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Trinidad & Tobago 2, USA 1: A Look Back

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                                                                                Photo by ISIphotos.com

Consider it a valuable lesson in international soccer.

The U.S. men’s national team fielded a young squad with several top prospects and the team got a first-hand look at how tough World Cup qualifying can be.

Trinidad & Tobago was tougher, created more chances and showed more energy than its younger opponent.

To be fair, the U.S. team was very inexperienced and hadn’t played together previous to Wednesday (although many of the starters were Olympic teammates). That still didn’t explain away several disappointing individual performances.

Here is a closer look at how the U.S. national team’s players did on Wednesday night:

Player Grades

Brad Guzan (5). Looked shaky in the area and wasn’t overly aggressive. Made one good save on a dangerous free kick in the first half, but probably showed the rust that comes from not having played in recent months.

Heath Pearce (5). Had his hands full with Carlos Edwards, and lost him on T&T’s first goal, but Pearce showed a willingness to get into the attack and even beat his man a few times. Not a great performance but the quality of his individual match-up can’t be ignored.

Dan Califf (5). Caught in no-man’s land on Latapy’s goal. Showed his physical limitations as well as the positives of his experience. Doesn’t look like a great option behind the U.S. team’s regular starters.

Michael Orozco (5.5). Much steadier than I thought he would be in his first senior national team start. He doesn’t have the size you look for, but Orozco put himself in good positions and avoided mistakes. Is a promising center back prospect who just might have moved ahead of Califf on the depth chart.

Frankie Hejduk (3).  You love his hustle but hate his lack of skill. It was his poor pass that led to the breakout and eventual Russell Latapy goal. He mis-hit crosses and turned the ball over repeatedly. The performance makes you pray for Marvell Wynne to start getting minutes.

DaMarcus Beasley (6). Very active and tried his best to initiate attacks, but never did connect well with the rest of the midfield. Tried his best to carry the play at times but that’s not really his game. He definitely missed Landon Donovan and Brian Ching tonight.

Jose Torres (5.5). He was pushed around early on, and even gave up a very dangerous free kick early, but Torres eventually settled down and showed a good combination of skill, vision and work rate. Where Freddy Adu was flashier with the ball, Torres did much more work off the ball. Some blame him for losing Latapy on the first goal but he was racing back and was at least near the danger area, whereas teammates Maurice Edu and Sacha Kljestan were very late getting back. Torres showed enough to merit another start in the qualifying finale against Guatemala.

Freddy Adu (5). He can look very good on the ball, and kept possession better than most, but it’s easy to remember his bright spots when the reality is he was actually not that effective. I thought he played well initially, but on second viewing you realize how much he disappeared in the second half and how ineffective he was at trying to go at the defense. He had a promising first half, finding a lot of the ball and helping keep possession, but he didn’t create any real chances on the night and faded in the second half. The talent is there, but you have to wonder how much not playing for Monaco is hurting his development.

Maurice Edu (4). Wow. His first 30 minutes on Wednesday night were 30 of the worst minutes a player has ever played in a national team uniform. Turnover after turnover left you wondering what was wrong. He eventually settled down and played a much better second half, but still failed to impose himself and was nowhere to be found on the first T&T goal.

Sacha Kljestan (4). After two solid games in qualifying, Kljestan delivered a real stinker. Turnovers and ineffectiveness made him look like a shell of the player who looked so good in the first T&T game. Blame it on him playing on the wing if you want. That’s no excuse for some of the simple mistakes he made and the general lack of contributions.

Jozy Altidore (5). An Eddie Johnson-like first half (though Johnson actually scored a goal in qualifying at T&T four years ago), where he just provided nothing, then a silly shirt grab in the penalty area that set up T&T’s game winner. Altidore avoided a worse grade with his impressive effort to go at the Trinidad defense and set up Davies with a perfect cross, but an overall disappointing night.

SUBS

Charlie Davies (7). I’ve been a fan for a while and Davies showed why on Wednesday, coming on late and providing energy and purpose to the attack. Just as he did in the closing minutes against Nigeria in the Olympics, Davies was relentless in his pursuit of a goal, only this time he found one.

Danny Szetela (6). Looked good in limited action. Showed a good touch and his dangerous cross into the penalty area deserved to at least create a shot on goal, but no Americans were there to take advantage. With Edu and Kljestan looking so bad, and Szetela playing regularly in Italy’s Serie B, I can’t help but wonder if Szetela will make a move up the depth charts come 2009.

