re: USA vs. England Match Thread: 1:30 CT Rustenburg, Starters Out

Here's my player rankings for the USMNT after this match. The recurring theme is "playing your role in the scheme".

Howard - 9.5 - Man of the match. He pretty much did what he needed to do to preserve the draw, even when he wasn't being helped out in certain situations. Can't get the full 10 because he didn't get the clean sheet, but there's always the next two matches for that.

Cherundolo - 8.5 - He was involved in the attack in the first half, but had to play a more conservative role after picking up a yellow card in the 39th minute. Even still, he mostly locked down his fourth of the back line and helped slide over then Bocanegra went forward later in the match.

DeMerit - 7.5 - His touch isn't great, his speed isn't world class, and his passing leaves much to be desired, but this guy plays solid defense for the USMNT when we need it. Had to play carefully after picking up a yellow card in the 47th minute, but he still got the job done. For most of the match, Jay could say "Wayne who?"

Onyewu - 6.5 - His speed and jumping ability are still hampered after recovering from his injury, but those things are improving each time he sees the pitch. He did have a lapse early which directly contributed to England's goal, and he did wander a bit farther forward that his position normally calls for in a few situations, but he got better as the game went on. When he had to go one on one with Rooney late, he really had to test the knee and seemed to come away fine. If he gets confidence that he's recovered, he should be ready to go into beast mode soon.

Bocanegra - 7 - The cap'n may not have a great deal of speed, and he may be a bit of a liability against the fastest right wingers in the world, but he's a technically sound player who brings loads of experience and leadership to the team. His offensive role was limited, but Bob Ball was in effect so it was going to be limited by design.

Dempsey - 7.5 - Clint didn't have the best game offensively, but he got a ball onto and through Green's hands when it counted. His defensive plays weren't always direct, but he played a big role in breaking up some attacks when it was needed. He looked to be tired near the end of the match (a disturbingly recurring theme in recent national team appearances), and probably would have been better served moving forward earlier than he did if Papa Bradley would have subbed earlier.. but you can't fault Dempsey for the tactics. Don't tread.

Clark - 5.5 - Clark was caught doing a bit of ball watching on the England goal, but Onyewu should have either stayed in position or marked Rooney tighter (if he physically could have) to help the situation. Other than that, Clark played his role today. The problem is, he's probably the third best option to play that role (not including Baby Bradley, who was on the pitch). Clark held his position, and he bent but didn't break against some pretty good talent, but he could have done more by disrupting passing lanes and being more active. He can't be blamed for getting the start, but he should have been subbed at half for Torres (for an attempt at more possession in the midfield) or near the 60th minute for Edu (for more skilled defensive play, fresher legs, and a different look to try and slow down the frantic English attack to start the second half).

Bradley - 6.5 - Bradley played well defensively, but was fairly atrocious when it came to delivering the ball to his teammates and controlling possession through the midfield. If Ricardo Clark is going to be the partner in the middle, Baby Bradley had damned well better be able to string some passes through. When we weren't playing Bob Ball, our possession was getting choked due to bad passes in the middle. Still, as with Clark, solid work helping to contain some very talented players for the majority of the match.

Donovan - 7 - Donovan wasn't able to do much offensively in this game, but he did do quite a bit of backtracking to help shore up the defense and break up English possession where he could. If he could have gotten some better service through the midfield, he could have helped orchestrate more pressure against the English back line. You can't exactly say he disappeared in the big game, he just wasn't as visible in the attack as fans would have liked to have seen because he was playing his role within the scheme.

Findley - 6 - Findley's speed was mostly a non-factor, but it's not his fault he was started instead of brought on as a super sub option around the 70th minute once the English defense was worn down. He picked up a yellow in the 74th minute, after he was mostly gassed and not being utilized at all anymore. He may not be a player who will win you a world title, and he's certainly not a replacement for Charlie Davies, but he does bring some things to the table that are useful tools to the team... the tools just have to be used properly.

Altidore - 7.5 - If his shot that Green saved off the post had gone in and all else had remained equal, Jozy would have been the hero of the day. As it was, he played a huge role as a holding forward, a physical forward, a ball distributor, a harassing defender on the English side of the pitch, and even at times a speedy forward (relative to the competition). Having re-watched the game, Jozy was the heart of the offense in this particular match. If he had been paired with Buddle from the start and had Findley come on as a super sub, Jozy would have gotten the Yanks another goal. Watch out for this man in the next two matches.

subs

Buddle - 6 - Came on for Findley in the 77th minute. He didn't get a lot of time to work with, and the tactics had turned to full-on Bob Ball by the time he did find the pitch. But he put in a good 20 minutes to replace a tired Findley when he was called on, and did what he was supposed to do in the scheme. Maybe Buddle and Findley should have been brought into play in the opposite order. Just saying.

Holden - n/a - Came on for Altidore in the 86th, and took Dempsey's spot in midfield while Dempsey moved forward to Altidore's spot. Holden didn't really have enough time to make an impact or to really get into a groove. He missed a pass from Baby Bradley to lose possession at one point, had a few bad touches after that, and then seemed to start to settle in in the too-little-too-late attempt at starting up some possession and attack at the dying moments of the game. Could have shown more if he had been subbed in 5 to 10 minutes earlier.

Gomez - n/a - Didn't see the field until stoppage time. Congratulations, you've been capped for the USMNT in the World Cup finals.

Honorable Mention: Green. No, seriously.