The USMNT won with a resounding “meh” on Sunday night. On the bright side, that’s still better than El Tri managed.🤣 It was a confusing lineup that looked devoid of any real attacking threat. Berhalter’s side managed to cause problems a few times though and finished one of them early on. It made for a rather relaxing viewing experience since Haiti threatened only rarely and never actually troubled Matt Turner.
The xG of 1.94 to 0.38 feels about right on second viewing. Not sure I would have said that after my first watch. Player performances were all over the map for this one. A couple guys played really well imo and a couple other players…didn’t. Let’s take a look.
If you haven’t read one of these USMNT (+/-) Player Grades articles before click here for an explanation of the system.
Grading Beverage: Yellowstone Bourbon – picked it up down in Florida while we were on vacation last week. I’m not a “tasting notes” kinda guy, but it’s good. I’d put it a little below BT, but it’s like $15 more expensive.
Grades
MOTM – Kellyn Acosta (+13.5)
For a long time when other players were asked about who the most talented young USMNT prospect was Acosta was the name they brought up. And I kinda get it. He can hit the ball with his left better than most guys can with their dominant leg.
I’m a Lions fan and I’ve grown accustomed to seeing Matthew Stafford’s “arm talent” fit the ball into windows that he really had no business trying. Acosta has something similar going with his legs. He also is getting to be older and wiser. In that 1-1 draw against Mexico during the 2017 WC qualifying campaign, Kellyn had a chance to take a yellow and stop the counter that eventually ended in the tying goal. In this match he committed a fairly dangerous turnover in the 72nd minute. And this is how he reacted:
I love that “professional” foul. Far enough out that it’s not a real problem to deal with and ensures there is no dangerous opportunity on the counter. Acosta covers a ton of ground, presses really well, is positionally flexible, and appears to be the kind of young vet that the team could really use. He’s probably not a starter when the full squad is available, but he’s definitely in the 23.
Other Positive Performances
Walker Zimmerman (+11)
In the past I’ve been a bit skeptical of Zimmerman’s passing chops. In fact, I think Commander Jordan from Top Gun sums up my feelings on the matter rather well: 😂
In this match though, his passing was near flawless. I docked him for one pass in the 35th minute that a Haitian defender got a boot on, but that was it. In the “In Possession” phase he was +10, which is very good. He also played the most important part in the only goal of the game.
I know that Fotmob-style algorithms love the goals, but this was more critical to the move than the finish imo. He slowed down a bit after halftime, but Zim had a strong game.
The question is going to come when the level of competition goes up. Haiti wasn’t putting Walker under much pressure and he was able to get his head up and look around before hitting most of these passes. Curious to see what it looks like against a better team.
Shaq Moore (+9)
Shaq was another one that played really well in the first half and slowed down in the second. Moore is able to get bend on his crosses that I’ve only noticed Antonee Robinson getting and he’s obviously doing it from the left. I gave Moore points for four different dangerous crosses in the first half, but none in the second half.
It’s a little odd. I don’t think crosses are a big part of the usual USMNT attack, but given the construction of the Gold Cup roster…I’m not sure they are going to create chances any other way. Moore whipping crosses into Dike/Zardes/Hoppe sounds like a much better plan than Lewis cutting in from the wing for instance.
And if the US need one thing…it’s another option at right back. 😂
Shaq Moore vs Haiti#USMNT pic.twitter.com/NiEYb1NbEr
— Undead Kranks (@dis_possessed) July 12, 2021
Room for Improvement
Jackson Yueill (-1.5)
I almost feel bad writing this section again. Yueill’s confidence is shot. Whatever he had when he started getting time with the team back in 2019 is gone. He loses the ball in bad spots a once or twice time a game, rarely passes forward, and seems allergic to taking space. People are excited about Busio and he was pretty good, but he wasn’t great or anything. He just looked competent in comparison to Yueill. This is not one or two bad games. It’s been multiple performances over the course of several months. I hope something changes and Jackson gets some mojo back, but he shouldn’t be starting for the national team again any time soon.
Mentioned this on the quick take: If you’ve ever wondered why people get frustrated about Yueill not playing on the half turn, this is it. Acres of space behind, but his first touch takes him lateral and his second takes him back. -T pic.twitter.com/YZXlsLceQn
— Total Soccer Show (@TotalSoccerShow) July 12, 2021
Jonathan Lewis (-0.5)
Every couple has another couple where they like one half better than the other. The question is how bad is the non-desirable half? In one case there was a guy/girl that we decided was a neutral. They didn’t improve the good time had by all, but at least he/she didn’t make things worse. Lewis makes the team worse. There seem to be communication issues around him and he usually dribbles until he loses it or plays an errant pass. The only positives I had him down for were a couple good pressures and getting his foot on two Haitian passes. Winger is a problem on this roster.
Sam Vines (0)
Vines scored a goal though…and then what did he do? Anyone remember? Answer: Not much. He gave the ball away four times on bad passes and contributed very little going forward. I have a suspicion that this has something to do with Lewis, but I don’t know if it’s more attributable to Vines or Lewis. Neither of them looked good.
On a related note – DOES ANYONE WANT TO PLAY LEFT BACK FOR THIS TEAM? There’s some actual talent at the position now and no one ever looks good when they play there. Cursed position? Maybe all the left backs need to get together and burn something with deep personal meaning. 😂 (If you don’t get this ref then stop reading this right now and go watch Ted Lasso)
Now what?
The last 20 minutes or so the US played a 5-3-2 formation and I think that might be the best option going forward. I know it’s not the 3-4-3 I was banging on about a few days ago, but it’s close and it eliminates the need for wingers. And we really need to eliminate our need for wingers. Lewis, a questionably healthy Paul Arriola, and four forwards lends credence to my argument. We go again Thursday against Martinique. Let’s see what Berhalter does.
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