Chris Rolfe (DNP). Not enough time to make an impression.

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Not that it should have taken last night’s match to prove it, but the performance certainly helped put into perspective just how strong the full senior national team is and how important all of the current starters are to the team’s recent success. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a place or role for any of the young players who played on Wednesday. I still see one or two of them having starting roles in the Hexagonal Round, but we saw first-hand that the development and evolution of young talents is a process and isn’t something that can or should be rushed.

Lastly, I wanted to discuss Latapy’s goal and the multitude of breakdowns on the play. It starts with Hejduk, who receives a good header pass from Kljestan with some time to make a decision. Hejduk’s touch lets him down and his attempted pass back to Kljestan is off the mark and is intercepted by Birchall. Birchall races through an empty middle of the field and faces no pressure until Torres races back to try and challenge him. Birchall slides a pass to Latapy, who gives it up to Edwards on the wing. Edwards puts a few moves on Heath Pearce to give himself enough space to send a chip cross to a wide-open Latapy, who hits a shot off the left post and off Guzan’s back, into the net.

I won’t fault Torres on the goal because he’s the only one to get back and pressure both Birchall and Latapy before sliding over to try and provide some help on Edwards. Latapy is left wide open because A) Maurice Edu is nowhere to be found (he doesn’t even show up on the screen until after the shot) and B) Dan Califf puts himself in no-man’s land. Orozco and Califf are both facing the left flank, where Edwards is coming in from, but it is Califf who is just a few feet behind Orozco instead of posting up at the penalty spot. By the time Califf reacts to Edwards’ cross, it’s too late.

So that’s Hejduk’s turnover, Pearce beaten by Edwards on the cross and both Edu and Califf failing to account for Latapy. It took four breakdowns for that goal to happen, four chances for an American player to prevent it.

That’s just one of the many lessons learned on Wednesday night, lessons the young Americans will hopefully carry over into 2009, when some of them will be called on to play bigger roles with the national team in much tougher World Cup qualifying matches. Yes, the loss was disappointing, but not as disappointing as it would be if the youngsters didn’t learn from it.

What did you think of the match? Which players impressed you? Which players disappointed you? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Edu had the worst touch I have ever seen from a US National Team member. Adu had none of the flash or confidence that he usually has.

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  2. OK after watching the game again, my rankings:

    10 – Star Spangled Banner played on Steel Drums, totally rad.

    6.5 Szeltza, Davies Could have been a substitutes mentality, but both brough energy and Szeltzas ball control was on par with the best on the field for the U.S.

    6- Orozco, Hejduk, Torres The only starters who played to their potential in this game. Yes Hejduk blew his crosses, but that is his game, his overlapping runs created the only space up front until Pearce started his runs later in the game.

    5.5 – Pearce had the toughest match up, and had he overlapped in the first half it may have been a different game. Showed well as game went on, he was well positioned on the first goal and it took an extraordinary play and some luck to be beat. Can’t fault him too much for that.

    5 Beazley- Completely forgettable

    4.5 Guzan, Adu – Adu held the ball fairly well, but provided nothing on any triangular plays

    4.0 Sacha, Altidore – Altidore had the worst game I’ve ever seen him play. Sacha is inconsistent.

    3.0 Califf, Edu No first touch for Mo, terrible passes can’t be blamed on the field. Califf, the 1st goal was his issue he did not pick up the runner in his area.

    When you get the lack of flank play and the lack of through balls in the middle, you get a clogged midfield in the final third. Clearly Davies should have been brought in earlier and probably for Edu with Sacha moving to the middle, then split your Forwards to each side to provide less congestion in the middle and let your wide midfielders break down the CB’s with the forwards collapsing as they do. seems simple on paper 🙂

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  3. Just now reading through this thread. My favorite part –

    Ives – throwing in a solid I told you so, to all the zealots who have been calling for an upheaveal of the senior side for all the young guns.

    Great Stuff.

    Reply
  4. I don’t really put much stock in this game at all. It was a meaningless game for us, and Bradley rightfully pulled the bulk of the main starters. Why risk serious injury to a key player in a game that has no impact on qualifying?? It was a no-brainer.

    Having said that, it was good for the young guys to get that experience, especially on foreign soil. We couldn’t have possibly expected cohesive play from this team that was essentially thrown together, but hopefully Bradley will use a similar line-up against Guatemala in Colorado. Perhaps between now and then some training together will give us a chance to see what the younger pool is fully capable of.

