The U.S. national team's stirring 2-2 comeback draw had its share of drama, excitement and disappointment, but it is clear the match as a whole was one that left many U.S. fans feeling a little less confident about the U.S. team's ability to dominate CONCACAF competition.
While we work on a more detailed look at the game for Monday, we here at SBI wanted to find out who you, the readers, thought the standounts and disappointments were for the U.S. national team.
There are two polls, one for your pick for most impressive performance, and one for most disappointing performance by U.S. national team player's on Saturday. Cast your votes after the jump and feel free to share your post-game thoughts on the USA-El Salvador match in the comments section below.
I think everyone is being way to harsh (I guess that means expectation levels have been raised pretty high). Do we seriously expect to win virtually *every* road WCQ?
I thought we played very well to start off – moving the ball, keeping possession and taking the attack to ES. Sure, they had their chances. They had some speed, skills and an ENORMOUS crowd advantage. They also had a very fortuitous bounce leading to the first goal.
The US kept fighting back and even found another gear when they had to be ready to drop from exhaustion.
Torres looked very good and helped re-invigorate the US. Hejduk’s performance on the offensive side of the ball was inspired – after all, other than being fast and intense, he doesn’t have much skill.
They need to play a 4-4-1-1:
Altidore
Donovan
Torres Bradley Edu Dempsey
Spector Boca Gooch Bornstein/Dolo
Use Bradley in an attacking role and no more playing him at defensive midfield. That’s why you have Edu. Adu comes in as a supersub for Edu if we are down or seem to lack offense or creativity. Or if Bradley wants to really take it to teams start Adu instead of Edu.
Hejduk tries hard but he is old and slow, but we really are weak at the fullback positions. Honestly other than Spector playing I don’t know what to do about them. I don’t know how Califf got the start over DeMerit though. Califf is not good. Michael Parkhurst would have been a better option than calling Califf to the team.
Not the end of the world, IF we learn something from this! This is too conservative of a lineup, we have enough depth. We should be able to fit one or two more skilled, attacking players in a lineup against CONCACAF minnows. I’m sorry, we should not need 11 strong defending players against El Salvador.
Give credit were it was due: Hejduk! Great assist, great goal; he got forward many more times to spark the attack.
Worst player: left side; I can’t think of a single time when Beasley/Pierce generated an attack all night. Beasley is just not in good form right now.
It’s obvious, Torres needs to start; we need his composure and skill on the ball. I like Sasha, but he’s still a bit of a work in progress; and he and Bradley are just to much alike. I like Sasha as a super-sub.
And Harkes was right – we were forcing everything up the middle, no flank attack. We need to insert a left footed player who is willing to attack – either Adu, Rogers, or Bornstein. (Looks like Adu is our only option at this point. Bornstein is not perfect, but he will at least generate more attack than Pierce.) Donovan should play outside and Dempsey should be the second forward.
Coach Bradley – I’ll give him an B+ for good tactical changes. But if we don’t make mix up this line up against TnT, (at a minimum Torres has to start), then that changes to a D-.
@smokeminside –
I live in Minnesota.
Alright, I crunched the numbers and you guys (including other Ching apologists) are right. McBride had 95 caps and 30 goals. Ching has 32 caps and 9 goals. For some reason, I thought McBride scored more, but he only averaged 1 every 3 games, and Ching isn’t that far off that pace.
I am still disappointed that he does not seem to be able to FINISH the crucial chances when a game is on the line which is the mark of a well-rounded center-forward (which I think McBride definitely was in comparison).
Wow what a disappointment in all of the team, they play like amature not like the best team in the Concacaf. Wow what a different Francisco Torres did when he came to the field, he pause, look and kept the ball with nice passes we need him to start next game with Bradley on the other side.
———jozy—ching——
—dempsey———donovan——
——-torres—bradley——
–(help)—boca—gooch—(we’re fckd)–
ill take ball control and intelligent passing over speed everyday. the top 4 understand that and torres-bradley can service
the long balls from the back line need to stop–califf is clearly done
heydude’s ball control and passing kill our attacks…one good cross and a tap in can’t exactly save you. a little midget outjumped him for the 2nd goal
can we give edu a look at rb? size, speed, ball control…wynne spector parkhurst, etc or other central backs who can defend first…i dont think the crosses from a rb/lb should be 1st priority…
The US team didn’t play well, but when was the last time the US played well in a road qualifier? It’s great that the expectations of some are so high, but there also needs to be a reality check as well.
