Photo by Kirby Lee/ USA Today Sports
By RYAN TOLMICH
Debates regarding his best position will continue to rage on, but Michael Bradley appeared a class above the rest in a more attacking role on Wednesday night.
Bradley proved to be the most consistently dangerous player on the field Wednesday, leading the U.S. Men’s National Team to a 2-0 victory over Mexico while earning SBI USMNT Man of the Match honors.
Playing atop the midfield diamond, Bradley was a constant threat in possession, consistently creating via one-twos that continuously challenged the Mexico defense. While his short game was lethal, it was the long ball that grabbed Bradley an assist, as the midfielder dropped a pass to Juan Agudelo late in the game to open the door for the USMNT’s second goal of the evening.
Bradley proved to be a commanding presence on the ball, earning Man of the Match honors over Jordan Morris, Mix Diskerud and Kyle Beckerman.
What did you think of Bradley’s performance? Which player stood out to you in Wednesday’s match?
Share your thoughts below.
Bradley played well per usual. nothing to really say there. he gets the job done. and despite playing high, he did a lot of defensive work. he had 12 recoveries!!! crazy.
Beckerman started off slowly but then got into the game well. only made 37 passes, but completed ~75% of them and did very well defensively. 6 tackles, 4 interceptions, 1 clearance, and 6 recoveries.
Corona and Mix were awesome as well. especially considering they weren’t even play their natural roles. i hope people will stop questioning the usefulness of Corona now. he is versatile, a good passer, quick, and good on the ball. and last night we learned he can put in good defensive work too. same goes for Mix who put in so much work defensively and seemed faster than i have ever seen.
Omar actually showed poise in this game, which i expect given Mexico playing with a C team, essentially. but he was dominate in the air and seemed to work well with Alvarado. Alvarado was also impressive which was good to see because i’d expect him to be against that Mexico squad. the most encouraging thing about him was his reading the game, passing, and speed.
Yedlin…that dude worked so hard last nice. his Opta is insane. as for Garza, it was clear we were not really focusing on the left this go around but he was decent enough. him and Shea didn’t really do too much in this game but didn’t look out of place by any means. not sure Garza did enough though. i think Shea has solidified the LB spot for now.
as for Zardes and Morris…they were just ok. one shot, TOTAL, between the two of them is sad. that is not gonna cut it. they have to do much better. but good on Morris with the finish on his only shot. i will say, him and Zardes did a decent job earning some fouls though. Agudelo i thought looked sharp. one shot, but it was a goal and the touch from him is superb. the kid is so talented so hopefully he stays healthy and keeps it up with NE.
Goes without saying he looked fantastic.
However, he looked fantastic when he was operating as a #8 and not as a #10. Many of his passes in the attacking 3rd were weak and the little plays a #10 makes he failed to do. He looked fantastic when he pulled himself away from the final third and collect the ball like a #8.
To accommodate Bradley, I still think the USMNT needs to play with a 3 man central midfield. It didnt work with Jones because he was to eager to push forward, but now with Williams and Beckermen we have a more educated CDM. Bradley as a #8, Mix/Bedoya as a #10, and Williams as a #6 seems like the best way to accommodate Bradley IMO.
I like the diamond, since we don’t really have any forwards that operate well on the wings.
But I like the idea of MB playing on that central level, maybe across from Bedoya/Mix, with Beckerman/Williams/Kitchen holding down the rear. Dempsey up top, or Mix or Nguyen? I really have no idea how our pieces fit together best at this point. I wonder if Bedoya could learn the #6 role… Have him behind Mix and Bradley, with Dempsey up top behind Jozy and TBD.
I think Bradley’s main problem, already pointed out, is his inability to beat a defender from dribbling. He has great control, but he’s not going to do stepovers or flashy moves to blow by someone. However, we don’t have a better passer on the team. Who says Bradley can’t do through balls? He does like his chips, but he can play nice passes on the ground as well. And if we win possession in the opponent’s half, who else do you want with the ball picking passes out for the forwards?
another great game for Michael. he is a top player.
but lets here it for Alvarado, Yedlin, MORRIS, Agudelo, Beckerman and others who had absolutely huge games (especially considering their individual contexts).
or you could say the MOTM is Coach Klinsmann. all of his crazy ideas, unjustified favorites and recent recruits paid off right here!
