HalfSpaces usmnt HalfSpaces Player (+/-) Grades: USMNT vs England

HalfSpaces Player (+/-) Grades: USMNT vs England



The USMNT stepped up and played toe to toe with England. Perhaps we even deserved more than a draw. And yet…it was still a little unsatisfying. My brother turned to me with about 10 minutes left and asked me if I would take a draw or a goal from one of the teams even if it might be England. I chose mystery goal.

Neutral tactics nerds are full of praise for the US performance (see below), but the draw was something of a Pyrrhic victory.

I’m happy we didn’t lose, but wish we’d gone for it more aggressively in the last 30 minutes or so. A loss would feel bad, but the draw doesn’t help us advance. In the end though, we always suspected it was going to come down to beating Iran in game #3. And so it does.

Fairly low scores all around in this one. This isn’t indicative of a bad performance though. Imo it reflects the cagy, tactical nature of the match. There were no goals and very little in the way of scoring chances. Hence, fewer opportunities to dish out high/low value events. In any case, to the grades.

Grading Beverage: Dalwhinnie Scotch (GoT House Stark novelty bottle) – I generally avoid alcohol with a random celebrity or whatever slapped on the bottle, but I tried a glass of this at a friend’s house and it’s good. I’ve read it’s basically a copy of their “Winter Gold” Scotch. I’ll probably buy a bottle of that whenever this one is gone.

If you haven’t read one of these USMNT (+/-) Player Grades articles before click here for an explanation of the system.

The Grades

MOTM – Tim Ream (+6.5)

So ummm…what would this side look like if Tim Ream hadn’t made the team? He’s almost singlehandedly projecting a calming aura over the entire 11. He was basically mistake free again and was part of starting several of the more promising USMNT attacking moves.

This move ended with a Pulisic shot/pass getting deflected out for a corner

The lack of pace/high line thing has not been an issue once so far in this tournament (knocks on wood). Ream reads the game so well he looks faster than most of the guys around him. He ruins this England counter by seeing the pass early.

There’s more than one way to be fast

I’m really happy for Tim. He’s a great guy by all reports and he’s been in and out of the USMNT over the years. He’s in the form of his life at exactly the right moment for himself and his country. And assuming Iran puts everyone behind the ball in the next match…Ream is going to be crucial on Tuesday as well.

Other Positive Performances

Jedi Robinson (+6)

This one surprised me a little because Jedi felt a little messy when I watched it live. That’s nothing new, but when I went back and watched it again there were a lot of small positives that more than made up for a random bad touch or two. Do you remember Bukayo Saka terrorizing the USMNT backline? No? Robinson was a big reason for that. He’s a really good defender that can run all day. This is a rare moment of Tyler Adams getting beat. Watch Robinson cover for him.

The US counters like a paraplegic Basset Hound, but this was probably their best attempt at it for the match and it comes from a nice defensive play from Jedi.

He went all 90 again and played very well. He’s in the process of cementing himself as the best left back in the history of the USMNT.

Weston McKennie (+6)

I was worried about Wes after the Wales game. He didn’t look healthy and it just wasn’t a great performance. This was much closer to vintage McKennie. The MMA midfield is great at many things, but initiating the attack ain’t one of them. McKennie is the only occasional exception to this. If we can get one or two surprise passes from him then the attack has just a tad more hope of scoring a goal. I still think a more offensive minded midfielder is going to be needed (Reyna/Aaronson), but if McKennie can find his best form then maybe he can be the avenue for that.

This ended in Pulisic’s shot off the bar

Room to Improve

There’s really not anyone to put in this category. Shaq Moore had the lowest grade (-1.5), but he was only on for a few minutes and clearly isn’t up to international level. Either Dest is going to have to play 90 or Scally is going to get a shot against Iran. Can you play yourself 90 minutes fit during the tournament? Seems like several guys are trying to.

Wright’s grade is fairly low (+1), but that is down to lack of involvement. The US doesn’t have a forward that’s going to create much or get super involved. Is Ferreira going to get his shot next match?

Zimmerman was low-ish, but again, this is mostly due to lack of events/chances for events. He did have one fairly bad TO (92′), but he was solid defensively and most of the distribution went through Ream (as it should).

Not great, but at least it wasn’t a penalty this time

Here We Go

We aren’t France, Brazil, Spain, etc. Having control of your own destiny in game three is about as good as we can hope for as USMNT fans. The match against Iran is probably going to be frustrating and stress inducing. They are going to try to hold on for a 0-0 draw with every fiber of their beings and we are going to be emotionally invested in every little thing, hoping and praying for that magic moment that produces a goal. Go, go USA. I love the World Cup.

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