Posted by: Mark | March 30, 2009 at 10:29 AM
That’s the ENTIRE point that I tried to make last night. Why is that acceptable? In my opinion it is NOT. Play to BURY, I mean DESTROY teams like El Salvador… NOT be thankful to draw… It is the THINKING of that mediocrity that will prevent us from winning HUGE games in that pit called Estadio Azteca, or in Sao Paulo, or in Wembley… WHEREEVER, play to DESTROY the lessor teams.
Let me reiterate, Frankie was possibly the best player out there for some of the match, but I’m not gonna call him the best defender when he’s on the other side of the pitch half the game.
I can’t believe people think Frankie was the best defender out there. Frankie CAN NOT GET BACK WHEN HE RUNS UP! The central defense had to come out multiple times to cover the wing because he had run too far up field.
Now, don’t get me wrong, he showed some good ability on those runs, but he can’t constantly play so far downfield.
Anyway, Beas really came up short quite a few times.
Some of you people need to relax and give credit where it’s due. El Salvador played extremely well and deserved the point, and you could argue they deserved all 3 points. I’m thinking a couple of those guys will end up with MLS contracts in the near future.
The US team didn’t play well, but when was the last time the US played well in a road qualifier? It’s great that the expectations of some are so high, but there also needs to be a reality check as well.
The one bright spot I can see is that the comeback may show that it’s time to take the wraps off and attack. Granted El Salvador went into the bunker and conceded 2/3 of the filed, but when the U.S. showed some urgency the scoring chances came in bunches. Also, some important information about personnel emerged as to who is and who isn’t ready. Finally: can you imagine how crushed the home team was to drop those 2 points?
Tom –
Did you see Beasley when he played left back for the final third of the game? I used to be heavily in favor of starting him at LB…now I say absolutely not.
I love how everyone is calling for Adu to start….when has he ever showed anything other than glimpses in very short bursts? A previous poster had it right…maybe these European coaches do indeed know something that we don’t. He’s already shown plenty of times that he can’t play defense, and gets muscled off the ball too easily.
Stop….roasting….Ching. His willingness to do all of the dirty work was the difference in the game. He should have scored the match winner, but all in all he played an excellent game.
Torres was fantastic, while Sasha was not (and has never been, outside of his hat trick against Sweden’s B team). Torres should get the start on Wednesday.
It’s a draw on the road in Central America. Half the team comes in from Europe, practices a few days in Miami, then goes to El Salvador to play a game.
I’ll take it, honestly.
Was it wonderfully impressive? No, not by any means. But I will take it. Would I rather see more of Altidore in the lineup? Yes. Am I disappointed in the midfield’s automatic acceptance of the long ball? Yes. But I’ll take the point on the road.
————Altidore—–Ching————-
——————Donovan—————-
Beasley—————————–Dempsey
——————Bradley——————
Spector——Bocanegra—Onyewu——Hejduk
——————Howard——————-
I’d love to start Torres but I think the underperformance of Donovan lately is more important. He needs two bigger strikers in front of him. This way the center backs are more obligated to cover them and Donovan has more freedom around the 18 yard box. Donovan does well when he is given space to create.
subs
Torres for Ching(slide Donovan to forward,switch to 4-4-2/4-5-1)
Adu for Dempsey
Johnson for Donovan
Comment posters that are critical of Brian Ching don’t know anything about soccer. He has been involved in most of the US goals in the last few games. He plays the unsung role of setting up runners through the box. As the target player who holds the ball while others get into the attack he takes a beating from the opponents’ central defenders. I too would like to see more of Altidor, but not at the expense of Brian Ching.
Finally some people have called out one of the obvious issues with that match–GK Brad Guzan. I know its rarely the GKs fault when you break down like that on the road in a crucial match. NO one really wants to but Guzan looked painfully lost out there. The guy has about zero (important) match experience in his career, all he does is shine Friedel’s shoes in the EPL and made a couple of mediocre appearances in the UEFA Cup. How are we not starting one of our veterans who at least don’t have that “Deer in the headlights” look throughout the match. Anybody doubting how much we truly need and depend on Tim Howard?
