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USMNT 1, Colombia 2: SBI Player Grades

Lee Nguyen USMNT Colombia (USA TODAY Sports)

Photo by USA TODAY Sports

 By IVES GALARCEP

The Colombian National Team proved to be every bit as good as advertised on Friday, and the U.S. Men’s National Team learned some harsh lessons in the 2-1 loss.

Here are SBI’s player grades for the USMNT’s performance (grades after the jump):

USA 1, Colombia 2: SBI Player Grades

BRAD GUZAN (6). Made some good saves, positioned well regularly, couldn’t do much on either goal.

FABIAN JOHNSON (3). Caught napping on the first Colombia goal, then lost his mark on the eventual game winner for Colombia. Both mistakes came with him at right back in the second half, after an invisible first half on the left wing.

JERMAINE JONES (6.5). His leadership and quality is clear to see, and he made so many plays to cover up mistakes by teammates. Suggestions he was at fault on the Colombia winner are misguided as he was the victim of some bad luck after initially making a very good play to block the initial cross attempt.

JOHN BROOKS (6.5). Did much better than most would have expected considering how his season in Germany has gone. He played with real confidence and worked well with Jones.

GREG GARZA (7). Another outstanding showing for Garza, who had excellent positioning and never got beaten by Juan Cuadrado, or any of Colombia’s attackers.

KYLE BECKERMAN (6.5). The only American midfielder who showed poise on the ball, Beckerman provided good support for the defense and moved the ball around well.

MIX DISKERUD (4). His worst match of the year in a national team uniform. Diskerud just couldn’t keep up with the pace of the game, and provided no threat on the attacking side.

DEANDRE YEDLIN (5.5). Did well defensively when deployed at right back, and showed confidence on the ball at times. Too much confidence on some occasions, which cost him possession. His touch also failed him at times, but overall he showed promise at two positions.

ALEJANDRO BEDOYA (6). Did his best to try and keep up with the frenetic pace set by Colombia, and he could have had an assist if Rubio Rubin had converted Bedoya’s excellent cross in.

JOZY ALTIDORE (6.5). Was a handful for the Colombia defense, though he once again found himself starved for service. Combined well with Rubin and looked happy to be in a two-forward system rather than struggling as a lone striker.

RUBIO RUBIN (6). Arguably the most confident-looking debut by an American teenager since Landon Donovan. Rubin showed good touch on the ball, made smart runs and showed a willingness to mix it up physically. Played beyond his 18 years.

ALFREDO MORALES (5.5). Showed promise in his limited minutes, including an excellent pass to spring Bobby Wood for his scoring chance.

BOBBY WOOD (5.5). Another case of Wood being active, and putting himself in good spots, but not coming through with the final product.

LEE NGUYEN (6). Looked comfortable and creative, and showed enough to deserve another national team look.

DAMARCUS BEASLEY (NR). Was involved in the build-up on Wood’s golden chance,

JULIAN GREEN (NR).  Catching flack for his role on the winner, but he was racing back to cover for Fabian Johnson’s lost mark. That said, Green didn’t show much in his cameo.

Comments

  1. As much as I wish it wasn’t the case, our guys simply cannot trap and pass with good international sides. We’ve got good athleticism and good heart, etc., but we sure can’t string any passes together. I keep seeing terrible passes form USNats who aren’t under pressure, going straight to opponents. On the other hand, the excellent trapping and ball movement from the Columbians in tight spaces was evident throughout the match. I don’t care who you are, soccer is a team game and nobody looks good when the team as a whole constantly gives the ball away for no reason.

    Reply
    • We saw the same thing. Well said. Soccer 101 was NOT good let alone any kind of mystery tactics Klinnsman is trying to do. I’m not disappointed about the efforts of the players. I am disappointed Klinnsman comes across as calling in players who deserve NOT to be called in while stressing how important it is to be on top of there game at the club. Looks like Klinnsman is enjoying too much no accountability from Sunil Gulati.

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    • The other thing I noticed is how often US players would step in and cut out a pass or make an interception only for it to fall right back into Columbia’s hands. Players just not thinking that extra step ahead to allow us to ever break the pressure.

