Photo credit: Washington Post
Juergen Klinsmann's impressive 5 game unbeaten streak with the US national team had to end at some point. Tonight it happened against one of the world's best teams: Brazil by 1-4. And it happened because of questionable refereeing and having to chase a 0-2 scoreboard against the always-dangerous Brazilian attack.
As the US coach would assert, there were plenty of positives in tonight's unfortunate romp at FedEx Field: great attacking from the flanks, good offensive posture, great goalkeeping, and having Dempsey and Donovan on the pitch. It was a good night for Herculez Gomez, sort of, since he scored on the 5-time world champions. It was the dating runs made by Fabian Johnson that provided the assist for the goal and that could have accounted for a second.
Dempsey still has some rust to shake off and perhaps he should not have been used in the match and perhaps should be rested until Guatemala, the most important match of the summer stretch. The offense clicked well with Torres and Donovan--when the US No. 10 wasn't being double marked--, as well as Bradley and Jones. Terrence Boyd nearly got his first international goal if it hadn't been for a sprawling Rafael.
The back line, sorely untested against Scotland, left many questions by the center two: Bocanegra and Onyewu. Indeed, Onyewu's positioning cost the team Brazil's fourth goal, while the second was an unfortunate handball. Bocanegra had a difficult time controlling the ball and building plays from the back. One wonders if the Confederations Cup Centerback duo will ever be a viable option again. There are plenty of capable centerbacks in the pipeline: Goodson, Ream, Parkhurst, Cameron. Perhaps Bocanegra may continue on for a couple of more years but Onyewu's stock at this level is swiftly falling.
The wings had their own aging aches as Cherundolo was constantly forced to chase Neymar's shadows and his frustration translated into scuffles with Marcelo. The same can't be said about Fabian Johnson, who manned the often-troubled left back position with flair in attack and temperance in defense. At last, it seems, the left back position might have a winner.
Up next for the US is a familiar foe: Canada. The Americans defeated Canada 2-0 in last year's Confederations Cup in Detroit. This time the game will be played at Toronto's BMO Field. It is a fitting end to the "friendly" portion of the mini summer tournament dished out by Klinsmann: a Concacaf rival in an away game. This is the key to getting to the World Cup and our national team coach knows this road well.
Player ratings:
Howard...................6
Cherundolo..............5
Bocanegra................4
Onyewu...................3
F. Johnson................7.5
Edu..........................4.5
J. Jones....................6
Bradley....................7
Donovan..................5
Torres......................6.5
H. Gomez................7
Subs: Boyd (6), Dempsey (6), Parkhurst (N/A), Castillo (N/A), Beckermann (N/A)
1 comment:
I thought Torres was lost during long stretches. Michael Bradley performed very well. I think he's as important to the team as Donovan and Dempsey. He will challenge Claudio Reyna as the best center midfielder the National team has seen. It will be interesting to see if he moves from Chievo this summer.
And yes, Fabian Johnson's play was tremendous!
-Jason
Post a Comment