I think it’s a pretty common consensus that MB would be better in a deeper role. It’s obvious that he isn’t a dangerous dribbler and doesn’t have many ideas inside of thirty yards. Something that I haven’t seen talked about much if at all, and that I believe may be the primary reason he plays at the top of the diamond, is his importance as a presser. JK is intent on getting these guys to press high up the field and MB is probably the best presser on the team. He creates a lot of turnovers in midfield that lead to counters. The irony is that he is then a weakness because he simply isn’t very good at breaking down a defender or delivering a killer through ball. But I think JK figures we don’t have anybody that can do that job better than MB does, so he’s willing to take the weaknesses with the strengths because it’s such an important part of what he’s trying to accomplish tactically.
And yes, while he has the well-documented shortcomings, he probably isn’t in a position to make a lot of the wonderful passes we’ve seen him make (Agudelo goal) if he is playing further back. So it’s a mixed bag from an attacking sense, but more plusses than minuses in the balance.
yeah, good take.
I’m a huge MB fan (who isn’t?) but I think Alvarado was probably our best player yesterday. I still think Bradley should play deeper. If JK wants to play a diamond, you can just swap Mix and MB from the roles they played yesterday. I think that’s the way to get the best out of MB.
Michael Bradley completed only 56% of his passes in the first half. That’s why he seemed like the weak link .
Where did you get your statistics?
ESPN player ratings recap.
66% overall though with an assist and two key passes (which are hard to come by for Opta). given his advanced role where passing accuracy naturally drops, he did well overall. of his 62 passes, only 15 were in our defensive half. just under 25%.
Thank god somebody else said it. I though MB90 was decent, nothjng overwhelming. Actually, in the first have I found myself screaming at the TV because he had some critically bad touches in important areas. I would even go so far as to say he was the weak link in the first half when, towards the end, we started to cede possession to Mexico. Maybe, I was watching a different game.
Bradley played well, but I’ve seen him play better.
Alvarado is who impressed me today. His speed of play and decision making was something I haven’t seen in a US center back in….well, forever. He bailed Gonzo out so many times…
I like Alvarados size as well, he is a little thinner than most of our CBs, and it seems to serve him well, he looks very agile and quick like a smaller player, but at the same time tall enough to help out in the air.
Far as I’m concerned, we didn’t have a bad player today. An exceptionally focused and tidy performance from everybody. Made Mexico look like a bunch of punks– did they really even have anything more than a small handful of unremarkable half-chances? (blah blah it was their “F” team… those Pyles can send their “A” team up here anytime they feel like it. We’ll be waiting)
Great day for the good guys. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did!
“
This is a more important comment than who was MOTM…
Bigger question would be who had the worse game… nobody jumps out, thought everyone looked solid enough on the ugliest field in the history of agriculture
Yedlin but he wasnt awful or anything
the assist from bradley was sublime. but the most impressive part of that play (besides agudelo’s touch), is the guy who follows the ball into the net after it’s scored.
Didnt win much defensively. Mix was better going both ways than he was. But different positions. Hard to argue against but personally would choose Mix.
opta-stats shows he was able to recover the ball more often than any other player in blue and white, and blue and white, and blu and whit, and bl and whi, and b and w, and blue and white.
Hard to score if nobody recovers the ball for your side, though it does bug me that he was unable to get more shots hisself.
Wow, I guess I stumbled into the Michael Bradley Fan Club Forum. Or watched a different game. I saw a player who was a complete non-threat inside the opponents 30. He is not a dribbling danger, he gets the ball in the red zone and he either TURNS AROUND and heads backwards or he stutter steps and tries a chip. He simply doesn’t have the skill set to be effective at the tip of the diamond.
I know this debate has gone on ad nauseum, not going to settle it here, but I am genuinely interested if anyone has Opta stats on the game, particularly his turnovers and passing rate in the final third. I think they will be quite poor but don’t have access to the numbers.
Honestly I thought it was pretty ho hum and he missed some rather easy balls to play out wide to Yedlin the first half where he could have smoked a cigarette and no one would be there, instead he would turn it over forcing the ball to Zardes. Also, he took an extra touch when he should have made a simple thru ball to Morris who had the defense beat easily. All in the first half.
In the second half he was better but still wasnt impressed. Its like Americans have it beaten into their brain that the hardest working player=MOTM. Just because he works hard consistently doesnt mean he has consistently played well. In fact given the level of competition, he had a rather meh game
I can see the point that Bradley missed a couple balls that were “there” in the first half but jeez…. you really don’t think he was dominant in this game?
Yeah the final ball wasn’t really there but my word, he was playing with up-and-coming forwards he had all of a couple days of experience with. Give him a proper camp with those same young players and I’d bet money you see some real quality in the final third. Why hate on the guy?
How many goals did he smash into the net huh? ZERO! ZERO! How could he be any good if he scored ZERO goals?
