USA U-20s vs. Suriname: Player Ratings and Some Game Stats

The opening game for USA's U-20s was on March 29th, 2011. After 20 minutes the Suriname side looked visibly defeated. The U-20s will advance from group play after Panama defeated Suriname 3-0 Thursday night (March 31st) but will play Panama Saturday evening to determine who wins the group.

The four winners of each Quarterfinal game will represent CONCACAF in the U-20 World Cup this summer in Colombia. The U-20s can expect to play either Guatemala (hosts) or Honduras in the Quarterfinals. 

Player Ratings

 In all honesty, I only watched the first half. After a 3-0 lead on the scoreboard (and a near 80-4 lead in something else...) I wasn't all that excited to watch a continuation of the game for only a lone goal. US received more than their fair share of touches so it was easier to see a player's mindset. Apologies to Moises Orozco, Sebastien Ibeagha, and Omar Salgado, whom I did not get to watch.

Bobby Wood - Age 19, 1860 Munich, Germany - (16...14/2) - Always looking forward with his first touch. Sent in several passes from distance but is content with playing the correct, safe ball as well. Possesses a controlled, hard shot he can put on frame from outside the 18.

Kelyn Rowe - Age 19, UCLA - (15...13/2) - Amazing movement off the ball. Out of all 11 players on the field he's doing everything he can to get the ball at his feet. His passing could use some work but his shooting more than makes up for it.

Joseph Gyau - Age 18, Hoffenheim, Germany - (12...9/3) - A great build up and goal that would score on most teams, not just a lackluster Suriname. Sometimes dribbles too much but he uses his strength and speed to get out of mistakes. Decent off the ball as well.

Gregory Garza - Age 19, G.D. Estoril Praia, Portugal - (10...8/2) - The RB pushed forward and sent in good crosses off both feet. Short range passes upfield slipped him up a bit but overall he did more than well.

Sebastian Lletget - Age 18, West Ham United, England - (9...8/1) - He's willing to step up in clutch opportunities but also content with stepping out of the light. Sent in a great free kick then hit the post from outside the box minutes later. An accurate shot to say the least.

Zarek Valentine - Age 19, Chivas USA - (9...7/2) - The ball ended up on the other side of the field more times than not but answered when he needed to.

Amobi Okugo - Age 20, Philadelphia Union - (8...3/5) - Was unwilling to push the ball forward and consistently played the overly safe ball backwards instead of looking to his strikers. Strong, and a good defender, but needs to focus on helping the offense and not just the defense.

Conor Doyle - Age 19, Derby County FC, England - (8...6/2) - Showed great speed with and without the ball but botched a breakaway early with a bad touch. Similar to Lletget in that he'll go minutes without touching the ball.

Gale Agbossoumonde - Djurgardens IF, Sweden - (6...3/3) - A pressuring attack would have exposed Agboss with his poor positioning. Distribution looked shakey as well.

Perry Kitchen - DC United - (6...5/1) - Hardly got the ball at his feet but did well with it when he did.

Zac MacMath - Philadelphia Union - (1...1/0) - Plays soccer.

Game Stats

This is why I did not continue to keep stats after the first half...

USA - 78.17

SUR - 3.83

First Half

FIRST	POS	POS	PAS	PAS	SHO	SHO
HALF	USA	SUR	USA	SUR	USA	SUR
Pts	9.00	0.30	11.20	1.40	5.90	0.10
Opp	37	3	45	13	12	1
Succ%	24.3	10.0	24.9	10.8	49.2	10.0

U-20s vs Suriname Highlights

USA vs. Paraguay: Preview

USA vs. Paraguay Preview

The United States men's national team will be looking for a result tomorrow in Nashville when they host 2010 World Cup quarterfinalist Paraguay. There has been some satisfaction after the draw against Argentina this weekend, but on Tuesday the U.S. supporters will be looking for a win against a strong Paraguayan side.


The U.S. will likely start the game in a 4-4-2 formation, dropping the triangle of center-mids for two box-to-box midfielders and adding another forward for additional firepower. The South Americans should line up in a similar formation as the United States, opting for 2 frontmen since star-man Roque Santa Cruz isn't traveling with the team. They could use a 4-3-3 in order to put added pressure on the U.S. back line.


Coach Bradley should give recently-capped youngsters Timmy Chandler and Juan Agudelo their first starts tomorrow night. Chandler impressed at right-back after coming on for Jonathan Spector in the 2nd half on Saturday. He is more of an attack-minded rightback than anyone in the current U.S. set-up, and uses his speed and crossing ability well in order to supplement the attack. Agudelo has scored 2 goals and drew a penalty in his first three games for the Nats; surely that is good enough form for Bradley to give the 18 year old a start alongside Altidore.


Paraguay is a well organized side with strong center backs (da Silva) and an experienced goalkeeper in Villar. They will be dangerous offensively, and will threaten the U.S. if we are left exposed for a counterattack. Look for Christian Riveros to be a goal-scoring threat out of the midfield (12 goals in 59 caps). The Paraguayans are accustomed to a high level of competition; any team that qualifies for the World Cup from CONMEBOL (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, etc.) will offer a significant test.

