US-El Salvador: Who helped and who hurt their chances?
Well, we know more about the fringe of the WC roster than we did yesterday. Said Rob Stone during the match: "Coach Bradley indicated that 16-18 players have already made the roster." With five or more slots up for grabs, who helped and who hurt their chances of grabbing one?
My thoughts:
Helped
- Ching. Poor man's McBride? Maybe. But beggars can't be choosers. Ching showed hustle, poise, and intelligence. His aerial ability is at the top of the MNT forward pool, and his volley off a Jeff Cunningham service tested Ramires well. What's more, he also showed a crucial element that the rest of the forward pool is still developing: leadership. I'm thinking in particular of how he turned Rogers' impulsive strike at Ramires' near post into a learning opportunity, pointing out what the young winger should have done.
- Rogers. Showed pace and initiative. Most creative player of the evening. Masterful cutbacks, excellent service. Nice work with his right foot as well as his left. Shows a mature awareness of when to push forward and when to look laterally. An asset in dead ball situations. Big questions about his fitness, though. He's not a 90-minute player yet, and you could see that when he gets tired, he gets impulsive and less aware. Super sub?
- Goodson. Showed aerial dominance, but how much does that count for against an opponent as short as El Salvador? I was more impressed with his positioning and organization at the back, consistently finding the right place to be to interrupt the Salvadoran offense. Certainly made a case for himself for fourth-string CB.
- Kljestan. I was more impressed with his hustling and tackling than I was with his vision, but if hustling and tackling is what we need (and, thinking about trying to hold onto a precious lead late into a WC game, I think it is), then Kljestan made a case for himself. Case in point: the clutch repossession and finishing in the dying minutes of the game. How many other players on the pitch could have done the same at that moment?
- Casey. I've never known what Casey does so well that he deserves international minutes. I think I finally learned tonight. He plays well with his back to goal, bodying up on defenders and punishing defensive miscues with a deadly through ball or pass out to the wing. He's got no pace, though, and I don't trust his ability to finish his chances in international matches. I'd say that Ching has more to offer than Casey.
- Pearce. Cool on the ball, decent tackling. He was caught up the field a few times, but he was also a solid offensive contributor, creating a number of chances throughout the match, including the excellent service for Ching's goal. Do the pros outweigh the cons? And how does Coach Bradley like him compared to Bornstein? He did well on the night, but I wonder if Pearce has done enough to win a roster spot.
- Gaven. Won some free kicks in great positions and had some decent leading passes, too. Constant bother for the Salvadoran fullback. But would he be strong enough to withstand bigger, stronger tacklers at the WC?
Hurt
- Evans. Sophomore mistake to gift El Salvador the goal. Where was the communication?
- Davis. Had some good service, but didn't track back as well as I thought he would. I can't say that he contributed on offense more than he failed to defend. Also, he seemed to dribble into traffic pretty frequently, which says to me that he doesn't quite know where to put himself off the ball.
I'd say that these two are really the only ones who hurt their chances for making the squad, if they were ever in serious contention anyways. Their good play in the MLS doesn't seem to translate internationally. Besides the players mentioned above, I think the rest of the squad played decently and came out no worse for wear on the night, but no better, either.
What do y'all think?
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Kljestan
I give him a lot of credit for the game winning play. He hustled, got a steal on a lazy play and finally buried one to give the US the win. But, overall, I was mostly annoyed by his play. Bradley spoke highly of him at half so I assume your assessment is correct that he helped himself, but he seems to play soft most of the time. Maybe, I was just noticing the parts of the game where he was soft because of Steve’s post yesterday, but Kljestan just doesn’t seem to have a killer instinct (well, at least until that last play). Even on the last play, his shot wasn’t taken with authority. It lacks confidence and, well, mojo.
Like I said though, Bradley singled him out so I’m guessing you are correct in your assessment, but I just wasn’t as high on him watching that game last night.
I also thought Findley hurt his chances in the 2nd half. He was totally overshadowed by Ching (no surprise) and was generally sloppy with the ball. He had a couple of chances to get out in the open in the attacking end, but could not keep the ball. That won’t get better against better competition.
"It was almost like if Harry didn't call it, it wasn't real." - Jayson Stark
SB Nation
Nice write up
Question for anyone to answer:
We all know who our stars are and the guys that will be playing most of our minutes. But out of these guys left, are any of them guys that actually have a chance to see the field? Of course, many of these guys would be considered subs/reserves, but if 16-18 have already made the roster, that leaves a decent amount of players already considered to be subs now.
After dancing around it a little, how many of these guys that make the final cut, actually have a chance to see the field in South Africa?
by I need more Esteban on Feb 25, 2010 12:50 PM EST reply actions
I think you got Rogers all wrong
most of his crosses were wasteful at best, as well as his shot late in the game.
Casey and Kjlestan
Unfortunately helped their cases. I still hold out hope for Kjelstan but I really do not want Casey to make the WC squad.
I like Goodson and I hope Pearce keeps showing he is getting back into form.
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by johnjahafanclub on Feb 26, 2010 4:42 PM EST reply actions
Casey
I’m not sure how old he is but he looks like he’s about 45 and in my opinion plays like it too. Definitely don’t see why he gets so much pt for Bradley.
by the12thman11 on Feb 26, 2010 7:03 PM EST up reply actions
Eating crow?
Man, I started checking around after I posted my thoughts, and Rogers got absolutely panned in the USMNT blogosphere. Good Lord: if there were no video footage of the game and a casual fan had nothing to go by but the blogs, they would have the impression that Rogers nearly cost the team the game. I must have misjudged the kid. I don’t anyone can deny, though, that even if he’s on the outside looking in for SA2010, he’s still an outstanding young talent, and we’ll be seeing more from him in the future.
I’ll also eat a little crow about Pearce, who seems to have piqued Coach Bradley’s interest more than I thought he would. Most pundits are tipping him to make the final roster. I wouldn’t be surprised—I just don’t think he’s going to be seeing many minutes. I’d put the USMNT left back depth chart as follows: (1) Bocanegra (assuming Gooch and DeMerit are healthy), (2) Bornstein, (3) Pearce, (4) other options, including Spector, Castillo, and Beasley.

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