P.S. That second goal should have been stopped. Looked world class at first but the replay showed that Guzan was just on his heels and let it go right under his left paw.
I don’t understand the desire to see Freddy Adu on the filed during this qualifying. He is so small, that he would spend the entire game against any CONCACAF opponent on his butt. He can’t get on the field with his club team – what possible use could he be to the Nats?
Why isn’t Bob Bradley on the list of dissapointments? This team clearly wasn’t ready to play. Love my team, but jeez we play some ugly soccer.
I was impressed with what I saw of Torres.
I was disappointed with the following:
Donovan – mailed it in … again
Sasha – Is BB holding him back or is that it?
Beasley – It’s over for him. why doesn’t BB see what all his coaches do?
Boca, Pierce, Califf – bad new triplets
Frankie and Ching worked their butts off
Guzan – totally overrated. Reis is better
Altidore – time for him to replace Ching
Freddy – not sure if he fits this game plan?
i’m thrilled we showed heart and fortitude to come back 2 down in 15 minutes. however if play like last night continues sunil needs to think about bringing in an international coach to get us playing more “beautiful game” than the hoofing and total lack of midfield cohesion we see under bradley. jozy needs to start. paco needs to start and jesus tappdancing christ why isn’t marvel wynn on this team? he should be starting at right back. the kid is elctric. ching is a homeless man with AIDS’ emile heskey and serves no purpose, yes he holds the ball up but his distribution leaves much to be desired. sasha was pants, pierce and califf are shite, and freddy deserves a run out. ideally we should be: howard, wynn, gooch, boca, cherundolo (i know he’s hurt)/spector or bornstien, edu (as much as i love demarcus hes too inconsistent), bradley, adu/torres, deuce, jozy, cooper/davies. landon doesn’t cut the mustard for me. sure he’s great in concacaf(although not lately)and mls but once we play REAL teams he’s useless, it aint 2002 anymore. we should and can be a very dynamic and athletic team but the strategies we deploy just seem to be too cagey and reliant on hoofing long balls. i’m not asking for Arsenal level passing but we need to have some build up and our players are talented enough to do it.
Wow, Homey, you’re up late, or early, or we’re neighbors…
First, I have to admit that because of Tivo issues, I missed the last ten minutes of the game (actually, it was the effing El Salvador goalie’s fault for sucking up all my recording time while he was flopping around on the ground).
I didn’t see the two opportunities that Ching missed, and I agree that in a perfect universe, Ching scores. But nothing was close to perfect yesterday.
I don’t understand, though, your total discounting of what Ching did do, which did lead to goals. Why is that unimportant, and why are you so certain that anyone else on the team could have accomplished it?
If Jozy, or anyone else, is the answer, then why doesn’t Bradley see things as clearly as you, and others, seem to?
I just can’t believe that Bradley is that stupid. There are reasons he’s playing who he’s playing, there are reasons he’s using a defensive style of play. I happen to think Ching fits that style better than others (and I hear you screaming at the computer screen, “He’s a forward, idiot, not a fullback!” Wait, maybe we ARE neighbors).
That style seems to be what Bradley thinks gives us the best chance to win. When it doesn’t go as planned (and he admitted in an interview that it DID NOT go as planned), he makes the adjustments he made Saturday and hopes they work out. I think they did. At the 60 minute mark, and later, after ES’s second goal, I thought it was over. But Bradley made, for him, some creative moves, and they led to a draw, a fortunate one. Ching helped the team recover, and while he didn’t score the game winner, his efforts had a large role in the team salvaging the tie.
That’s all I’m saying, Homey.
@smokeminside and anyone else who feels the need to defend Brian Ching from criticism –
Ching was not the difference, and I don’t understand how people do not see that. Ching didn’t score. Ching was on the field for 97 minutes and did not score. Ching had a chance to WIN the game for us (twice, if you count the bicycle kick), and did not score. Ching does not score. If you are playing center forward, you hold up the ball, you pass it off to your teammates and you score. As far as I am concerned, 2 out of 3 is bad.
Playing Ching tells the opposing coach.. “MIRA!!!,.. We’re playing a defensive shell tonight.”
You go to ES and that is gonna get you in a hole just like what happened last night.
Retire Ching and EJ
Blaming Guzan for the goals is pointless.
