The two halves of this game were quite different. When the first half ended I think it could best be summed up by this classic Simpson’s gif:
By the end of the game, we were all feeling pretty good. Scoring four goals in a half will do that for you. The young nats started moving the ball faster and Kreis’s subs made a nice impact on the match. Dotson surely cemented himself as a starter and Mihailovic may have won himself a spot on the wing. The actual wingers haven’t done much to claim spots and Djordje looked threatening as a drift inside winger/midfielder.
The next game against Mexico will be a weird one. You want to win because it’s Mexico, but at the same time it doesn’t matter at all, and the team needs to be ready for the crucial semi-final game against Honduras/Canada (probably?).
Grading Beverage: Bruichladdich Scotch (Classic Laddie): one of the best Scotches I’ve tried and not crazy expensive $60ish
The grades turned out a little strangely. I didn’t check the cumulative scores at halftime so when I went to check the totals I was surprised at the generally low scores. Yueill and Dotson scored well, but everyone else was just okay. Look for yourself:
If you haven’t read one of these USMNT (+/-) Player Grades articles before click here for an explanation of the system.
Grades
MOTM – Jackson Yueill (+14)
I haven’t been high on Yueill, but he played well this game. It was the kind of performance you want from your captain/a guy that has a bunch of full USMNT experience. The US had the majority of possession against the Dominican Republic and Yueill piled up the points (+11) in that phase. That’s exactly what you hope for from a deep lying midfielder against an overmatched opponent. The US didn’t create any real opportunities off turnovers, so Yueill needed to help break down the defense – and he did. This ball in the 26th minute really deserved a better fate:
If Saucedo doesn’t biff the touch, then he has a shot or squares it to Ferreira for a probable goal. Such is life. Playing Perea at the #6 and moving Yueill to the #8 worked out well for Yueill and the team. That’s where he plays for San Jose (someone correct me if I’m wrong there) so it makes sense that he’d look more comfortable starting higher and dropping back to get on the ball instead of being positioned in front of the CBs.
He also continues to be better on defense than I expect. He didn’t do much offensively against Costa Rica, but I thought his defense was solid in that game as well. It’s now time for Yueill to rest up and get ready for the semi-final.
*I gave him the benefit of the doubt (and a +3), but are we sure Yueill’s goal was on purpose?*
Other Positive Performances
Hassani Dotson (+9)
He compiled this score in 28 minutes btw. Not a bad +/- per 90. (If I end up scoring every game I may calculate that stat at the end) Both his goals were really well taken and his energy is an important addition to the midfield. After these two games, he reminds me a bit of a less skilled version of Weston McKennie. All over the place, a little too rough for comfort, and with some offensive ability. He needs to get a break against Mexico and be raring to go in the semi.
And I’m sure you’ve seen the goals, but have you seen this thru ball? Sure, Mihailovic and the Dominican keeper almost killed each other, but it was a nice pass.
Others?
Not really. Glad had a pretty good game (especially since there was very little attack from DR). His distribution was better. No CBs committed humongous gaffes this game – which is nice. Vines, Lewis, Araujo, were fine. I like Andres Perea a lot, but due to some sloppiness with the ball his grade didn’t come out great. Kessler only ended up at +1, but he basically had nothing to do and didn’t screw up. Overall, the team performance was fair to middling.
Room to Improve
Jesus Ferreira (0)
I guess? I mean, he only played 45 minutes and he wasn’t bad. He just wasn’t very meaningfully involved. I only had him down for two notable events in his 45 minutes – a good pass in the 8th minute and a sloppy pass in the 9th. I have to put someone in this section though, right? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
On to Mexico
Like I said at the beginning – it’s going to be an odd game against Mexico. There aren’t enough players to field a completely new 11, but there’s also zero reason to wear out the first choice players in a meaningless game. Gotta save your bullets for Canada/Honduras. It would be really nice to beat Mexico at some level for the first time in a long time though. We’ll see how it shakes out on Wednesday.
If you enjoyed this and would like to be informed of future articles type your email address in the box and you’ll be notified of each new post. Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter @blharreld 🤓
