Thursday, September 10, 2009

Clark blasts the US to three points

Ricardo Clark knew his number was up when he saw Benny Feilhaber and Stuart Holden ready to check in to last nights game vs. Trinidad & Tobago. After a half of obscurity by the entire US team, Clark grabbed his chance by the scruff of the neck and drilled a nasty 30 yard drive past Clayton Ince. The US continued its recent trend of struggling to find itself in the opening 45 minutes, battling a Trinidad and Tobago side who were fighting for their qualifying lives. Tim Howard was forced to make several solid saves and the US even got help from the woodwork when Cornell Glen chipped over Howard's head. The usual stingy US defense was somewhat slack. Oguchi Onyewu, who hasn't seen any playing time thus far at AC Milan, seemed uneasy for periods in the game, and committed fouls that most thought he was past. Jay DeMerit was also absent with a groin strain, and Jonathan Bornstein, while better than his performance against El Salvador, was still shaky at best and didn't do himself any favors as far as nailing down the spot goes. Here are my player ratings for the match:

Tim Howard (8)- Howard was a wall that would not be overcome as he made several saves while the US tried to find itself and stopped a late Bornstein miscue to maintain the clean sheet.

Jonathan Spector (6.5)- Is it any wonder why when Carlos Edwards was on Spector's side of the field he disappeared? He didn't get forward as well as usual, but his defending was top class.

Oguchi Onyewu (6)- Lack of playing time at AC Milan made his return to action with the national team a bit more concerning than most would've liked. With the way AC Milan's starters are getting torched every week, one can only assume that Onyewu's chance will be coming soon.

Carlos Bocanegra (6.5)- Was a solid vocal leader and nothing got past him all game long. When Jay DeMerit returns from injury he'll prolly be deployed back out to the left.

Jonathan Bornstein (5)- Better than against El Salvador, but still shaky against Edwards and Tinto for the entirety of the match. Forced a late save from Howard after a miscue.

Clint Dempsey (5.5)- I'm not sure what Dempsey's problem is, but he was just off last night. He wandered around the field and never really threatened goal.

Ricardo Clark (7)- Like the rest of the US team in the first half (minus Tim Howard), Clark was invisible. But his 62nd minute cannon was desperately needed.

Michael Bradley (7)- An improved performance from Bradley this time around. His passing was good and made some solid defensive plays to stop T&T build-ups.

Landon Donovan (8)- Another typical LD performance. Hustled, attacked, led by example, and, got the game winning assist.

Charlie Davies (6.5)- Perhaps he was hampered by that left calf, but he still was a force up top for the US and forced a few chances through sheer heart and athleticism.

Jozy Altidore (6.5)- A decent performance from Jozy and nearly earned himself a 30 yard bomb of his own but Ince was up to the challenge.

Benny Feilhaber (6)- Relegated to a bench role for this match, Feilhaber came on and provided good possession and some attacking flair.

Brain Ching (5)- Didn't do anything but gave a little pressure on the T&T backline with fresh legs late.

Stuart Holden (6.5)- How many pin point crosses from Holden are US players going to foil. First Charlie Davies, then Jose Torres, and now Landon Donovan.

With the result the US can clinch a World Cup birth with a win in one of their next two games or two draws. The US plays next at Honduras on October 10 then finish against Costa Rica on the 14th in the nations capital. Edgar Castillo could have his first call up and Jermaine Jones could receive his international clearance. We can all hope right? See you then.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

US vs Trinidad & Tobago: A Preview

For the United States, this away game against Trinidad & Tobago is easily the most critical game they will have played thus far in World Cup qualifying. Why? Because the US has no wins away from home in this round of qualifying. The closest they came was away to El Salvador, but even then, they needed two goals in the second half to force a 2-2 draw. In the other away games (3-1 @ Costa Rica and 2-1 @ Mexico) the US looked intimidated and slack. With only one point separating the top four teams, the US needs all the help they can get before their final two games (@ Honduras and home vs Costa Rica). Trinidad and Tobago are pretty much out of qualifying, as they only sit on 5 points with three matches remaining, but that doesn't mean this team isn't dangerous. The last time the US played in Trinidad & Tobago, it was a 2-1 loss for the Americans, granted it was with a heavy reserve side, but still, the Soca Warriors will play well at home and have been bolstered with the addition of two EPL players in Bobby Zamora (Fulham) and Jlloyd Samuel (Bolton). Add them to a roster which also boasts Carlos Edwards (Ipswich Town), Kenwyne Jones (Sunderland), Jason Scotland (Wigan), and Radanfah Abu Bakr (Swansea City) this team is loaded with talent.

It will be interesting to see how Bob Bradley goes about forming his defense. Last time the teams played, DaMarcus Beasley was deployed in the left back position to counter Carlos Edwards' speed. This time there is no Beasley, and I would be stunned to see Bornstein make another appearance after his poor showing vs El Salvador. Jay DeMerit was sent back to England when it was discovered that he would not be fit for the match with a left groin strain. Which means we could see Oguchi Onyewu partnered with Chad Marshall in the middle and Bocanegra on the flank(where he plays for Stade Rennais), or we could see Bocanegra in the middle again with Onyewu and Spector move over to the left (where he plays for West Ham), and Cherundolo take up position on the right flank. The attacking players should remain the same, with Dempsey and Donovan on the flanks, Feilhaber and Bradley in the middle, and Davies and Altidore manning the top. According to Davies twitter, his leg is fine and he'll be ready to go tomorrow evening.