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  2. Tough game, I enjoyed watching Rubin, Garza and Nguyen.

    Garza continues to hold his own against anybody…I’m fine with him as first pick at LB going forward. Rubin was very strong on the ball, better holding defenders off than Jozy with more skill and better runs off the ball…a breath of fresh air up top…need to see a lot more of him. I was very impressed with Nguyen in his limited time. He utilizes space quickly and forces defenders to make decisions, which opens things up for others…plus he makes quick decisions with the ball. He’s exactly the type of player we need in that part of the field.

    We lost, but Garza, Rubin and Nguyen were three big positives.

    So bummed that we won’t be able to see Nguyen versus Ireland…

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  3. WOW! Ratings like USNT won 2-0!

    Yedellin 4.5 for that one horrible back pass.

    Beckerman 4 – failure destroy Columbia’s possesion and those predictable passes that Colombians stole from Beckerman.

    Rubio 5.5 – Good chemistry but failed to finish!

    Jones 5 – got way with the penalty.

    Nguyen 5.5- gave some creative.

    I agree with the rest of the ratings.

    Reply
    • 4-7 ratings are normal for a losing side. if US had won 2-0 the ratings would have been in the 7-8 range. 6 for uninvolved players and maybe a 9 for the MOTM. pretty common. You should learn about the sport before commenting. haha

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  4. The comment about Jozy can be written before every game – he’s a handful but doesn’t get much service. Exactly what kind of service? Does he put himself in dangerous positions? Create his own chances, ever? I’m not offering answers to any of these questions, but just suggesting that it must be more complicated than “he’s a handful but was starved for service.” Because it seems I read that after every game.

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    • One of the complaints I have with TV coverage is that is always hard to tell what is happening off the ball. Players like Wondo and Magee work off the ball tirelessly and are rewarded for it by teammates who can find them. Jozy does not get the kind of help from his teammates as those two do. Is it because he can’t find the good spots to go to, he does seem to keep moving around, but from the TV coverage, it is hard to tell if that movement is good or not.

      On set pieces, Jozy does seem to move to spots where the ball can’t find him, yet if he is defending a corner, he does seem to be able to make his share of clearances, so he can get into good spots then. Is that due to a coach’s instructions or what?

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  5. Garza reminds me of Cherundolo: there’s nothing special about him except that he does everything right.

    Re Rubin: “Arguably the most confident-looking debut by an American teenager since Landon Donovan.” Is this what happens when you play in the Eredivisie? You get lulled into thinking that you are more skilled and composed than you really should be, and so you play like it (even against tougher competition). As long as no one bursts that bubble—e.g., by moving you to a tougher league where defenses regularly shut you down—you naively maintain the illusion.

    US Fans: Grade 2-8. I couldn’t watch the game live. I read a lot of the comments before I watched the game on replay. I expected to see a devastating atrocity of Belgium vs USA proportions (or even Germany vs Brazil). In reality, the US played well (with very few exceptions) and threatened Colombia’s goal more in the first half than they did ours. Colombia—one of the best teams in the world. Settle down, all you Chicken Littles.

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    • I agree they did play. It was an experiment and mistakes were made, so what! Now’s the time to make them and get it out of the system. This US side is on the up with lots of up and coming youngsters.

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    • Hey King, not sure who are the Chicken Littles you’re speaking to

      but while no devastating atrocity it was a similar USMNT team performance vs. a top team that we’re accustomed to seeing:
      defending and hustling and spending energy defending all over the field from big hearted USA players, our calling card forever, but now they tire more because of the defensive intensity which they cannot keep up for 90 minutes, who can? although they try;
      also midfield mediocrity when certain players are missing (Jones and Bradley);
      also poor finishing on the chances created (many to choose from);
      also Green showing again he is a ways away although we all hope for him;
      also no threatening counter attack to push back the intense defensive high pressure and give the midfield and backline a break

      one big positive is the way refs no longer seem to love to screw us, whatever the other team is doing. JJ’s hand ball would have been called in the past and I’d argue the nudge by Rubin would very likely have meant no hand ball or PK for us. I’m not being sarcastic when I note this as a BIG positive development; that’s a two goal swing right there

      interesting take on Rubin and the Dutch league and I like it. One more example why each situation is its own when it comes to development, peaking, confidence and self-belief imo

      agree with alf, lots of up and comers in the pool

      Reply
      • Hey buddy.. I may be wrong but it sounds like KGE is saying that he read a lot of negative comments before watching the game and it wasn’t as bad as he anticipated ( correct me if I’m mistaken King)
        I surely wouldn’t put you in that category ( unless you happen to like Chicken Littles????)

