Consumer Report: US Player Reviews

So USSF is selling us the product, but how good are the parts.  Today we'll look at the roster that was taken to the successful Confederations Cup and have a look at who should continue and who need not come back....*cough Connor Casey cough*. 

Goalkeepers:

Tim Howard – 8.5
    Timmy if nothing else showed his class and talent in goal.  He is the undisputed number 1 and barring injury should be a shoe in for starting at the World Cup.  He made several key saves at the end of both the Italy and Brazil games which allowed the Americans to be able to pull off the Lazarus-like recovery.  Most goals that were scored against him this tournament cannot be blamed on him, however he should have been out sooner to stop Melo’s early goal against Brazil.  Against Spain and Brazil II, he was a wall, compensating for defensive breakdowns.  Even though most the goals weren’t his fault, the 9 goals allowed in 4 games played lowered his rating a little.

Brad Guzan – 7
    Guzan’s mistake-free performance against Egypt was huge for the US.  Fortunately for him and US fans, the defense completely shut down everything in front of him.  The shots he did have to deal with were from long range and straight at him.  You can’t knock him for that though, as he had his positioning down perfect and his ball handling was good.  He did flap at two crosses late in the game  though, making for a nervy end to the game as the Americans held on.

Defenders:

Jonathan Bornestein – 6.5
    Of all the defenders that saw playing time, I was least impressed with Bornestein.  To me he is an able CONCACAF leftback as long as he’s not up against a speedy, talented right winger. He was left exposed numerous times against Brazil in group play, while Montolivio tore him apart in the Italy match.   Entering as a sub in the championship game as a left midfield player, he brought nothing offensively, being overwhelmed by Maicon and Melo. But what he lacks in speed and raw talent, he makes up in heart, but heart can only take you so far.  He made a few good runs down the left-hand side against Egypt, but his final ball was lacking.   Again, he’s not one that I would care to see in the World Cup starting XI.

Oguchi Onyewu – 9
    The big man in the middle looked like a world-class center back.  He won almost everything in the air defensively, including set pieces.  He also showed his ability to defend without drawing needless fouls and cards.  He didn’t really bring anything going forward on set pieces and really should have put away the open header late in the championship game.  That being said, he is a defender and for the most part did his job to perfection.  The only goal that I attributed to him/his mistake was Luis Fabiano’s second goal.  Onyewu lost him in the run of play, allowing Fabiano to pounce on the loose ball in front of goal. He showed he is more than capable of marking big time players in big time tournaments so we’ll have to hope that he keeps it up.

Jay DeMerit – 10
    Jay was absolutely stellar all tournament long.  He was everywhere his man was, sliding in to block shots, knocking away crosses, and becoming one of the backbones of the team.  When teamed up with Onyewu, he comprises one half of the best central defensive tandem the US has had. Ever. He completely marked Fabiano out of the park the first game, Fernando Torres (not easy), and Alberto Gilardino.  Yes, Fabiano shot between his legs in the championship, however, DeMerit’s positioning couldn’t have been better on that play. He should, and better be, the starting center back for every qualifier to come as he’s shown that he is without a doubt the best man-marker on the team. 

Jonathan Spector – 8.5
    He did nothing but good for himself in this tournament.  Sure there’s room for improvement as it was him Kaka rounded on the way to setting up Brazil’s tying goal in the championship.  But for everytime Kaka tried to dribble by him, there were two or three times Spector stopped him.  Not bad considering Spector is valued at $1 million while Kaka is $112 million.  Not bad at all.  He was also a little suspect on set pieces and in the air.  Otherwise he was very solid at right back position, offering capable defending against quality opponents and even more going forward.  He delivered two of the crosses of the tournament, both to Dempsey who he formed a great understanding with in the last few games down the right side.  Check, your move Cherundolo/Hedjuk.

Carlos Bocanegra – 7
    After missing the first three games through injury, the captain was back in the line-up against top-ranked Spain.  He was also started to Onyewu’s left as the starting left back as DeMerit has sealed the starting CB position and mailed it to South Africa ahead of the World Cup.  I thought all in all, Carlos did well for himself and was/is my number one choice for left back when we return to Mexico and qualifying .  He pushed up when he needed to, but generally stayed back and defended.  He was beaten a few times and lost Robinho on Brazil’s second goal, but wasn’t too shabby.  Sorry, not too much to say about him, he had a quiet few games, which isn’t always bad as a defender.

Midfielders:

DaMarcus Beasley – 2
    Positives: completed, um, like 4 passes. 
    Negatives: horrible defender, lacks his touch, out of form, didn’t link up with Donovan (or anyone else), directly responsible for the second goal against Brazil.  And that’s what I can remember and believe me I tried to forget all I could from his sorry performance.  It pains me to say this because I am actually a big fan of DmB (I even have an autographed jersey), but should no longer be a place in the squad for him.  He needs to take the rest of the summer off and go back to his club and get regular minutes.  And not just minutes, he needs to put in some great shifts and force his way back onto the roster. 

