Team and player stats courtesy of ESPN.com and
Concacaf.com respectively, and as usual I am distraught that whoscored.com does
not carry Gold Cup coverage.
Score: USA 1 PAN 1
4-4-2 (Diamond)
GK Brad Guzan: 8.0
Guzan was forced into more action than
usual in this match. Panama was able to get off thirteen shots, seven
of which were on goal. They regularly got the ball into dangerous
areas, keeping Guzan on his toes. Panama received four corner kicks,
and several free kicks around the box, but were not able to score off
of their set pieces. Guzan consistently had to make saves in this
match, some of which were pretty spectacular reflex saves. At one key
point in the match he defended a ball deflected against his own
Alvarado before getting up to dive at the rebound shot. Guzan has
been the best performer for the United States thus far this
tournament, and it says a lot about this team that he has had to be.
Timothy Chandler continues to
disappoint for team USA. On defense he attempts risky tackles high up
the midfield, and when they fail—and they always do, he leaves huge
gaps in the defense. He is worse offensively. Chandler gives up the
ball very easily. His overall passing accuracy last night was not
bad, 84%, the whole US team combined for an 88% pass accuracy.
However, the big problem is where he gives up the ball: in US
territory before reaching the midline. This leads to easy breaks for
the opponent. Chandler does not provide a positive contribution on
offense or defense. It is time to give someone else a real chance.
Once again Alvarado has an uneven
performance, but it is the bad that will overshadow the good he did
in this match. Alvardo was the main culprit allowing Panama's goal.
He came to the edge of the box to defend the man receiving the ball
and he was easily turned by the offensive player allowing a dangerous
ball to cross right in front of the goal. Alvardo also nearly put in
an own goal when a FK ball deflected off his knee towards goal, and
only the quick reflexes of Brad Guzan saved him form that indignity.
Otherwise Alvarado was pretty good. Despite his size he handles balls
coming into the box and can head them away. He also did well coming
out to the right to contain wingers when he had to. Alvarado led the
team in pass attempts and did well with an accuracy of 95%. He is an
exciting prospect, but right now he is too prone to the big error.
Brooks picked up a yellow card, his
second of the tournament, early in the match so will miss the
quarterfinal match. He was alright in this match. He was too late
tracking the runner on the goal scoring play, and should have down
better. However, Brooks' tackling and ability to win aerials into the
box were on display, and vital to the US's ability to hold onto a
draw in this match.
Fabian Johnson was just ok in this
match. In the first half he got caught up too high on the pitch, but
Morales did a great job defensively to cover him. In the second half
Johnson focused more on defense and made some key tackles, and did a
good job winning the ball for the US, whether it was intercepting a
ball or winning races to loose balls. Alejandro Bedoya came to the
left side in the second half, and he and Johnson formed the most
prolific wing attack the US has had all tournament while they were on
the pitch together. Johnson was dangerous in spurts on offense. He
made a couple deep runs allowing goal scoring opportunities, but none
of those were too dangerous for the defense.
Kyle Beckerman is an interesting case.
He shows all the tools to dominate the midfield at times, but others
he seems completely overwhelmed. He was unable to trouble the
Panamanian attack, and slow them down, putting too much pressure on
the center backs. He needs to commit to a holding position,
especially in the first half when Panama was dominated possession.
Panama should not be getting off twice as many shots as the United
States, and a big reason they are is their domination of the
midfield. Beckerman also failed to deliver in distribution. His
passing accuracy was below 80%, and he was not as involved as he
should have been, playing in the center of the midfield.
Bedoya struggled in the first half
while playing on the right. He and Chandler had trouble linking up
and he was not receiving the ball in ideal positions. He did receive
one great opportunity in the first half receiving the ball on the
right and dribbling towards the goal. He had men in the middle but
failed to cross it early enough and ended up taking a tough shot at a
bad angle that was easily dealt with. In the second half Bedoya did
much better to get involved in the attack, linking up well with
Johnson. He recorded the assist on a play started by Gyasi Zardes,
receiving the ball on the left side of the box and finding Bradley
towards the far post for a goal. Bedoya also did a respectable job on
defense, once he was paired with Johnson on the right side.
Morales struggled to get involved in
the game on offense. He only made six passes the entire first half
before being subbed following the break. However, he did an excellent
job covering for Fabian Johnson on the left side and contributing to
the defense.
In this match Michael Bradley played
the farthest forward he has all tournament. His passing was excellent
he finished with a 91% passing accuracy, which is outstanding
considering how far forward he was playing. He also threatened the
defense with late runs into the box, one of which scored the US's
only goal. Bradley needs to get back to his opening game free kick
form, because since that match he has been inconsistent taking free
kicks.