The ball that came late to Morris was from Zardes, not Bradley. When you criticize a player, at least criticize him for the plays he made of failed to make, not someone else’s error.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha……Its a Michael Bradley forum
he wasn’t responsible for any of the goals
he didn’t play better or sharper than Mix Diskerud or Joe Corona
he wasn’t responsible for the clean sheet or prevent any goals
He just played his role well like a lot of OTHER players. He was our CM so the ball needs to pass through him going forward but nothing special
Yet he always seems to always get the MOM award (for good hustle and doing his job)
Accept it……hahahahaahahah
For their roles on the wings, breaking up attacks and impact on the game Mix Diskerud and Deandre Yedlin played excellent. Agudelo’s goal was a solo act, individual effort and skill (regardless of who last passed him the ball)
Right, a tremendous act of individualism. Excpet for the part where the ball was acquired. and then moved from midfield to an area of the field where a goal can be scored from in one pass. and dropped right on his right foot. But other than that I mean, obviously all Aguadelo.
Only a fool would not value the contributions of all 11 men on a pitch in nearly any goal. Let alone the man who touched the ball prior to the goalscorer.
and I know: spelling.
…and only a fool would not understand that if all 11 contributions where to be taken into consideration for this topic there wouldn’t be a “man of the match” because some had to give him the ball too, and if you cannot put the ball in the back of the net all the so call “contributions” are in vain. Somebody always passes the ball to Ronaldo…somebody always passes the ball to Messi. You don’t get points for effort without skill and you should be acknowledged if you create something out of nothing…….. let alone thinking about the man who touched the ball before the man who touched the ball before the man prior to the brilliant goalscorer
LOL, all those guys contributed. Agudelo didn’t get the ball dropped from the sky onto his foot. Well, he did, because it was passed to him
Exactly everyone contributed…..key word everyone but if Agudelo couldn’t control the ball with that phenomenal first touch we wouldn’t be having this conversation…..yes everyone contributed but Its 2-0 because of him
Nope, I just watched the game again. Bradley dominated and it was his work which created the Morris goal (along with a bad bad Mexican play). His pass of the Agudelo goal was the key moment along with Agudelo’s touch. But even that would not have been a goal without a horrible save attempt from the keeper.
“Agudelo’s goal was a solo act, individual effort and skill (regardless of who last passed him the ball)”
yeah, i wouldn’t really give bradley the assist for that one, since agudelo had a lot to do after he got the ball, but bradley is the one who got him the ball in a great position, so he deserves some credit for that.
Juan did really well once he received the pass from MB but MB’s pass was perfect and put Juan in that position. Got to give him a huge share of the credit for that goal.
That’s true Nate D….”some credit” but not in the way people on here are making it seem. Bradley didn’t get by 2 defenders spot Agudelo on the run and laid the ball for an easy tap in by Agudelo. Yes Bradley receives the ball sends it over the top which Agudelo controls with a perfect first touch to bring it down, with still a defender between him and goal uses individual skill and creates an opening and scores……where is Bradley’s wizardry in that play? He should get just as much credit on that play as Ventura Alvarado who gave HIM the ball
Where is Bradley’s wizardry?
Well, for one, he saw the runner. Two, he made an ambitious pass that beat the entire midfield and the center backs who were still off-balance when Juan cut inside. Three he dropped that 45 yard pass right onto his foot.
Each goal is a team goal, but a lesser player- say you for instance, or me- doesn’t see Agudelo, doesn’t attempt the pass and/or doesn’t deliver it on time. I could have made the Alvarado pass- so could you.
All of which is not to diminish what Juan did on the play, which was 50% of the goal, but Bradley contributed 25% along with everyone else who gained and retained possession or made a run through defenders contributing the final quarter.
“Bradley contributed 25% along with everyone else”…..Now that’s a true statement.
yeah, i guess i can see giving bradley motm by default, as (likely due to field conditions) no one besides alvarado and omar had that great a game, but i didn’t think bradley was all that good.
he did a good job getting out of trouble on occasion and he was involved in the second goal, but his overall passing was pretty poor, and he generally looked out of ideas when he got up toward the 18, which is bad for an attacking mid.
“He simply doesn’t have the skill set to be effective at the tip of the diamond.”
Why did it happen last night then? Mexico’s midfield was completely dominated and the US had no trouble finding space between their defense. He isnt a true 10 or anything like that but to say he wasnt effective in the face of what I mentioned is pure silliness
In terms of the “eye-test” what impressed me the most about Bradley relative to pretty every other US player, is his consistent ability to find the “next level” pass, which is what mostly differentiates the higher skilled Euro and Lat Am players, playing CL level soccer, versus the US players who originate from bunker ball.
