I didn’t enjoy watching/grading this match very much. The most painful loss of my career as a USMNT fan is Couva by light-years, but I had somehow forgotten how much this one hurt. The two teams were pretty even and, on the night, I’d say the US was a little better. What an opportunity lost. 😢
Not that Uruguay is an easy out, but if I told you the USMNT has to beat Uruguay to make a World Cup semifinal you’d take that matchup, right? A quarterfinal could easily have been Spain, Argentina, Germany, etc. Visions of a date with Brazil in the semis were running through my brain. The US just had to beat Ghana and then all this was possible…
Alas, it was not to be. Generally, I think the US played well. The starting lineup had to be corrected, but once Edu and Feilhaber had been subbed on for Clark/Findley, the team was playing better and had the advantage in chances. This is a player performance analysis, not a team tactics analysis, but it does make one wish the team had started with those guys instead of having to sub them on at 31′ and halftime.
If you haven’t read one of these USMNT (+/-) Player Grades articles before click here for an explanation of the system.
*Sigh* To the grades…
The Grades
How to Interpret the Numbers
| 15+ | Excellent game |
| 9-14 | Played well to very well |
| 5-8 | Solid |
| 0-4 | Not great, Bob |
| Below 0 | Listening to my kids argue 😑 |
*The Adjusted Total uses the Elo ratings to take into account opponent and competition factors.*
MOTM – Landon Donovan (+21/+41.8 adj.)
Donovan had been solid through the first three games of the 2010 World Cup. He’d scored the goal to get the US back into the game against Slovenia and then scored the iconic winner against Algeria. All that being said…this was his best game imo. The +21 is among the highest scores I’ve ever given and the +41.8 adj. is the highest Elo adjusted score I’ve ever calculated. He had 28 graded events, which is the also highest number for any game I’ve ever graded*. That shows how involved and influential he was in this game. It’s also fairly unusual for attacking winger types. They tend to drift in and out of games, but Donovan bucked that trend in this match.
*To be fair this is the first 120 minute game I’ve scored
Donovan was excellent defensively, calm in possession, dangerous passing and running. Scoring the game tying penalty with his cojones dragging on the grass didn’t hurt either.😂 I about had a bowel movement in my pants watching. I can’t imagine having to take it. This was an amazing performance, especially considering the stakes. The team didn’t win, but Donovan wasn’t the reason. He came through in the clutch here.
Other Positive Performances
Clint Dempsey (+19/+37.8 adj.)
Dempsey has been a weird player for me to grade. He hasn’t earned a standout grade in any of the games prior to this one. I can recall seeing several attempted passes, flicks, etc. that didn’t quite come off. The plays weren’t enough to ding him on, but they didn’t work so I couldn’t really reward them either. In a way, it confirms the Arena, “He tries sh!&,” quote.
During the run of play Dempsey was very good. He was +12 with the US in possession and was the most important factor in drawing the penalty that allowed the US to tie up the match.
Here against Ghana, I thought Dempsey’s will to win really stood out. Ghana scored early in extra time and the US just started launching balls into the box. They weren’t really “playing” anymore, but Dempsey was the dude somehow getting on the end of stuff. He was +4 during ET and three of those were headers/aerial duels. Dempsey’s attitude hasn’t been replaced with the current USMNT. “He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again.” (Shakespeare)
Jozy Altidore (+11/+21.9 adj)
Jozy was a little bit quieter in this match than the previous three. His role was mainly a linking forward, according to the events I recorded anway. Out of the 11 points he earned, nine of them were for passes. I probably missed something along the way, but I didn’t have him down for a single negative event. Altidore was a consistent contributor for the whole tournament and this game was no exception. The US has desperately missed him in basically every tournament since.
Room to Improve
Ricardo Clark (-3/-1.5 adj.)
This poor dude. Most people wanted to see Edu or Feilhaber in the starting lineup at the time and Clark proved them correct with a rough 10 minutes or so to start the match. He turned the ball over for Ghana’s opener and then got a yellow for a reckless slide tackle shortly thereafter. To be fair to the guy, he settled down and started to play better (he was -4 in the first seven minutes and +1 after that), but the damage was done. He got pulled in the 31st minute for Edu. I assume Bradley was worried about him getting a second yellow. For his sake, I wish he could have played until halftime though.
Steve Cherundolo (0)
Dolo had a difficult go of it against Ayew in the first half. He got beat by him down the sideline inside of the first minute. There was also a bad turnover in the 17th minute and a miscommunication or two that cost him points. He was actually -5 at halftime, but came through with a much better 2nd half to end up at 0. Cherundolo is the best right back that I’ve watched with the USMNT, but this wasn’t his best game.
Conclusions
This one is still painful. Ghana’s goal in extra time was such a fluke. A shanked clearance miraculously turned into a perfect CB splitting long ball, Gyan somehow stays on his feet after Bocanegra tries to knock him over outside the box, and the ball goes right over Howard’s head. 😑
This was a really good team that had a chance to make a run. If you add in a healthy Jermaine Jones, Oguchi Onyewu, and Charlie Davies it aches even more. Such is life. Two and a half more weeks until the Bundesliga is back…I hope. 🙏
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