - N/A
    Feilhaber - 5
    Edu - 4

    I'm harsh. Gooch was terrible. When he wasn't allowing the goals, he was losing possession with horrible passes.
     
  11. eainterplay

    eainterplay Member

    May 11, 2008
    Alabama
    Club:
    Rangers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Howard: 6- Some good saves, but all ones you hope a keeper makes at the WC finals.

    Cherundolo: 6- Not as effective going forward this match, but still good marking at the back.
    DeMerit: 6- Good positioning and marking. Solid
    Onyewu: 4- Ok, but had two blunders (the first not entirely his fault) that lead to goals. This is the mental rust I was worried about.
    Bocanegra: 6- Decent

    Donovan: 7.5- Had a hand in both goals. Lively
    Bradley: 7- Great workrate, and a difficult finish on the second goal.
    Torres: 5.5- Asked to hold possession and dictate passing, but came up short on both tasks.
    Dempsey: 5.5- Had a few sparks, but in the end lead to nothing.
    Feilhaber: 6- Looked fairly comfortable on the left.
    Edu: 5.5- Shakey most of the half he played.

    Altidore: 6.5- Created more than he's been given credit for. Drew some FKs, and looked dangerous.
    Findley: 5- His touch is atrocious, and his cross and pray method is frustrating.
    Gomez: NR

    Bradley: 5.5

    Ref: 3.5
     
  12. ExpatSwede

    ExpatSwede Member

    IF Elfsborg
    Sweden
    Jun 6, 2005
    California
    I don't get anyone who gives Howard anything higher than 4 or 5 at most.

    He certainly should have done better on the first goal, and he would normally do much better on the 2nd goal. His other saves? No spectacular ones... Mostly headers right at him. No quality game-saving ones.

    It was not a good day at the job for Howard today. We all know he can do MUCH better, so it really causes grade inflation to give him such high marks for this game.
     
  13. burud111

    burud111 Member

    Jul 20, 2007
    Connecticut
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Howard - 6

    Cherundolo - 6
    Onyewu - 3.5
    DeMerit - 6
    Bocanegra - 5.5

    Edu - 4
    Donovan - 7
    Bradley - 7
    Dempsey - 5.5
    Feilhaber - 6
    Torres - 6

    Altidore - 6
    Findley - 5
    Gomez - 6
     
  14. ExpatSwede

    ExpatSwede Member

    IF Elfsborg
    Sweden
    Jun 6, 2005
    California
    My grades:

    Howard - 4

    Cherundolo - 6
    Onyewu - 4
    DeMerit - 5
    Bocanegra - 5

    Donovan - 7
    Bradley - 7
    Dempsey - 5
    Feilhaber - 6
    Torres - 5
    Edu - 4

    Altidore - 5
    Findley - 5
    Gomez - 5

    We miss you, Charlie Davies!
     
  15. asdf2

    asdf2 Member+

    Oct 11, 2004
    San Francisco
    Need some ratings folks.
     
  16. giffenbone

    giffenbone Member

    Jan 22, 2006
    Raleigh, NC
    ref - 0
     
  17. Ghosting

    Ghosting Member+

    Aug 20, 2004
    Pendleton, OR
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Howard 4 - Should have done better on both goals. He may have been screened on the first, but he's gotta be reacting. he took a bad line on the second and left most of the net open... made it easier on the Slovenian forward.

    Cherundolo 5 - Nice and tidy on the ball, and solid on defense. An average performance.
    Onyewu 4 - He just looks a little slow in his decision-making. Not sure what happened on the first goal (I suspect miscommunication between Torres & Bradley), but Gooch didn't attack tha ball and just ended up screening the keeper. He lost his runner on the second goal and failed to step up quickly enough.
    DeMerit 5 - Looked solid but unspectacular
    Bocanegra 5 - See DeMerit.

    Donovan 8 - Well-taken goal. Pinpoint pass to Altidore to setup the second goal. Pinpoint cross to setup the third (disallowed) goal. In addition he is so clean on the ball and so purposeful on his touches. he also defended well.
    Bradley 7 - Well-taken goal and coverd a ton of ground. Came back and showed for the ball a lot in the first half. Did not work well with Torres.
    Dempsey 5 - Not Clint's best game. he was pretty invisible throughout the match.
    Torres 4 - We saw why Torres didn't play against England: he's a defensive liability. He was also to slow on the ball and did not respond well to the Slovenian pressure.
    Feilhaber 5 - Pretty invisible, but had a few decent touches.
    Edu 5.5 - Helped stabalize the defense, and did a good job covering back once Gooch was pulled. His (disallowed) goal was well-taken as well.

    Altidore 6 - Solid and a handful for the Slovenian defense. If the ref had been better, he would have gotten more calls going his way. Did much better with his hold-up play in the second half.
    Findley 5 - Couldn't put together enough touches in a row to be dangerous.
    Gomez NA - Didn't see enough of him.