The player with the ball typically has the easiest option of passing to his closest teammate and that’s what US players typically do, however, the defense recognizes that and rushes at the player about to receive the ball, thereby putting that player at a disadvantage in terms of being under pressure while delivering the next pass or making a move, coming from a flat-footed position and still trying to receive the ball. This is why “typical” US soccer is to pass to teammate who then is under pressure and ends up booting the ball upfield hoping that a McBride or a Ching outmuscle a defender and create something out of nothing. The key to unlocking the defense in a possession-oriented attack (vs pure counter) and putting the defenders back on their heels is to deliver the pass to the next teammate over, thereby changing the defenders’ direction and forcing them to retreat or risk being overrun with a quikc one-two. Bradley did that consistently last night-he had the poise to hold the ball a split second longer, fend off opponents and recognize the next pass and turn the defense back on their heels.
That’s why to me he looked head and shoulders above the rest-he made that “next level” play
wow did Bradley boss that game. I realize he was one of the most senior players for either side, but wow did he look well above the rest in terms of timing his runs and weighing his passes. Games like these make you wonder why he didn’t stick it out in Europe and become a cog in at least a Europa League-level club in a top four league…nonetheless, being in MLS hasn’t degraded his sharpness-might one of his top 5 performances in terms of pure domination in an offensive-minded tempo for the US
Yeah, amazing how good he looks…now that he’s a two-footed player again.
He was playing all last year with a nerve injury, meaning he had to get Cortisone shots to play and train…and incidentally, turned his right foot into a wooden paddle.
Strange how much better he looks now that he has both feet again. Who knew?
He is more than capable of playing for, let’s say a Torino or Brugge squad. Heck, he would be a nice squad piece on a Southampton or Everton type mid-table BPL. I would favor him over most lower table english mids.
BUT those guys won’t pay him like MLS does, because his place of birth has value here and he gets paid for that value in addition to his footballing.
funny
The reasons he did not stay in Europe, $10,000,000. a year
MB was a beast. Mix was the velvet hammer. Smooth and dangerous. I’m a KB fan big time but thought his play was sloppy with lots of bad turnovers (like dolphin headers a la youth soccer). Jordan impressed the hell out of me with his initiative if not sloppy at times. All said DOS A CERO!
Pretty much dead-on. YANKS!
THE CAPTAIN!
I think Mix was outstanding today as well. MB beat him by the few minutes Mix did not play at the end.
Can’t disagree with MB. Thought Beckerman was a beast as well. Quintessential defensive mid. Great performance by him.
No, Beckerman was our worst midfielder today. Time to change those glasses.
Yes, Beckerman was very good as well. Quite tidy.
I’m not sure you understand the defensive midfielder (#6) position. Their objectives are to to slow the opposition, break up plays, make key tackles, recover and distribute the ball. That’s exactly what Beckerman did for his entire shift.
I don’t know man, In early parts of the game Beckerman was giving the ball away at every opportunity he mad a bunch of poor passes. I thought he looked like the worst player on the field for a while there.
Beckerman had a fantastic shift. Beckerman holding down the back unlocked Bradley.
Um Joe Corona says hi…Im the worst today thank you
I thought corona had one of his best games in the US shirt. Nowhere near MOTM, but he was allowed to drift inside or wide while also putting in a great shift defensively. He had some errant touches/passes, but still much better than when he’s played in a more narrowly defined wide or 2nd striker role. Wide in a diamond really suites him.
Go back and watch it again. Beckerman was solid. He had a few turnovers but you could tell he was frustrating this Mexican team with his tackles and break ups. I loved it when he leveled a mexican player in the first half who tried the give and go. He ran right at Beckerman and Kyle B. lunged right into him flooring him to the ground. That’s the kind of grit we’re used to seeing from American players.
Bradley tore the Mexican’s to shreds. He’s just so cool with pressure and lots of slick passing.
I agree…Beckerman was not great today. His defense was ok, but his passing was absolutely dreadful. Am I the only one who remembers several turnovers he had in the first half?
this is what I saw as well.
Kitchen made far fewer mistakes
Beckerman again proved he knows how to sit deep, read what the other team is trying to do and destroying it.
That is exactly what a defensive mid must do. Making those destructive plays into something positive for your team’s attack is what a world-class D.M. does. Beckerman may have failed at that, but he did what he must.
admittedly, Beckerman was very solid. started slow but got into the game and did well in his #6 role.
Because HE is the best all around soccer player we have.
He was boss, the chief, the king, on that field today.
…and the generalissimo too. any hot chicks in here?
A young man from New Jersey, central Jersey, where many soccer saints come from.