        I saw some positives to take away from this game.
        Like I said, collectively we weren’t very cohesive… but vs. The No. 3 team in the world and a mixed lineup I had some good takeaways.
        Rubin looked like he passes the eye test
        Nguyen getting called in despite the mls playoffs is a great sign. Even if he didn’t get as much time as we’d all like- I see it as a positive that he’s high on the radar
        I like that Jermaine is still part of the future plans- even if he’s not a starter going forward in the backline experiment- His intensely is a great thing for these younger guys to see.
        It’s obvious Fabian and Julian need minutes. But at least we know what FJ is capable of..

        I asked you earlier(guess you missed it) what your take is on Zardes…
        Cheerio….

      • Not that you asked me, but….

        My take on Zardes is:

        1) How is he at finishing? That’s what matters. Based on his MLS performance, I’d be interested in seeing him alongside Jozy because he might take a lot of pressure off Jozy (the way he does for Keane, and opens up opportunities for both of them).

        2) Whenever I hear his name, I think of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbGVIdA3dx0. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.

      • Is that Sean Connery channeling his inner Ron Jeremy moustache??
        Where do you find this stuff… I told you my girlfriend looks at me weird when I laugh at my Kindle….

      • hey Bac, I replied. I’ll repost response below. Toodaloo 😉

        on Zardes, not Eddie Johnson to me though athletically gifted. is he ready? idk, but know I’d love to see him in January to better evaluate that. he’s still young and down the stretch lost some steam to his breakout season imo, which I think is more mental/emotional than physical; the intensity rose down the stretch and he’s got to rise with it match to match and then perform well in that heightened intensity, and I wouldn’t say ne did that so strongly in his last four matches; his first touch had improved noticeably this year but has faded as of late seems to me. we’ll see if he can recover some composure and self-belief in these next couple of games and be a difference maker for the Galaxy or not

      • Hi beachbum: Bac read me right. There are certainly negatives to the US performance, but many of the comments yesterday had me anticipating something embarrassing—like Germany v Brazil in the WC—or something that revealed us as minnows masquerading with the Big Boys—like Spain v Tahiti in the Confed Cup.

        What I saw was nothing of the sort. It was, as you say, standard USMNT performance. If that means the sky is falling, then it’s been falling for a looooong time.

        I agree with you that the US is still “defending and hustling and spending energy defending all over the field from big hearted USA players.” That noted, I do see the US trying to play the ball out of the back rather than relying on clearances only. Sure, it doesn’t work so well when lose the ball in midfield—but hey, that’s what happens when the defense just clears it anyway. At least when we try to play it out of the back, the opponent has to work to win it.

      • hey King, we tried to play the ball out of the back before too, and failed usually, because of personnel imo. as said before, no shame in playing a counter attacking style if it’s the best bet, and no shame playing more directly if it’s the best bet, and it’s not so great to insist on playing out of the back when it’s not a team’s strength because of personnel. we’ll see what happens going forward

        the real test of a team’s ability to possess is when it has a lead and it truly matters. getting the lead doesn’t have to be accomplished with playing out of the back buildup…who cares how the lead is accomplished. BUT, when the opposition is down and needs the ball, THAT is when possession is truly a weapon. I’d like to see us possess the ball in those situations. we’ll see

      • I don’t remember the USMNT trying to play out of the back before Klinsmann. Not on a regular basis anyway and certainly not against strong teams.

        To say we failed to play it out of the back last week is not quite right. I think we successfully played it out of the back…then lost it in the midfield. That hopefully doesn’t sound like semantics because there is an important difference: our midfield game is weak, very weak, but our defense is starting to play like a competent, modern defense.