Two subs who could make an impact are the same ones who made an impact in the last game; Jose Torres and Stuart Holden. Both bring exceptional pace and hustle into the match and both are quite good in possession. It seems that Ching's days with the USMNT are numbered. With Kenny Cooper and Eddie Johnson both improving and impressing in Europe and Ching only getting older in Houston, I'd say the time is come to when Altidore and Davies (barring injuries) should start all matches for the US. Now is the time for them to develop a solid relationship and understanding. Both are seeing time with their clubs (Hull City FC and FC Sochaux respectively) and both will grow into arguably the most threatening pair of forwards to don the US jersey at the same time.

So here is my starting 11 for this match:

-----------------------Howard

Cherundolo-----Onyewu-----Bocanegra-----Spector

-----------------------Bradley

Dempsey-------------Feilhaber-------------Donovan

----------------Altidore------Davies

Gotta go with experience away from home in the back line, so Cherundolo comes in on the right, Gooch and Boca in the middle and Spector on the left. The rest remains the same as faced El Salvador.

Monday, September 7, 2009

MLS Weekend Look Back

Only three matches this past weekend as the international friendly schedule meant many players being away. Here are this weekends results:

Kansas City Wizards 4, New England Revolution 2
DC United 2, FC Dallas 2
Toronto FC 0, Colorado Rapids 1

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Edgar Castillo is now Eligible

At halftime of last nights game, USSF President Sunil Gulati was asked about the availability of Edgar Castillo to which Gulati answered that Edgar Castillo's application to switch his eligibility back to the U.S. has been approved by FIFA. The New Mexico-born left back had played four games (all friendlies) for the Mexican national team under former coach Hugo Sánchez but had disappeared from the picture under Sven-Göran Eriksson and current coach Javier Aguirre.

Castillo is now eligible for a call-up from Bradley as early as the Americans' qualifier at Honduras on Oct. 10, should Bradley choose to do so. Judging by how poorly Bornstein played Saturday night, it might not be a bad time to give the 22-year-old Castillo a look.

This is excellent news. Call him up immediately if not sooner. No word on Jermaine Jones application however, but stay tuned as a decision could be quite imminent.

US vs El Salvador: A Look Back

It wasn't pretty, but, a win is a win. A good start which saw most of the possession in favor of the American's was nullified by a torrid Jonathan Bornstein clearance which fell to Rodolfo Zelaya who found Christian Castillo who out jumped Jonathan Spector and beat Tim Howard who was already cheating to the back post. But the US got back to basics following the goal, and it took ten minutes for Landon Donovan to find Clint Dempsey on a perfect cross which Dempsey finished clinically. Then four minutes after that Donovan found Jozy Altidore with another perfect cross and Altidore's snapped header flew past Miguel Montes. The second half followed the same script as the first, with the US dominating possession but did get caught with numbers up field a few times giving El Salvador chances, the most threatening of which Tim Howard did well to stop. Here are my player ratings for the game:

Tim Howard (6): Didn't have a lot to do for the duration of the match and should have done much better on El Salvador's opener as he cheated towards the back post. Did very well to stop a late equalizing chance.

Jonathan Spector (6): Though we saw his best play at the Confederations Cup and thought he could only improve, Spector took a step back in this match. He got forward well but his service wasn't as sharp as we've seen. Didn't play bad enough to lose his spot however.

Chad Marshall (6): Played as well as could be expected, however, you could tell just by watching that the US missed Onyewu in the middle. Held firm though and was good in the air as always.

Carlos Bocanegra (7):
The US captain earned his keep with his leadership and timely intervention on several El Salvadorian chances. If DeMerit returns to fitness he'll slide over to that troubling left back slot again.

Jonathan Bornstein (4): Shaky, at best. It was his poor clearance that led to El Salvador's goal. Needs to learn that at this level you can't just kick it and hope for the best. Provided none of the service from the left flank that he was touted was going to do. Count me in as one who cannot wait for Castillo's clearance to play.

Clint Dempsey (6.5): Another on and off performance from Dempsey. Great goal, but should've scored at least two more, still getting caught in possession in the middle of the field to much as well. But his header was glorious.

Benny Feilhaber (6): A decent performance from Benny. He didn't do much wrong and gave the team some much needed possession in midfield. Defended valiantly as well.

Michael Bradley (7): A much improved performance from the Mexico game, plays much better with Feilhaber on the field. Got forward well and sprayed passes around with accuracy and precision.

Landon Donovan (8): This is Landon Donovan at his best. He was running from the first minute until the 93rd minute. Taking on defenders, shooting from outside, and providing precision crosses. Not to mention the two pin-point assists to Dempsey and Altidore.

Charlie Davies (6.5): So dangerous when running at defenders. His pace gave El Salvador fits all night. I'm hearing the injury is not serious so hopefully he'll be able to go vs Trinidad and Tobago.

Jozy Altidore (7): If he can see the field at Hull on a consistent basis he'll improve mightily from this performance. But you can tell he's learning to hold the ball up and his touch is improving. Great aerial skill on his header, perfectly snapped past a helpless Montes.

Stuart Holden (7): Came on and gave Bob Bradley exactly what was needed; hustle. His deceptive pace and excellent crossing ability gave El Salvador's tiring legs fits late on and he was nearly rewarded with an assist for his efforts.

Kyle Beckerman (5): The hometown hero did not impress me in the least. His touch was off, he was nervous, and unprepared for the situation. Luckily it didn't cost the US. Won't be called up once Edu returns to fitness and Jones is finally able to suit up for us.

Jose Torres (6.5): Oh only if he'd been able slam home Holden's perfect cross. It was no fault of his own though, Montes made an excellent save.