Good show, good show!
Nothing good ever came from New Jersey.
You have obviously never eaten cheeseburgers at White Mana…
Soccer-wise: Claudio Reyna, Mootch Myernick, Bob Bradley, Michael Bradley, Manny Schellscheidt, …
Don’t forget Tim Howard.
Meola, Harkes.
You guys were on a roll until you mentioned Meola. 🙁
Rossi…. and Altidore was born there…
Alejandro Bedoya, Peter Vermes
it should’ve been Ventura Alvarado… he was fired up, played all over the back line covering for Omar, clearing up loose balls, winning balls in the air, winning one one one battles… CB seems to be the right position for this kid…
Besler, Omar, Brooks, Cameron, Orozco, Jones…how many CBs can Jurgen take to Gold Cup?
I don’t take any pleasure in saying it, but Klinsmann has to drop the Jones at CB idea. We have a plethora of young, capable CBs right now.
Ventura had an excellent game. He is very clean and professional. He’s athletic, quick of foot and quick of mind. I think he’s going to lock a starting position down sooner rather than later.
IMHO, if he and Brooks progress/work out, i’m happy with that tandem for years to come. Shea and Yedlin outside. size in the middle and speed outside. potentially a good back line that essentially came from a coach experimenting over 2 years.
Brooks, Alvarado, Gonzalez, Orozco, Besler, Cameron and in the short term, Jones, all these guys should continue to get opportunities to work with each other on a regular basis, imho. Why stop experimenting now just when it seems they are making progress? The whole, we need a settled defense NOW argument just doesn’t deal with the reality of the USMNT spread out over 2 continents with seasons that don’t align, injuries, and players cycling in and out of form. Why not have 6 or even more CBs who can come in and perform on demand?
sure, i’m in no rush i just mean that if those two emerge in a few years as the best choices id be happy because they’d still be relatively young. sure you want depth too but having “6” options is excessive. you only really need the top 4 but knowing the hierarchy after that is helpful.
On at least two occasions, Gonzo and Alvarado both marked the most obvious Mexican forward and let a runner run across them uncovered until too late. A better team would have finished one of those chances and would have exploited that lack of communication more often.
I am unconvinced regarding the pairing, but individually they both played very well.
It takes time to develop the cohesion required for effective team defending; the only pair of backs that seemed to instinctively recognize what the other was doing were Yedlin and Gonzo. That understanding was instrumental when either of them (mostly Yedlin) made a forward foray, was caught out and needed help while making the recovery run, something that was supported by Beckerman. Those 3 are the only defenders who have played more than a couple games together and it showed.
True, but not bad for the first time playing as CBs with each other, and a new keeper, and in SA against Mexico with 65k people.
yeah man, he was solid. i’m not ready to give him the starting RCB spot, but he’s not far behind. i think Omar played very well and probably solidified his spot next to Brooks when the A team is in. Orozco is impressive, so i’m fine with him over Omar as well but Omar was dominate in the air last night. him and Brooks would be a great combo, IMO.
but i think Alvarado is going to have a major role after the Gold Cup.
Impressive, and I know Bradley can be impressive, but this was against a disorganized Mexican defense on a poor field.
Still don’t like the Italy-wannabe jerseys.
Oh, ok, so MB was the only one NOT playing on the bad turf? Thanks.
That lucky SOB, every time he has a good game, he benefits from crap like this
Lex Luther!
so beckerman seemed alright behind michael bradley. So is the thinking among you humpers that Jermaine jones will screw everything up if he’s placed into that lineup?
The thing is, Jones has the exact skill set you want behind MB4, but he won’t stay in position. So Kithcen can play there AFIC
I don’t see how Beckerman is rated so highly. Was I watching a game in an alternate universe where practically every touch Beckerman took was a giveaway? Or was that the real thing?
Yes, he tracks back and hammers the ball away from guys, but I’m pretty sure there are quite a few other guys that can do that AND actually control the ball and make a connecting pass or start a counterattack.
Per stats Beckerman was like 27/38 passes with 9 give ways but something like 18 takeaways. So a net +9 in takeaways. Pretty impressive.
thought the same thing because i yelled at the TV multiple times because of him. but in the end, he put together a solid game and just about every media outlet seems to agree. so he did something right.
MIKE B.
Mike comes to play against Mexico. Dude dominates the midfield.
Mix had a fantastic game, and so did our new boy Ventura Alvarado. Ventura runs a clean house.
Morris has a long way to go, but you have to love that he plays at full blast the whole time he’s out there. He already has the important things for a striker: a nose for goal and a clinical finish. Talk about taking your opportunity!