Last WCQ round in 2005 we enlisted the likes of more MLS players to make the journey(s) to C.A. to (soundly) qualify.
Granted. I do like that we -stole- a point here but our defense needs some work – like yesterday.
Homey, you and many, many others keep forgetting that without Ching’s play we don’t even get the draw….to argue that anyone could do what Ching does is ridiculous. Anyone could have scored on the header Altidore made, too, then.
I like Altidore as much as the next guy, and I hope Bradley pairs him and Ching on Wednesday. But I won’t be surprised if he doesn’t. Rightly or wrongly, Bradley believes in his system, and it’s hard to argue with the overall results. If he really wanted to play with Jozy and Torres, he would have STARTED them. He didn’t because he wants to do it a different way. Deal with it.
USMNT had a bad game yesterday, but don’t be surprised if it plays great against T and T with the same lineup plus Gooch and Howard for Califf, and Guzan. (But then most of you yahoos will say, well, it’s only T and T. We’re gonna get spanked when we play a REAL team).
To escape with a draw yesterday was not the result I expected but given the way the match went I was grateful for it. And I think we needed the team we had in there, its heart, its experience, its savvy, to escape with the draw. Heck, there were so many complaints on the blog about the stupid siren that kept going off at the stadium, you’d think everyone was blogging from the stands. Imagine what it was actually like to play in front of a crowd like that, with what’s at stake.
I hope we play better; we’ll need to, but I’m proud of our guys.
Who was most disappointing? The whole NT for the first 70 minutes. El Sal clogged, the midfield yet the US tried to continually push the ball through the middle. Why not put Dempsey on the left? Califf was only in the match because Gooch was hurt. Better to drop points on the road than at home. But the US got a point, 4pt total, heading to Nashville, where we should see better play.
Torres should definitely get a start!
I have not liked Ching for a long time. I understand the point of a target forward, but a target forward has to actually score goals. Ching had a chance to put the game away at 3-2 in the 6th minute of stoppage time. He could have been the hero and won that game. When the pressure was on, when the fate of the USMNT rested on his shoulders where did he put the shot? Right into the keepers chest.
Did Ching do anything that another player on the team couldn’t do? I don’t think so. For goodness sake, stick Gooch up there…even he could head down balls and hold up play. Strikers/forwards are supposed to SCORE GOALS! Ching did not and does not when it matters.
imagine if dirk kuyt, frankie hejduk, and mia hamm somehow were able to make a baby? holy (crap) that kid would be bouncing off the walls with an energy barely contained by earths gravity.
all in all we looked awful. torres and altidore need to start now! adu needs to come in late. and dear god- never ever get suspended again mr howard. anyone needs to start over heath pierce. yikes. michael parkhurst maybe?
and please bob bradley! work on your public speaking. dear god man. its a slow death listening to him speak.
Except for Heydude and Dempsey, the starters played like total wimps. It seems like we lost every 50/50 ball and every header!
Torres looked good as well. And why doesn’t Altidore get the start?
Yes Dan, I want a selfish number ten. I want selfish Donovan back. That is what a number ten’s job description is isn’t it? Are you not given that number when you are the best at offense. Shouldn’t the team be trying to give you the ball, and shouldn’t you want to use it more? I think so.
We must demand excellence all the time, and correct the lack of effort in our players yet not get bent out of shape and call for people’s heads after a poor performance. Hopefully it is an eye opener.
“El Salvador outhustled, outplayed, and outsmarted us for 70 minutes. It was an embarassment to watch them dominate us. Did we get shots on goal? So what, they gave us their offensive end to organize. They were faster to the loose ball (a lot of them thanks to poor passing and first touches), stronger on the challenge, and more determined on the bouning ball in close quarters.
I don’t care who Bradley plays, WHO EVER is on the pitch better play with 100% effort and determination. They are professionals… play like professionals. If the US Men’s National Soccer Team EVER expects to win in Estadio Azteca, or in ANY major tournament the US players BETTER mature and play with grit and focus and STOP looking like they did last night. HORRIBLE… Top to bottom… HORRIBLE.
If any of them are pleased to have worked out to a tie they should be DROPPED from the squad and replaced with players with HEART. There should NOT have been any celebrating on the pitch after the game, the captain should have stopped that immediately. The bus ride home should have been somber, and practices this coming week preparing for Wednesday had BETTER BE INTENSE. IF they are not then Bradley should be fired for accepting mediocrity. I am EMBARASSED by yesterday.