    Bob 7 - Made the wrong call starting Torres, but the CW was supporting it. Gooch looked bad as well, but it's jard to fault Bob for starting him. Made really good adjustments at halftime: bringing in Edu was smart, as he could lock down the D in midfield, and move back to center D in the event that we got back into the match (which we did). He was unlucky not to get the win based on his adjustments. He needs to figure out how to get our guys to come out flying for the next match.
     
  18. thejuggernaut

    thejuggernaut Member

    Mar 25, 2007
    PA
    Club:
    Manchester City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Bradley's goal scored was stellar but the ratings i see here dont take in account that his buccaneering approach cost us our first two goals!
     
  19. flyerhawk

    flyerhawk Member

    Feb 5, 2006
    Hoboken NJ
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  20. dlokteff

    dlokteff Member+

    Jan 22, 2002
    San Francisco, CA
    Howard 5.5 - Could have come up huge on the 2 goals, but didn't. Other than that not much to do.

    Boca, 5.5 - Unspectacluar performance.

    Gooch, 3 - Needs to step up quicker or lay back. Make up your mind.

    Demerit, 6.5 - Was pretty solid.

    Cherundolo, 6.5 - Never beaten, but didn't didn't add much either.

    Bradley, 8 - This guy was everywhere. Absolutely terrific, especially 2nd half.

    Torres, 4 - We waited for this?

    Dempsey, 5.5 - He played, right?

    Donovan, 7.5 - Great goal, good service.

    Altidore, 6 - Set up a great goal... nothing else.

    Findley, 3.5 - Phantom Yellow mercifully sends him to the bench.

    Edu, 4 - He only gets a 4 because he should be a hero right now. But other than the "goal", he was hoooooorible.

    Feilhaber, 6 - Honestly, bested my expectations which weren't much.

    Gomez, 6.5 - Important run helps lead to tying goal.

    Bob, 5.5 - Can't be faulted for Torres cause that's what everyone seemed to want. Edu and Feilhaber down 2-0? Maybe it freed up Donovan and Bradley to go forward more, and we got the result so can't be too harsh. But Findley is still a wasted spot, and where is Holden?
     
  21. dred

    dred Member+

    Nov 7, 2000
    Land of Champions
    (As always, posting prior to reading on a ratings thread)

    LD - 7 Ineffective in the first half, was the driving force behind the 2nd half comeback.
    Dempsey - 6 Marked out of the game, had one sweet cross to LD that was cleared at the last second.
    Bradley - 7 Had more energy than most in the first half. Seemed eager to combine but somehow the passing never clicked. Scored a tricky goal.
    Torres - 4 Did not deliver the "Reyna presence". Multiple turnovers in our own half. Was not marking anything important when Slovenia struck from central midfield for goal #1. Caught behind the play on goal #2.
    Altidore - 6 Frustrating because he has the build of a target man but just could use it until the Bradley goal.
    Findley - 5 Had some nice runs on the ball, but wasted his one good foray into the box.
    Cherundolo - 7 probably our best player in the first half. Tired in the 2nd and turned the ball over a lot.
    Gooch - 5 kept his man onside on goal #2, screened Howard on goal #1. Don't think he's close to 100%.
    Demerit - 6 no glaring errors.
    Bocanegra - 6 didn't see much of the ball.
    Howard - 5 deer in the headlights on goal #1.

    Edu - 4 Turned ball over repeatedly. Deserved a goal. Better defensively than Torres, but I really hope Clark is rested and ready.
    Gomez - 6 well, we scored with him on.
    Benny - 6 had one key late tackle. Otherwise so-so. We scored two with him on.
     
  22. mannycoon

    mannycoon Member

    May 13, 2009
    Howard 4 - Both goals were tough, but on better days he might stop them, seems to get beat from distance more than expected, poor distribution.

    Bocanegra 5 - Good defense, bad passing
    Onyewu 4 - Slowness led to get getting beat, also poor passing
    Demerit 6 - Tough solid game
    Cherundolo 6 - Not as good as against England, but another good game

    Dempsey 5- Didn't seem to do much
    Torres 3 - Poor defense, mediocre passing
    Bradley 7- Nice goal, covered a lot ground, won a lot of balls, good at coming back as outlet for the defense to pass to. Sloppy first half.
    Donovan 7 - Very nice goal

    Findley 4 - Ineffective
    Altidore 6- Created a few chances, defense kicked a lot of balls over his head.

    Edu 6 - Shored up gap between midfield and defense. Winner taken away
    Feilhaber 5- Didn't do much
    Gomez 6 - Didn't have much time, but made a nice run on Bradley's goal.
     
  23. Two Feathers

    Two Feathers New Member

    May 3, 2010
    Washington, D.C.
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Donovan plays a role in all 4 goals. Stands around instead of tracking his man inside. Terrible give away just after Lil Bradley starts his run forwards.... then a ll the good stuff in the second half.
     