        Even though that was eventually unsuccessful—the defense delivered the ball to an incompetent midfield—I’m happy to see the US keep doing it (especially in friendlies) even if we *know* it will end in a turnover midfield. Why? Because the midfield will never learn to collect and control those balls if the defense isn’t dishing them up.

        This criticism of the midfield applies to the attack as well. If we didn’t hurry and get a shot off, the midfield just wasn’t capable of securing possession long enough to rework the attack—or even make Colombia work to win the ball. (I think this agrees perfectly with your second paragraph.)

      • Well thanks for the observation, Galileo! Now, unless you have something relevant to say about the game that just happened, please at least have the courtesy to post your inane remarks at the end of the comments section.

      • I would include it all as one attack plan and tactic, playing out of the back. Agreed on the midfield, nice to agree with you sometimes, and saw what you saw

        we played like that vs. weaker teams at home sometimes before; it has evolved past that and will keep doing so as the talent allows seems to me

        Garza playing like an answer, Rubin had a nice game and perhaps will work well with Jozy/Clint/whoever is played. we’ll know more after Ireland about some of the guys who performed well vs. Colombia if they can play another good one in back to back games, you know?

      • Yep, I agree with your observation that under Klinsi we are trying to play out of the back more than with any previous edition of the USMNT and that things start breaking down against stronger teams at midfield. And the ability to play possession game comes down to midfield quality. Spain and Germany, the last two WC winners, are prime examples. Both teams were fairly thin at striker and had defensive flaws, but superior midfield carried them to the title.

    • Re Holland, here are some of the strikers that came through the Dutch league: Suarez, Van Persie, Zlatan, etc. They are good because of their technical and tactical quality, and not because they faced inferior Dutch defenses and nobody burst their bubble. I am not suggesting that Rubin is anywhere as good as the players I mentioned, but we should not look down at Eredivisie, which produced some phenomenal strikers. The biggest benefit of playing in the Dutch league is the quality of coaching, high soccer IQ of players and proactive possession-based style of play. My son trained with FC Utrecht academy coaches this summer and their attention to technical details is far and beyond of anything we have experienced in the US even with good coaches. Holland is a great place for a young player to develop. The best advise USSF could give younger players that seek to move to Europe is to avoid bottom of the table BPL clubs and instead sign with Dutch or German clubs, where there are more playing opportunities and superior coaching.

      Reply
  6. You know what’s hilarious and depressing at the same time?
    On “another” major sports site, they gave Garza a low grade, and said he’s not a big guy and has trouble with being physical enough due to his slight size and lack of pace…….
    HUH????????
    Garza not only continues to look the part, he’s built like a brick sh!thouse….. and oh by the way….. his left ankle weighs more than DMB……

    (By the way, the “writer” who gave out these grades got hammered)

    How do I get one of these jobs????
    APPLY HERE-NO COMPETENCE NEEDED??????

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  7. I don’t know how Altadore got a 6.5. What did he do? A PK dies not erase a game of no shots or anything special

    I thought Nguyen should be a little more highly rated but understand he only played 15 minutes and it is hard to do too many big things in that limited time. That being said, he made few if any mistakes and did make several nice passes and one brilliant run. He deserves to start next time out for a full look, not just ride the bench. He totally outplayed Mix and deserves to start over him next time.

    So if Fabian stunk so bad, what are the chances JK passes on him for a time? Little to none

    Reply
    • I really, really want Jozy to do well,with US and Sunderland, and while at times he held the ball up well, and he did make some good passes (one very nice back heel), he still showed all the bad traits that Sunderland fans complain about.

      The ball does tend to bounce off him quite a bit, and he never looked like scoring from the run of play.

      For all of Wood’s raw play, he still got in more shots on goal than Jozy!

      Maybe Klinsi, it is time for Duece, AJ, Boyd, and Rubin to be ahead of him on the team sheet…..