But they are the players, THEY are the ones who should be…
Posted by: dan varney | March 29, 2009 at 11:29 PM”
Could not have said it better.
“Everybody take a deep breath. This was one game. A bad one, but in the end it was good that it happened.”
I completely agree. it was good we got our ass kicked by a lesser side most of the game. We needed a serious wake-up call, and when you are in need of a wake up call, it is always good for it to happen sooner rather than later. Wake up and smell the coffee all the rest of you haters. This game showed some of the holes in our roof and now we can fix them. I think Bradley actually was able to mend the holes in the last 20 minutes. thats great.
We are just a above average team at home and an average team away.
Brazil tied on the road today in qualifying. Anyone want to predict their doom and downfall?
Posted by: CSD | March 29, 2009 at 08:47 PM
WELL SAID!
Argentina and Brazil tie and sometimes lose to teams like Boliva, ecuador, etc…teams like el salvador are. They still qualify and do well. There is no need to predict the downfall of man because of a draw.
I like the lineup and formation we ended up with on saturday night.
The US play seemed to turn on the introduction of Torres. The whole team, most noticably, Dempsey and Bradley, picked up their games when Torres came on. He played balls forward that were useful, passes that put players in good positions to keep advancing. Also the holdup play of Altidore was very good.
If Bob starts the same team that ended the game on Saturday I’d be content.
Posted by: adam | March 29, 2009 at 08:31 PM
Well said Adam, though I am assuming some fundamental changes from the exact roster we ended up with. howard for guzan, bradley for mo, and spector for beas?
Bradley was crap. USA cannot control in the central midfield. EL Sal exposed up through the middle of the field constantly. No link between the defenders and attack in the middle of the field.
Torres instead of Sacha. Spector instead of Pierce. 2002 Beasley instead of 2009 Beasly.
Posted by: Mark | March 29, 2009 at 06:24 PM
Haha, nice
Spector is a better defender at his young age then any of our 1st choice back 4. He also can actually pass the ball accurately.
Pray he stays healthy and also pray Smirek gets his health back for good. Remember- he was on Aston Villas radar for starting right back if his damm ankle would have healed quicker.
Villa has Zak Knight so they no all about defensive lapses that cost points like we had last night.
(Shame they lost Larson to Italy but that’s another story for another blog)
Well- at least we know now why Beasley isn’t getting minutes with Rangers. He better hope Advocat wasn’t watching last night or the dream of German football could be over for him. Yes- he was really that poor.
I often wonder why he is so unselfish all the time and passes the ball so much when he could take on players and score!
Posted by: ThaDeuce | March 29, 2009 at 11:44 PM
Deuce, he is the same way at Home Depot Center with the Galaxy… He is trying to get the others involved and make the team better. It is however, misguided and foolish when you are trying to take 3 points in El Salvador. He must begin to be selfish again…
“Donovan deserves to be on the list of those who disappointed. He was just not active or visible last night. Talk about a no impact player.”
Posted by: andrew in tampa | March 29, 2009 at 06:21 PM
I agree to an extent. Every time Donovan touched the ball he made a very sharp and quick one touch pass, maintaining possession and moving the ball around. Nice but…from a number ten who is our fastest, best dribbling, and best goal scorer we need him to actually hold the ball more and take more touches. I often wonder why he is so unselfish all the time and passes the ball so much when he could take on players and score!
Beasley’s first touch has been atrocious of late. He is really on the downswing of his career, if last night’s game is any indication.
That Torres kid…look out. He’s going to be magical.
Good Poll questions. As I already made my extensive comments on my thoughts on the game in the last thread (which ended up being very lengthy) I will spare everyone the repetition. You are welcome 🙂
I do want to post just a brief overview of my thoughts. Then I’ll respond to some discussion.
Man of the match is Heyduk.
Altidore should start.
Torres should start.
Spector or Beasley should take left back over Pearce. I am leaning towards Spector.
Howard is better than Guzan.
Califf should not be # 3 CB, we should try demerrit or Spector there if he isn’t left back.
I absolutely loved the subs Bob Bradley made and the tactical changes he made.