Paraguay 21-man roster for March 2011 friendlies:

GKs: Justo Villar (Valladolid, Spain), Diego Barreto (Cerro Porteño, Paraguay).

Defense: Víctor Hugo Marecos (Brescia, Italy), Marcos Cáceres (Racing, Argentina), Paulo da Silva (Zaragoza, Spain), Antolín Alcaraz (Wigan, EPL), Miguel Samudio (Libertad, Paraguay), Aureliano Torres (San Lorenzo, Argentina) y Darío Verón (Pumas, Mexico)

Midfield: Edgar Barreto (Atalanta, Italy), Osmar Molinas (Olimpia, Paraguay), Marcos Riveros (Nacional, Paraguay), Cristian Riveros (Sunderland, EPL), Enrique Vera (Liga de Quito, Ecuador), Hernán Pérez, (Villareal, Spain), Néstor Ortigoza (San Lorenzo, Argentina), Marcelo Estigarribia (Newell's, Argentina)

Forwards: Osvaldo Martínez (Monterrey, Mexico), Oscar Cardozo (Benfica, Portugal), Edgar Benítez (Pachuca, Mexico), Lucas Barrios (Borussia Dortmund, Germany)

Notes: Paraguay has brought a strong team to play Mexico and the U.S. There are 13 2010 World Cup veterans on this roster. Below is the side that was worked over by Mexico 3-1 in California on Saturday.

U.S. 24-man roster for March 2011 friendlies:

GKs: Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton, England), Tim Howard (Everton, England), David Yelldell (Duisburg, Germany)

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne, France), Jonathan Bornstein (UANL Tigres, Mexico), Timothy Chandler (Nuremberg, Germany), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jay DeMerit (Vancouver), Oguchi Onyewu (Twente, Netherlands), Tim Ream (New York), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England), Zak Whitbread (Norwich, England)

Midfielders: Michael Bradley (Aston Villa, England), Clint Dempsey (Fulham, England), Mixx Diskerud (Stabaek, Norway), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus, Denmark), Stuart Holden (Bolton, England), Jermaine Jones (Blackburn, England), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht, Belgium)

Forwards: Juan Agudelo (New York), Jozy Altidore (Bursaspor, Turkey), Edson Buddle (Ingolstadt, Germany)

Notes: Zak Whitbread, Steve Cherundolo, and Edson Buddle have reported back to their respective clubs. Bradley will choose 18 for the roster tomorrow.

(#1) Who should start:

Add another striker (Agudelo), who's played well. Subtract Jones from the lineup in lieu of Bradley and Edu, who played better Saturday. Trade Tim Ream for Onyewu, whose composure and ability to pass from the back will add to the line-up.

(#2) Another option:

Coach Bradley may keep a 4-4-2 while resting a few starters from Saturday's game. I can see him swapping Bornstein for Bocanegra, while trying Jones and Edu together. In my mind, the central midfield is a crapshoot, though I still see him staying with Edu and Bradley. It is also possible that he gives Onyewu another game starting with Demerit, or swaps Ream for Demerit.

(#3) Purely speculative (kicks and giggles):

Try Jones and Edu together. Subtract Bradley, just to see how it works. Add Chandler in advanced role on the right, replacing him at RB with Lichaj. Shift Dempsey over as a withdrawn striker, with Altidore leading the attack. You can change out of this formation at the half (like we did vs. Argentina--back to a 4-4-2), and add Dempsey or Agudelo as a second forward.

UPDATED: Tim Ream isn't supposed to start tomorrow night, and Onyewu didn't train today and is questionable for tomorrow (source: Ives Galarcep). If all of this is true, there are only a few possibilities for the U.S. back four: (1) Bornstein, Bocanegra, Demerit, Chandler and (2) Bocanegra, Spector, Demerit, Chandler. Bradley has used Edu as a center back in a pinch, so I wouldn't rule that out: (3) Bocanegra, Edu, Demerit, Chandler.

UPDATED: Feilhaber hasn't been training, either. He is doubtful to make the roster today.

USA vs. Argentina: Recap and Highlights

USA vs. Argentina Recap

Old Meadowlands, achieve results. New Meadowlands, achieve results. That's been the trend in recent history when the U.S. has met Argentina in the New York City area.

The yanks likely had some bitter memories from their christening of the New Meadowlands Stadium in August (a 3-0 loss to Brazil), but have washed down those memories with admirable play in a 1-1 draw against the South Americans on Saturday.

The U.S. can take some level of pride in effectively neutralizing one of the sharpest attacks in the soccer world on two occurrences in the past three years (The US tied Argentina 0-0 at the Old Meadowlands Stadium in 2008). As a result, there should be some well-earned confidence in the camp as they prepare for Paraguay tomorrow night in Nashville.


One of the biggest talking points in the aftermath of this game is Bradley's recent experimentation with the 4-5-1 formation. It would be difficult to argue that the switch to the 4-4-2 at halftime was one of the catalysts to the U.S. resurgence in the 2nd half, but hopefully we haven't seen the end of the 4-5-1. 

