re: Official World Cup discussion thread - USA Eliminated

quote:

---

My bad. That's what I meant.

---

quote:

---

Bedoya worked his arse off and deserves to start

---

quote:

---

the MLS player grades were pretty shitty. Beasely should have been the worst. They gave Jones a 5.5

---

quote:

---

G Tim Howard, 8 -- Commanded his box well and was quick off his line. Produced a fine save to deny Gyan in the first half and denied him again in the second.

D DaMarcus Beasley, 4 -- Had trouble keeping his feet, and did little to prevent the steady stream of crosses coming from his side. Improved in the second half but will need to improve against Portugal.

D Matt Besler, 6 -- His clearances weren't always as authoritative as they needed to be, but he had some crucial blocks and was solid overall though his passing wasn't at his normal level. An injured hamstring ended his night after 45 minutes.

D Geoff Cameron, 7 -- Commanding in the air, and had some key clearances on the ground, but wasn't as clean with his passing as he needed to be. That said, this night was all about defending, and his proved to be immense in that area.

D Fabian Johnson, 4 -- Didn't have to do much defensively in the first half and was largely contained in terms of the attack. He defended his side of the field well, that is until he failed to track Ayew's run.

M Jermaine Jones, 7 -- His slick pass helped set up Dempsey, but he was inconsistent on the ball afterwards. That said, on a night when the U.S. did a ton of defending, his presence, hustle, and savvy were vital.

M Kyle Beckerman, 7 -- Played his usual simple, possession based game, and delivered some vital tackles as well. An absolute rock in midfield.

M Michael Bradley, 4 -- Though he put in his usual shift on defense, his attacking game seemed miles off. He played shaky passes throughout and his touch was lacking as well.

M Alejandro Bedoya, 6 -- Provided his usual graft on defense, and threatened with a free kick in the first half, but struggled to link up with teammates. His work rate was immense.

F Clint Dempsey, 7 -- He made one of the plays that mattered taking his goal with aplomb. Struggled to have an impact thereafter, but this was more down to the team's inability to keep the ball.

F Jozy Altidore, 6 -- Held the ball up well during his brief time on the field, only to see his night cut short by his aforementioned hamstring injury.

Subs:

F Aron Johannsson, 5 -- Tried to step into Altidore's shoes, but struggled with his back to goal.

D John Brooks, 8 -- Had a shaky beginning, but came up big in the end. He eventually settled down on defense and his header gave the U.S. three huge points.

M Graham Zusi, 7 -- Brought some badly needed energy to the U.S. midfield, and his inch-perfect cross set up the game-winner.

---

quote:

---

the MLS player grades were pretty shitty. Beasely should have been the worst. They gave Jones a 5.5

---

quote:

---

Howard is a beast

---