Wondolowski only played the first
half. He was substituted in favor of Clint Dempsey to begin the
second half. Wondolowski had trouble getting involved in the first
half. However, this was because the US struggled to get possession of
the ball, and when they did have possession they rarely were able to
enter the final third. This is hardly Wondolowski's fault. He even
tried coming out to receive the ball deeper in the midfield, and
tried to employ some trickery to advance the ball. So, no, Wondo did
not have a great performance, but he was trying to do what he could
with what was given.
In 90 minutes Zardes did not attempt a
single shot. He also only made seventeen total passes all match. He
needs to find a way to be more involved. There is no excuse for
having that little effect on the game (from a quantity perspective).
Now, when Zardes did touch the ball, good things often did occur. He
started the play which led to Bradley's goal. However, he needs to be
more assertive and create more opportunities: take on some defenders
on the dribble, position yourself for the long ball, drift out wide
to receive the ball in space, whatever it takes, but ultimately he
needs to work harder. Sorry that there is not Robbie Keane by your
side to draw the defense for you, sigh.
Yedlin played the entire second half
but did not get too many touches in that times. This is because the
US's attack shifted to the left side in the second half, and Yedlin
was often left out of the play. Yedlin did not take a very aggressive
position in the match. He was content playing deeper in the midfield
and focus on defense. This helped the US carry much more possession
in the second half and also aided in covering defensive lapses by
Chandler. However, Yedlin also did not threaten offensive as a
result.
Dempsey seemed completely lazy in this
match. He wasted multiple chances created by Fabian Johnson, Michael
Bradley and Gyasi Zardes, specifically, as he was unwilling to put
forth his best effort. He was given a couple excellent chances too. A
little after the seventy-fifth minute, Johnson received the ball deep
down the left hand side and he sent a ball on the ground to an open
Dempsey at the top of the box. He should have had a clear goal
scoring opportunity, but his first touch was too heavy and he lost
possession of the ball. This happened several times in the half.
Johannsson came in with twenty minutes
to go. He only made two passes and did not attempt a shot. There is
not much to say here.
Panama could have scored several goals
and easily won this match in the first half if not for Guzan. He is
proving his worth, and showing that the US may not be lost in goal
without Tim Howard.
-I am again befuddled by the team
selection. This game ultimately did not matter. The US would win the
group no matter the outcome. So, it was an opportunity for the US to
try something they hadn't yet. This could be useful considering how
dreadful the back line has been all tournament. I would of loved to
see them try and pair Fabian Johnson with someone new, rather than
insert the always dreadful Timothy Chandler. I have not hidden by
preference for Brad Evans in that position, but he has only played
one half opposite Johnson this tournament. So, it is unlikely they go
with that option for the quarterfinals if they would not play them
together in this match. Or, if they preferred, they could have tried
Garza on the left, and moved Fabian Johnson back over to the right.
This would have been a welcome experiment to see how the team reacts
to the change. But, they declined to try something different, and I
must assume they intend to roll with Johnson and Chandler. CHANDLER
CANNOT PLAY AGAINST MEXICO THEY WILL BE HIS KRYPTONITE, NOT THAT HE
NEEDS TO BE EXPOSED TO KRYPTONITE TO BE TERRIBLE.
That said, I do like that they
tried Zardes up top in this match. That is the way to go about this
match, trying something to see how the team reacts to it.
-I am not a big
proponent of Chris Wondolowski, but he would have done a heck of a
lot better job than Clint Dempsey in that second half. The rest of
the offense seemed to click, but they failed to link up with the guys
up front. So, I just have to sit and Wondo to myself how
different if the indifferent Dempsey had not been brought in for
Wondowlowski.
Group Stage Best XI, ie, who should
start in the quarterfinals:
4-3-1-2
GK Brad Guzan 7.4
RB Brad Evans 6.2
CB Tim Ream 6.0
CB John Brooks 5.8
(Omar Gonzalez 5.6 due to YC accumulation)
LB Fabian Johnson
6.3
RM DeAndre Yedlin
6.7
CM Mix Diskerud
6.0
LM Alejandro
Bedoya 7.3
CAM Michael
Bradley 6.8
ST Aron Johannsson
6.5
ST Clint Dempsey
6.1
The above is
obviously based upon current roster, but I am pretty sure they can
substitute a few players from the roster if they want to before the
quarterfinal. Based upon the way they have played thus far I am going
to assume they will.
Questions for discussion:
What would your
optimum starting XI be now that group stage is over for the US?
What do you think the US's chances are to win?
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