Three outstanding People—all of them midfielders—delivered decidedly subpar performances towards Colombia on Friday, contributing significantly to the U.S. nationwide workforce’s loss to Colombia.
BY
Blake Thomsen
Posted
November 15, 2014
6:13 PM
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STARTERS
Brad Guzan:
Brad Guzan carried out admirably within the face of wave after wave of Colombian assaults. It have to be stated, he’s fairly accustomed to matches like this provided that he performs for lowly Aston Villa. Although he didn’t make any saves that had been significantly noteworthy—except for an outstanding block from a Juan Cuadrado second-half effort—he did a wonderful job of minimizing harmful rebounds. And on the 2 objectives, there was little or no he may do. Score: 6
DeAndre Yedlin:
DeAndre Yedlin is actually, actually quick. We noticed {that a} couple occasions on lung-busting runs down the proper flank. However on the tender age of 21, Yedlin can be susceptible to silly errors and unhealthy giveaways. He gave the ball away in horrible positions a minimum of twice, and if James Rodriguez had been extra scientific, he may have been instantly at fault for a purpose or two. It was maybe the worst efficiency in his younger nationwide workforce profession, however it’s nothing to get too fearful about. Each participant who’s barely sufficiently old to legally drink goes to have rising pains. On to the subsequent one. Score: 4.5
Jermaine Jones: Far too usually towards the dynamic Colombians, Jermaine Jones appeared like he’d hardly performed heart again earlier than. Oh. That’s proper. He’s been a midfielder his complete profession. Whereas Jones was in a position to depend on his athleticism to thwart a Honduras “B”-team final day out, Colombia’s motion and tempo was merely an excessive amount of for him. His poor positioning was uncovered repeatedly (notably on his late monitoring of the assister on Colombia’s winner), and he simply didn’t look snug all night time. He additionally conceded a stonewall hand ball penalty that might have been a crimson card by the letter of the legislation, however in some way the referee didn’t even name a penalty.
Within the curiosity of full disclosure, I’m a bit baffled by the Jones-at-center-back experiment. Middle again is the place on the sphere that’s arguably most depending on managed, well-positioned play. These attributes have by no means been Jones’ power, and his athleticism will solely proceed to regress, thus rendering him much more ineffective. Maybe he’ll show me fallacious over the approaching months (years?), however it’s onerous to disregard the truth that a benched Matt Besler would have put in a much more sturdy efficiency again there.
Score: 5
John Brooks: On an evening when the U.S. bought completely blitzkrieged for a lot of the 90 minutes, John Brooks held up extraordinarily effectively. He has a helpful knack for bringing his greatest for the nationwide workforce even when his membership state of affairs is typically nearing Brek Shea at Stoke Metropolis territory, and he appeared snug towards Colombia from begin to end. His tempo and dimension permits him to make glorious restoration challenges with ease, and he minimize out a number of harmful assaults with well-timed interventions.
The largest criticism could be that he (together with the remainder of the U.S. workforce) stopped enjoying on Colombia’s equalizer, however it appeared unlikely that he would have gotten to Carlos Bacca, anyway. Score: 6.5
Greg Garza: Within the curiosity of avoiding hyperbole, let’s not get too ahe—GREG GARZA IS GOING TO BE THE STARTING LEFT BACK AT THE NEXT TWO WORLD CUPS. Whew. It feels good to get that out. It’s not that Garza does something in a very world-class method, however he does every thing effectively, and he’s really an actual left again. As DaMarcus Beasley and Carlos Bocanegra (amongst others) can attest to, that’s not even remotely a prerequisite to enjoying left again within the World Cup, however it will actually be good to have one.
On Friday night time, within the face of close to steady one-on-one battles with Rodriguez and Cuadrado—two of the world’s trickier dribblers—Garza held his personal repeatedly, simply as he has in each nationwide workforce look to date.
His positioning is sound, he runs fairly effectively, he’s robust, he assaults competently… There’s loads to love right here, and he’s solely 23. Score: 6
Kyle Beckerman: Kyle Beckerman did his ordinary factor, getting in entrance of the again 4 and bailing the U.S. out together with his usually glorious positioning. He was the one U.S. midfielder who didn’t look a bit overwhelmed within the face of such relentless Colombian strain, and he additionally practically picked up an help with an excellent first-time cross to Rubio Rubin.