Landon Donovan – 9
    Coming into this tournament, Landon was looked upon to create the spark for the offense, I mean, he had scored the last million goals for us from the penalty spot.  He started well against Italy, even notching yet another PK.  Unfortunately, he and the team then collapsed after the equalizer.  But during the Egypt game, something came alive in him and he started playing out of his mind.  He became the Landon we all hoped him to be.  He controlled counter-attacks with his mazy runs and became a great distributor of the ball setting up many teammates with excellent through balls.  He was phenomenal against Spain and sensational versus Brazil, setting up and scoring a goal respectively.  But it wasn’t just what he brought offensively.  He worked tirelessly on defense tracking back to help cover Bornestein and was also a vocal leader.  His finish against Brazil aside, his lack of willingness to shoot lowered his rating, but all in all he did well for his stock in the European market.

Clint Dempsey – 7.5
    Clint came into the tournament riding his longest streak without a goal for the US.  And it didn’t look like he was going to end it either after watching the first two games.  All that changed in the Egypt game (as with most US players) in where he showed creativity and work ethic.  He finally looked capable of carrying the team as he does Fulham sometimes.  He was left in the line-up because of his “moments of brilliance” according to Bob, and lucky that he was.  All three of this goals were massively important and against big time teams.  His only shortcomings were in the first two games mainly where he was lost for large parts of the game.  In the World Cup, we can’t afford our star players to be missing for the first two games. 

Michael Bradley – 9.5
    A lot was asked of him, and he answered every challenge.  He seemed to be everywhere in the middle of the field and is the closest we have to a true box-to-box midfielder.  His link up play with Ricardo Clark has been exceptional and they seem to understand each other very well.  Even in the first two games, he was the best player for the US.  He worked hard and tried to create.  Also, he hadn’t picked up a single card until the dubious straight red card in the semi-final which is the only reason he didn’t have a ten.  He is without a doubt an “untouchable” in the line-up.  With his performances, look for him to make a move to a bigger club, perhaps to the Premier League with a middle of the pack club.  Like say, Tottenham.

Benny Feilhaber – 8
    Another of the Americans who had himself a good showing.  He wasn’t completely match fit and was usually used as an impact sub.  When he did start, he seemed to tire around the 55th-65th minutes.  He also could have been a bit more assertive in the middle, but he certainly brought a nack for finding the open man.  His role in the build-up of the second goal against Spain was classy.  He cut in from the wing, dazzled two defenders, committed a third, and then slotted Donovan into the box.  Hopefully there is more to be seen from Benny, but until he becomes more dominant defensively, I don’t see him starting over Clark. 

Sacha Kljestan – 4
    Dismal, dismal tournament by Sacha. His errant passes completely haunted the US as we struggled to keep possession against Brazil.  For every pass that was completely by him, he gave two or three away cheaply.  Apart from the lack of offense, he was lost in defense.  His reckless challenge on Ramires was deemed worthy of a red card, and honestly I agree.  Whether it was a case of Sacha not being good enough (which I think) or the occasion getting the better of him he should not play for the US again until he starts proving himself in Europe.  He needs big game experience and an improvement in technical skills. 

Forwards:

Jozy Altidore – 6.5
    This might surprise some people, but I don’t really think Jozy had a very good tournament.  Yes his goal against Spain was huge, but he was lost for large portions of games.  This could be in part because of the poor tactical alignment displayed early in the tournament because as soon as he was partnered with Charlie Davies he was brought more into his element.  He is still learning how to outmuscle and shield with his body, but is learning fast, ask Capedvilla.  With Rossi’s imminent move to Juventus and Nihat’s sale, Altidore looks set to start up top for the Yellow Submarines next season.  Hopefully this can help him shake the rust off and get his touch back to where it should be. 

Charlie Davies – 7.5
    This lad did nothing but good for himself.  He showed pace, composure, and ability.  He needs to pick his head up and make smarter decisions with the ball however, as a number of times he had players streaking goalwards only to hold the ball too long.  Still his hustle and workrate were tremendous.  His flowering partnership with Jozy up top might be what US soccer needs and it will interesting to see how the likes of Brian Ching and Kenny Cooper perform in the upcoming Gold Cup.  It will take mighty shows by them to displace what looks like the best striking tandem America has had in a long time.

Connor Casey – 4
    Honestly, if it weren’t for his headed clearances on a few corners late in games I would be tempted to rate him lower.  His touch was awful and his work rate even worse.  People want to see subs giving everything, Casey gave nothing.  I don’t think he ever pressured defenders even though he came on with 6 minutes to play.  He did find a way to lose the ball though.  He has absolutely no business in the team and Bob Bradley’s instance on bringing him on late in games is incredulous and poor in judgment.