    Reply
  5. Ed_Hutch,

    Take this with a grain of salt. I’m not saying Hejduk deserves to be playing but here’s how the logic behind Bradley’s inclusion of him: Experience, versatility and workhorse.

    Hejduk’s touch has deteriorated pretty quickly which is unfortunate. It makes him a liability as a starter. But given that he can go 90 minutes without losing form, makes him a very useful player but probably only as a late game sub to help get some fresh legs out there and to close out a game.

    While Hejduk’s touches and passing left us clamoring for Marvell Wynne, his positioning was solid which comes from experience. He’s also been tested over his career in difficult matches and while he’s not spectacular, he doesn’t make horrible mistakes (barring a two footed, cleats up tackle). He’s also capable of playing multiple positions on both sides. Which of course is helpful when you have to make a sub due to injury.

    I disagree with Hejduk’s selection, let alone him getting the start. But I can at least see why Bob Bradley chose to use him last night. I thought Wynne would’ve been the better option and keeping Bocanegra would’ve served us better.

    Reply
  6. FIRST OF ALL:CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN ME WHY FRANKIE HEJDUK IS STILL GETTIN STARTS ON THE MNT?IS JUST PLAIN ASTONISHING . IVES IS RIGHT IN MOST OF HIS EVALUATION . FRANKIE IS THE SARAH PALIN OF US SOCCER , WHEN HE HAS THE BALL YOU JUST EXPECT HIM TO MAKE A MISTAKE PLAIN AND SIMPLE . ANOTHER THING THAT IS JUST BAFFLING IS HOW SLOW OUR PLAYERS ARE . I DONT KNOW IS THIS IS BECAUSE OF MLS BUT WHEN ON THE FIELD , A LOT OF OUR PLAYERS DONT SHOW A LOT OF HEART SPECIALLY ON DEFENSE . WHEN WE DONT HAVE THE BALL YOU SEE PLAYERS LIKE KLEJSTAN , ADU , ALTIDORE JUST JOGGIN ON THE FIELD . THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN WHEN U SEE A WORLD CUP QUALIFIER IN ANY OTHER PART OF THE WORLD , IN OTHER MNT’S YOU SEE EVERYBODY HUSTLING , PRESSING , HELPING , ETC . I DONT KNOW IF IS THE COACH’S FAULT OR IS THE FACT THAT THESE PLAYERS DO NOT WANT TO GET INJURED BUT IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT THEY ARE NOT GIVING 100 PERCENT , EVEN SENIOR PLAYERS LIKE DEMPSEY . MAYBE THEY ARE TOO CUTE TO RUN I GUESS. OTHER OBSERVATIONS FROM THE GAME : TORRES HAS TALENT BUT HE CANT PHYSICALLY COMPETE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD HIS FUTURE ON THE NATIONAL TEAM LIES ON THE WING LIKE AN AMERICAN ANDRES GUARDADO . EDU NEEDS TO BE THINKING ABOUT BECOMING A CENTRAL DEFENDER ; HE HAS THE PHYSICAL TOOL BUT THE TOUCH IS JUST NOT THERE . AND FINALLY IT IS STARTING TO SHOW THAT THE DECISIONS OF BOTH szetela and davies to go abroad are starting to pay off ; you just have to take a look at the hustle that davies offered once he was on the pitch

    Reply
  7. I have to say, as unpatriotic as this is, that after a while, I started rooting for T+T. They just wanted it more, and it showed. And I actually smiled when I saw how happy they and their fans were at winning.

    As an added bonus, Guatemala lost and now T+T is in the driver’s seat for the 2nd spot in the group. I respect Mexico and want to face them in the Hex, but I have zero respect for Guatemala.

    And as others have noted, it seemd like the field was bumpy – not much playing the ball on the floor. the Mexico Canada game looked like it was played on a completely different level than US T+T.

    Reply
  8. Guys relax. You are over reacting. This team didn’t win but they didn’t embarrass themselves. About holding the ball? Ask Frankie, Heath and Danny, and Sacha about all those air balls.

    It’s a shame for BB to keep calling Frankie in when he has Wynne on the bench. The US lost for want of one decent cross over the middle. David Beckham needs to open a US school to teach our players how to cross a ball. It’s the most disappointing aspect of our game. We keep sending a guy down the wing but our forwards are still waiting for a decent air ball. We have the talent to move to the next level – as long as BB integrates the young players properly.