It’s a disgrace that science hasn’t superior to the purpose the place we will clone Beckerman and reset his age to 22, giving him a full profession with the nationwide workforce. Score: 6
Combine Diskerud: I hate to be the bearer of extra unhealthy information, however as was the case with Yedlin, this was in all probability Combine Diskerud’s least spectacular nationwide workforce efficiency. Handed the unenviable Michael-Bradley-in-the-World-Cup “Do Literally Everything” position that Klinsmann likes to demand of somebody, Diskerud didn’t actually do a lot of something in any respect. He caught in between his attacking and defensive duties, and neither actually got here off for him. The tip outcome? A recreation that actually bypassed him in each instructions. This isn’t to say that Diskerud won’t ever be up for this position, however he merely isn’t but able to dictate the tempo in a recreation towards such high quality opposition. Score: 4.5
Alejandro Bedoya: In a recreation that doubtlessly meant fairly a bit to the Colombian-American Alejandro Bedoya, the FC Nantes midfielder did himself proud with a sometimes stable efficiency. The Yanks all the time appear a bit extra defensively steady when he’s on the sphere, and he additionally supplied one of many U.S.’s classiest attacking moments—he was unfortunate to not get an help on his beautiful chip to Rubin.
Wherever Klinsmann deploys him, Bedoya appears to be as much as the duty. Count on him to have an enormous position within the upcoming cycle.
Score: 6
Fabian Johnson: Almost each time Fabian Johnson takes the sphere for the U.S., he is among the very best gamers on the pitch. However very often, he delivers an absolute clunker. The final one was in September 2013 towards Mexico, and this efficiency belongs proper there with it. First on the left facet of midfield after which at proper again, Johnson simply didn’t get it achieved, delivering not one of the nifty attacking play we’re so accustomed to seeing and much too many poor turnovers.
Additionally, his failure to trace Bacca on Colombia’s purpose was desperately poor defending. The ASN No. 3 ranked participant will certainly bounce again, however this was a surprising efficiency.
Score: 4
Rubio Rubin: For the sake of all issues hype machine, it’s in all probability for one of the best that the speedy Oregonian didn’t rating one (or each) of his very presentable headed probabilities. Many will concentrate on the missed probabilities, however allow us to not low cost the truth that an 18-year-old child’s motion was so sharp that he twice discovered himself open proper in entrance of purpose towards one of many world’s greatest groups.
Additionally, a component of Rubio Rubin’s recreation that I positive didn’t know he had: power. We noticed it on the bodily battle that gained the U.S. an early penalty, however simply as relevantly shifting ahead, we noticed it all through the sport as he drew a sequence of pressure-relieving fouls when the U.S. was parked deep in its defensive third. Properly achieved, Mr. Rubin.
Score: 6
Jozy Altidore: Jozy Altidore took his penalty fairly effectively, however except for that he didn’t muster too many constructive moments in an “Altidore at Sunderland” particular, which refers extra to his lack of service than any fault of his personal. He did fairly effectively in some bodily challenges, however he hardly noticed the ball as Colombia totally dominated the proceedings after the U.S.’s purpose. Score: 5.5
SUBSTITUTES
Alfredo Morales: Morales appeared just a little bit extra out of his depth towards Colombia than he has in latest appearances, however he nonetheless performed effectively sufficient because the late onslaught actually ratcheted up. We additionally noticed some attacking high quality for the primary time in Morales’s U.S. profession, as his excellent one-touch by means of ball to Bobby Wooden practically gave the U.S. a late (and undeserved) lead.
Score: 5.5
Bobby Wooden: You simply get the sensation that considered one of these video games it’s all going to come back collectively for Wooden. He’s bought a really intriguing mixture of dimension and pace, which allows him to get into good spots in entrance of purpose with spectacular frequency. His near-post rocket from a good angle confirmed he isn’t missing confidence and he practically scored a late go-ahead purpose with a surging run by means of the center. Score: 5.5
DaMarcus Beasley: Beasley got here on after Garza took a knock and didn’t get an opportunity to do an excessive amount of aside from defend deep. Score: 5.5
Lee Nguyen: MVLee got here on to the sphere for the nationwide workforce for the primary time in seven years and wasted no time in doing one thing particular. His good again heeled flick to Morales practically arrange Wooden’s purpose, and he appeared snug on every considered one of his touches. He wanted to make a splash, and he did. Count on him again within the fold over the approaching months. Score: 6
Julian Inexperienced: Inexperienced performed just some minutes and had the unlucky process of marking Teo Gutierrez on the again put up for the Colombian striker’s late winner. Score: Incomplete
THE COACH
Jurgen Klinsmann: This recreation was eerily paying homage to the Belgium recreation within the World Cup, and that’s not remotely a very good factor. Klinsmann deserves credit score for establishing an ostensibly attacking workforce, however there was little or no attacking in anyway, only a regular stream of Colombian assaults that might have resulted in a lopsided rating line had Colombia been extra scientific.
Klinsmann tried to push a story after the sport about how the U.S. performed in an entertaining method and may have had a draw, however neither declare is remotely true. Score: 5
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Blake Thomsen is a frequent ASN contributor. Comply with him on Twitter and let him know what you assume.