  24. Ghosting

    Ghosting Member+

    Aug 20, 2004
    Pendleton, OR
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's not Donovan's job to track inside. The forst goal was mostly on Torres not getting back into his defensive position. The second was mostly Gooch too slow to push up. When you play team defense, everyone has a responsibility. It's not always the closest guy's job to chase the ball. Torres was HORRIBLE in the first half, and played a large role in disrupting our defensive integrity.

    BTW, Donovan also had the assist on the disallowed goal.
     
  25. NordicStriker19

    Apr 21, 2005
    Essex Junction, VT
    Howard (4) - He was just off his game, distribution was incredibly poor, probably should have gotten to ground on the second goal, and it wasn't as though the first was struck with incredible pace, I was surprised he didn't even make an attempt at it.

    Cherundolo (6) - Defensively very solid, our right flank was shut down pretty well throughout the game. Didn't have Slovenia's number going forward though, which was about the only real difference from his England performance

    DeMerit (6) - Did what he had to do. I have a hard time finding him at fault on either of the goals, and while I know he makes people nervous he consistently gets the job done. In fact, the players whose ball skills are so often revered around here end up playing far more hospital balls than Jay ever has.

    Onyewu (3) - Missing that much time is going to hurt a player, and it showed today. He was out of position twice, and on the second one, it was pretty embarrassing how far in no man's land he was. Additionally, he should have finished that far post chance he got on a free kick, was unmarked and it was within distance had he been willing to throw himself at it.

    Bocanegra (5) - We talked a lot in the run-up to the tournament about Boca's lack of pace, and everyone seemed to forget about it when right back became the new problem. Today it was on full display, and Boca seemed out of it. Passes were routinely lazy, and the Slovenian attack was working right down his flank for the first half. Could've been lower, but thankfully nothing really came of his errors, other than perhaps faulting him on the first goal.

    Dempsey (5) - Would probably be a six if more weren't expected from Dempsey, he was just hardly present today. When he got touches he looked dangerous, but it seemed clear to me that they didn't want Dempsey on the ball, and that led to Landon having so much room and time

    Bradley (7) - The finish was top class, and seeing him alongside Torres & Edu illustrates why he is a constant presence in the XI. Make no mistake, he shares some blame on both of the Slovenian goals, but in the first half he was orchestrating a fair deal of the offense, and you have to say that his efforts paid off today.

    Torres (6) - Nowhere near as bad as he is being made out to be. Had one of the most dangerous opportunities of the first half, and gave the US extra time on the ball. However, it was immediately clear that his style is such a contrast to the team's that he wasn't really getting anywhere on the ball, and was frequently begging to find a way out. Teammates didn't appear to know what he wanted either, and so he was making us nervous getting out of double teams. I don't know why Torres was brought on to be the more defensive-minded central midfielder, unless Bob totally underestimated the Slovenian threat. Keep possession? Though he was nervy, I think he absolutely provided that. His killer attacking instincts? Slovenian didn't give him the time or space to put them into play.

    Donovan (7) - Really a tale of two halves. If I were judging the first half alone, he might have one of my lowest scores; I thought that the first goal should have been his man, and he didn't take on any offensive responsibility in the first half. But he redeems himself and achieves a solid rating with the phenomenal finish and his ability to create throughout the last 45.

    Findley (4) - Totally ineffective. He's lacking any confidence with the ball at his feet. Quite frankly there were times where I wished Beasley was on the field in place of him. You can't have a striker that doesn't know how to score goals, and it's clear that he's not only ignoring the net when the ball's at his feet, but he is sub-par at picking out others in his moments of indecision.

    Altidore (6) - Didn't score, which is a striker's first job, but he drew the kick for the game-winning goal. Flashes of brilliance, long stretches of mediocrity. Doesn't seem to have the confidence issues that Findley does, but after this tournament he needs to go on a scoring tear somewhere to regain his composure in front of net.

    SUBS

    Benny Feilhaber (4) - I thought he was an abject failure of a substitution. He provided nothing that stands out in the memory, and just appears out of form when he's on the ball. There was a time when he brought flair to the game... but it feels like that was at the beginning of the cycle and a long way removed from the present. Whatever he was brought in to do he didn't accomplish, unless Bob told him to just take up space for 45 minutes.

    Edu (6) - Edu was pretty poor to be honest, he was my favorite Bradley partner and I was pretty disappointed in this outing. But he scored the game-winner which has to count for something, and so he winds up with a six. Torres looked better in possession, and Edu made few defensive plays that Torres wouldn't have. Hopefully he was just shaking off World Cup jitters, because at his best I think he's the best partner for Michael against Algeria.

    Gomez (NR) - Got off a high shot and created some confusion that led to the Bradley goal. Hard to rate a player in such a short span of time, wish he'd been given greater opportunity to knock another one in.
     

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