    Reply
  9. Ives,

    I asked this earlier, but not addressed to you. Wasn’t Davies offside? Is there a place to watch the goal? I couldn’t find it on youtube or at ussoccer.com, but I really do think he was offside.

    Reply
  10. i thought torres was our best player last night. he consistently showed good vision and touch. disappointed with adu, edu, and kljestan’s performances; was definitely hoping for more. guess all the landon and michael bradley haters are eating their words today…?

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  11. Love the late 80s, 90s flashback players scoring for t and t! Ives I cant post on the team exp. thread and suprise I pick, wait for it…Miami! Its the money shot, and we were just voted most beautiful people city, so we play the beautiful game. Also I bet we are the only 1 of 7 w/ a great article on front pg. left, above the fold, by the dynamic Michelle Kaufman, quoting the ever delightful Ray Hudson, in the Pulitzer winning major city paper. Can you please link it to that thread? Thanks.

    Reply
  12. For how bad everyone is saying the team played and how bad the performance was you must remember how the first choice line-up played away from home. Every game the US has played away they have looked awful. Yes they did come out with victories but it is not a stretch to say T&T is better than Guatemala and they are better than Cuba. While many players did not stand out I highly doubt many of the first team players would have either.

    Reply
  13. Our display was pretty ugly.

    This reminds me a bit — just a bit — of the Copa America. We send down a team that is close to a second XI, that has not played together, and they stink it up.

    I am not saying that Bradley should called in everyone. But this is not what the Youth Brigade were asking for. Basically, they were wondering why Altidore and a few others had not gotten a look in.

    An ugly match. But Orozco was alright. Altidore’s penalty was stupid, but he is one of our few very promising attackers. And, in my opinion, Torres showed enough to keep himself in consideration. Personally, I was unimpressed with Adu. Frankie is spent. Pearce? Struggling with a match-up against Trinidad? Oy.

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  14. I think everyone needs to calm down a bit. I’m going to admit I really did not watch the game T&T closely. Too busy trying to figure out who this “Joe the Plumber” guy was…I was at the US-Cuba, US-England, and US-Argentina games this year and I’ve seen most every other game on TV this year. Its not like the senior 11 has been a house on fire either. If it wasn’t for a bonehead Jozy foul we’d probably be talking today about how the youngsters ground out a road draw against a hungrier and more desperate T&T that needed the win ten times more than we did. Let’s just put this all into perspective, we’re still looking for the right mix in the starting 11 and off the bench. To get there BB is going to need to tinker and see who sinks and who swims. There will be some stinkers between now and 2010. We need games like last night to keep the youngsters from believing the hype. Better humbled now than later on. Also lets just be happy we have good number of credible national team prospects beyond the same 11 guys. Do I wish our youngsters were tearing up La Liga a la Messi, of course, but we are all realistic. We still are better off now in terms of talent depth than we’ve ever been.

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  15. I am always disappointed in fans that give excuses for how poorly a team plays.

    That concept is foreign to me.

    With that said, I find it troubling that our B team cannot beat the likes of T&T.

    Not good enough.

    Reply
  16. timpramas,

    So behind the incumbent central defenders I see (in no particular order)

    Michael Parkhurst – Shows promise.

    Jay DeMerit – Has proven to be solid.

    Michael Orozco – Shows promise.

    Jimmy Conrad – Is he still in the mix?

    Chad Marshall – Is having a great season.

    Neven Subotic – Yea right.

    I’m with you and have concerns about Mastroeni but I can see the logic behind his call ups. Despite his propensity to leave his feet and deliver a double footed, cleats up tackle, he can play that destroyer mode very well. He’s very sound with his positioning and rarely gets beat. Paul Scholes is I think, a player in the same mold (not skill level). He’s been playing professional for years and he still can’t make a sound tackle. Mastroeni also brings in good experience. I think his presence on the field for T&T would’ve been helpful.

    Michael Bradley is still our best option at defensive mid but I would put Mastroeni behind him with Edu and Clark trailing at this point. Edu and Clark show great promise but as of right now, I don’t think they’re ready. If Feilhaber can get it together, I think he’ll be the best candidate on this team.

    Lastly on Adu’s positioning. You’re right, his job in that formation is to collect balls played to him. However, he needed to adjust when it became evident during the game that the team needed help with possession. Wayne Rooney is a perfect example as he will come back all the way to his own goal to collect a ball if he sees the need to (or in most cases, he’s just too impatient to wait). The best players will demand the ball and always want it. Adu didn’t show that kind of spirit in him in last night’s game, which was disappointing.

    Reply

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