      Reply
    • william

      “I don’t know how Altadore got a 6.5. What did he do? A PK dies not erase a game of no shots or anything special”

      really????…….

      https://vine.co/v/O5bAZq6zT5t

      on a night where no one really played brilliantly, he scored a goal and was involved when he could and got back on defense. I’d say a 6.5 is fair.
      Rubin DIDNT score a goal yet was active. had either of his headers even been on target they would have most likely scored and then he too could have 6.5 or better. instead he got a solid 6. these player ratings are way more fair than some of the big sites.

      the lack of midfield possession had something to do with both’s limited involvement.

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  8. Wow! Player ratings I basically agree with. You could quibble that Jones and Bedoya could be higher or that Johnson or Mix could be lower, or that Guzan did everything but pull off a miracle and might be higher, but if you accept the small spread, I think this is a pretty good ranking.

    Colombia could have punished some of the US mistakes and if they had, Yedlin, Johnson and maybe Mix would have had lower ratings.

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  9. Beckerman was severely over rated. He was a turnover machine.

    Rubio shows promise but needs to learn to head the ball. Both attempts were poor.

    Wood and Morales have no business being on the tea.
    Yedlin shows why MLS academies are not up to par and that Klinsi is right. The kid is special because of his physical abilities …his technical abikity ? Meh.
    Everyone knows he needs to go to europe to get better because he won’t get the technical training he needs here.
    Everyone sees the technical prowess Rubio has as a young age..is it because he plays in holland where they know how to develop players? They will teach him to head properly

    Reply
      • yea this Martha character’s comment is ridiculously harsh and ignorant. at least it made me laugh. worth something

      • To be fair, I am not sure how much credit Timbers can take for his development. He was signed with the Timbers Academy only during 2012-2013 season, which also overlapped with his time at the full residency IMG academy. He was with Westside Metros prior to that.

      • Not sure if it was Beckermann giving the ball up or his lack of speed defending?
        Colombia was so confident operating in the middle and then wide around 25 yards. The US is confident with guys taking shots from 20 yards out with Guzan. However,Beckermann was chasing the ball and runners the entire second half. Rarely able to get in front of offensive players and dispossess them. When the ball was played wide Colombia would play the ball into the 18yd box either with a dribble or a pass on the ground. Then balls in the air where chips or crosses in the 6yd box for quality chances. The backline can only back up so far before Colombia was on the doorstep. Midfielders needs to clean up and slow down the ball. Most of all win the ball and retain possession.
        Against athletic fast teams Beckermann cannot hang! In MLS he gets away with mugging and hacking players on the ball. Not happening at the international level

      • 1. Martha C. called Beckerman a “turnover machine,” so let’s not get side-tracked with his “lack of speed defending.” Deal with one criticism at a time.

        2. “Against athletic fast teams Beckermann cannot hang! In MLS he gets away with mugging and hacking players on the ball. Not happening at the international level.”

        It’s like the World Cup never even happened! I could swear under oath that it was only five months ago. And yet, here we are still reading comments like this.

      • Yedlin spent 1 year with Seattle academy. He spent 6 years in other club teams. He spent more time with each of the othe clubs individually than at Seattle.

      • Exactly! He isn’t really homegrown because he was developed by other organizations (clubs and Caled Porter at Akron).

      • Then again, at this stage very few players could possibly be fully academy-developed. The academies started in 2008, and they started with only U-16 and U-18 teams. The very first MLS academy U-14 players are just turning 19 now.

      • This is a key point by Andrew. Sounders Academy wasn’t established until 2010—with Yedlin in the first class. Moreover, even though he “went” to Akron, he didn’t “leave” for Akron: Yedlin played 16 games for the U-23 Sounders 2012 season; i.e., while he was in college. He played 20 games his first year in Akron and 22 his second. So which was it: Yedlin was playing for Akron, but supplementing with some Sounders U-23 on the side, or the other way around? It’s obvious: Akron was a supplement to Yedlin’s time with Sounders.

        Moreover, to comply with HGP rules, Yedlin put in at least 30 training sessions with the academy during his time in college.

  10. RUBIO RUBIN and LD in the same same sentence. I like that. Let’s just not over hype the kid (and I’m as much to blame as anyone when it comes to this). I thought Agudelo would have been playing for Barcelona by now after his first game for the Nats – goal against Argentina. Today he doesn’t even have a team. In fact, wait, did Donovan score on his debut?

    Reply

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