To be fair, a crisp Argentine team can make any formation of any group of footballers appear ineffective. However, I don't think we'll see it again Tuesday night--and we shouldn't. The U.S. won't be as preoccupied with containing Paraguay as they were Saturday night, and should see more of the ball going forward, as well. 


Beyond that, a lack of depth at central attacking midfielder should make Bradley's mind up for him. Edu didn't play the role well on Saturday, and I can't see Bradley putting Kljestan or Feilhaber there either. This does add another kink, however: of Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, and Maurice Edu, who sits?

This also gives Bradley the chance to insert Agudelo into the equation in a starting role. I can see the staff wanting to give the young striker minutes to see how well he and Altidore complement each other from the beginning.

Bradley should be relishing a chance to refine his system through another tough test against an experienced Paraguay side. This should also be a good opportunity to give some of our young guys a chance to see how they mix with the old guard.

Player Ratings:
USA starting 11: (Key: 5 being average, 10 being perfect)

Tim Howard (8.5): Continued his tradition of big play in huge games. There was little he could have done about the goal, and made several big-time saves throughout the match. His distribution was effective, save a couple of errant kicks.

Carlos Bocanegra (5.5): Solid performance. Got forward more than Spector and defended the wing better, too. An additional burst of speed would help on the left side, though, for sure.

Oguchi Onyewu (5): Like Demerit, he had a efficient showing defensively. He looked good in the air and handled a couple of tight situations with skill. His distribution was less than lackluster, and really struggled with his composure on the ball.

Jay Demerit (6): Demerit seemed poised under pressure, and efficiently marshaled the defense as they kept their shape stubbornly under Argentina's suffocating style of play. His distribution from the back was also better than Onyewu's.

Jonathan Spector (4.5): Nonexistent offensively, and got burned more than a couple times defensively. He can shoulder part of the blame for Argentina's goal, as well.

Jermaine Jones (5): He was seemingly irrelevant. Though to be fair, he did effectively neutralize Cambiasso and the rest of Argentina's attacking midfield ... except the one time the ball was in the back of the net.

Michael Bradley (6): Simply decent defensively and decent going forward. He's always buzzing around the ball and always tracking back well, however he was responsible for a few crucial losses of possession as the US was pushing for a winner late in the game.

Maurice Edu (6): Embodied the result of this game (a tale of 2 halves). Not effective at all in an advanced role in the 1st half, and didn't combine well with Altidore. After the switch to the 4-4-2, Edu improved significantly. He helped stamp out attacks from the Argentine central midfield, and threatened going forward.

Clint Dempsey (5.5): He created a couple of half-chances, if you could call them that. Saturday wasn't a very productive day for him offensively, and he had a few bad give-aways. Normally his productivity makes up for his hapless passing, but not last night.

Landon Donavon (6): His night was characterized by hard work defensively, which he has developed a reputation for. As his touches in the final third increased, and so did the level of threat that the U.S. posed. His set pieces were good & helped set up the goal.

Jozy Altidore (5): Why can't you hold the ball up and involve your teammates? He was harmless in the 1st half and ultimately benefited greatly from the change of formation and addition of Juan Agudelo.

Substitutes:

Timothy Chandler (7): The USA debutant was effective getting forward (several dangerous crosses and runs). He was exposed on occasion, but speedy getting back. Chandler was more effective both defensively AND offensively than Spector.

Juan Agudelo (7): Goalscorer, active, held up play well at time, but occasionally struggled with his decision making. Likely earned a start if Bradley switches to a 4-4-2 vs. Paraguay.

Highlights:

USA vs. Argentina: Game Stats

 Subjective Graphs

 

 

 Game Stats

First Half Stats

	POS	POS	SHO	SHO	PAS	PAS
	USA	ARG	USA	ARG	USA	ARG
Pts	2.0	11.7	1.5	5.9	1.3	11.9
Opp	11	38	5	12	8	34
Succ%	18.2	30.8	30.0	49.2	16.2	35.0

Second Half Stats

	POS	POS	SHO	SHO	PAS	PAS
	USA	ARG	USA	ARG	USA	ARG
Pts	5.9	6.3	3.4	4.1	7.7	9.2
Opp	26	28	7	7	23	30
Succ%	22.7	22.5	48.6	58.6	33.5	30.7

Full Game Stats

	POS	POS	SHO	SHO	PAS	PAS
	USA	ARG	USA	ARG	USA	ARG
Pts	7.9	18.0	4.9	10.0	9.0	21.1
Opp	37	66	12	19	31	64
Succ%	21.4	27.3	40.8	52.6	29.0	33.0

Conclusion

Comparing the first half stats, Argentina obviously outplayed USA in every aspect. Not only did they create more noteworthy chances in possession (38-11), shots (12-5), and passing (34-8), all had a higher threat percentage.

In the second half, USA more than doubled their first half possession threats and nearly tripled their passes while Argentina's numbers trailed off a bit, although still more than respectable.