I am a huge fan of Torres and Altidore as starters and I am praying that we keep the 4-3-3 formation from the end of this game and bring it into the start of T&T. What I hope to see start, which is not far off from what we had at the end of the game that got us the two goals.
—-Altidore—–Ching——Donovan
—-Torres——Bradley—–Dempsey
–∆——————————-âˆâ€
Spector—-Bocanegra—-Onyewu—-Heyduk
—————–Howard—————
El Salvador outhustled, outplayed, and outsmarted us for 70 minutes. It was an embarassment to watch them dominate us. Did we get shots on goal? So what, they gave us their offensive end to organize. They were faster to the loose ball (a lot of them thanks to poor passing and first touches), stronger on the challenge, and more determined on the bouning ball in close quarters.
I don’t care who Bradley plays, WHO EVER is on the pitch better play with 100% effort and determination. They are professionals… play like professionals. If the US Men’s National Soccer Team EVER expects to win in Estadio Azteca, or in ANY major tournament the US players BETTER mature and play with grit and focus and STOP looking like they did last night. HORRIBLE… Top to bottom… HORRIBLE.
If any of them are pleased to have worked out to a tie they should be DROPPED from the squad and replaced with players with HEART. There should NOT have been any celebrating on the pitch after the game, the captain should have stopped that immediately. The bus ride home should have been somber, and practices this coming week preparing for Wednesday had BETTER BE INTENSE. IF they are not then Bradley should be fired for accepting mediocrity. I am EMBARASSED by yesterday.
But they are the players, THEY are the ones who should be…
El Salvador outhustled, outplayed, and outsmarted us for 70 minutes. It was an embarassment to watch them dominate us. Did we get shots on goal? So what, they gave us their offensive end to organize. They were faster to the loose ball (a lot of them thanks to poor passing and first touches), stronger on the challenge, and more determined on the bouning ball in close quarters.
I don’t care who Bradley plays, WHO EVER is on the pitch better play with 100% effort and determination. They are professionals… play like professionals. If the US Men’s National Soccer Team EVER expects to win in Estadio Azteca, or in ANY major tournament the US players BETTER mature and play with grit and focus and STOP looking like they did last night. HORRIBLE… Top to bottom… HORRIBLE.
If any of them are pleased to have worked out to a tie they should be DROPPED from the squad and replaced with players with HEART. There should NOT have been any celebrating on the pitch after the game, the captain should have stopped that immediately. The bus ride home should have been somber, and practices this coming week preparing for Wednesday had BETTER BE INTENSE. IF they are not then Bradley should be fired for accepting mediocrity. I am EMBARASSED by yesterday.
But they are the players, THEY are the ones who should be…
I am not Bob Bradley fan.
Huge chunks of territory were for the taking and yet there were no clear run towards goal.
Gringo Torres WILL start, Altidore and Adu need to so that they might get some reps at there club, but, oops… I mean OOOPS! This is a Bob Bradley team and it will be Sasha, Eddie Johnson, and Beasley.
And, yes, it’s time to move Boca out to the left back. Pearce is not up to this level.
Michael Bradley as one of the choices for the player whose performance impressed you the most? Really? Is this some kind of joke?
Ives really needs to remove the Bradley-colored glasses. I’m beginning to believe that Ives has a poster of Bradley in his bedroom, and is hoping for a picture of Bradley in Tiger Beat.
The entire midfield was horrible for the first 60 minutes of the game – Bradley included. The midfield is supposed to keep possession and failed at that task miserably. They had no composure whatsoever, failed completely to play the width of the field, and repeatedly resorted to longballs up Route 1. It was a horrific performance by the midfield – Bradley chief among them. Moreover, Bradley did not have a great game on defense – got a yellow card as well for his hacking play on defense.
Bradley had a bad, bad game.
freddy adu= not FTW….yet,hes still way to young and has no heart or will to get back and defend
All of you who calling Beasley for the left back position needs to just shut up. He’s to casual to be a defender. That second goal was completely his fault. If you mess up up front, it’s still 0-0, but if you mess up in the back, you pay for it.
US lineup for next game should be:
—————————-Howard
Hejduk——–demerit———gooch——–bocanegra
dempsey———bradley———-donovan——beasley/torres
————–Altidore———–Ching
donovan is more effective when he is in the midfield for the nats. He’s not being fed when he plays up front. Altidore and ching are able to do the job when they are fed.