Player ratings
Young Yanks earned mixed reviews in loss to Ireland
The very young United States national team lost to Ireland in Dublin when it conceded a very late goal. But thse games are far more about learning about players than wins and losses. With that said, how did the players perform? Here are the player ratings from Brian Sciaretta
IN WHAT WAS decidedly a mixed performance, the United States national team conceded a 90th minute goal to fall to Ireland 2-1 in a friendly at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.
It was the second of three friendlies that is designed to give younger players a look and introduce new and promising players to the international game. After a convincing 3-0 win over a very poor Bolivian team, the United States had a much biggest test against Ireland.
Overall no players really had great game against Ireland although some at decent stretches. Next week it will face one of the best teams in the world in France and the young group will need to drastically improve to avoid what could be an ugly game.
Here are the player ratings
Bill Hamid: The Virginia native showed a lot of rust which is understandable since he has been the backup at FC Midtjylland since leaving DC United last year. He was completely at fault for Ireland’s first goal when he misjudged a cross and allowed an easy goal. In the first half he made a similar mistake but was bailed out. Bottom line is that he needs game. Rating: 4.0
Jorge Villafana: The Santos Laguna left-back was decent defensively but offered little going forward and rarely stepped into the attack. Rating: 5.0
Matt Miazga: The New Jersey native set up Bobby Wood to give the United States a 1-0 and then was beaten badly by James McClean on the eventual winner from Alan Judge. Overall it was a game to forget for Miazga and the rest of the defensive group which really struggled to pass out of the back. Rating: 4.5
Cameron Carter-Vickers: The English-born Carter-Vickers had an off game passing the ball forward into the midfield and ended up hoofing the ball frequently in the second half. He also committed too many fouls in the first half. Rating: 4.5
DeAndre Yedlin: The Newcastle right-back committed a few avoidable fouls in the early and never really got forward into the attack effectively and used his speed to his advantage. Rating: 4.5
Will Trapp: The captain sometime struggled with the physicality of the Irish midfielders but he also was able to connect some nice passes into the attack. Rating: 5.5
Tyler Adams: The Red Bulls midfielder worked hard and helped the U.S. team tilt the game in its favor for the final 25 minutes of the first half. He forced turnovers and helped lead some decent counter attacks. He could have had a goal in the first half but Rubin attempted to redirect the shot and it went over the net. Rating: 6.0
Weston McKennie: The Schalke midfielder was a needed physical presence in the midfield and he did well to limit the Irish attack up the middle of the field. He began to contribute offensively later in the second half with a hard volley that forced a save as well as dangerously setting up Wood for a shot in the box. Rating: 6.5
Rubio Rubin: Rubin didn’t really contribute much from the outside. He had a couple of shots that were off frame and somehow deflated a shot from Adams that might have been going in. Overall he rarely threatened the Irish defense. Rating: 4.5
Tim Weah: The Paris St. Germain attacker showed that he is full of promise but also raw. He was aggressive and made dangerous runs that tested Ireland. But his final pass and shooting let him down on several occasions. Rating: 5.5
Bobby Wood: The Hamburg forward had a mixed day. For most of the game, he was not as dangerous as he could be. But his goal at the end of the first half showed a good read of the game when he made a run behind the defense in anticipation of Miazga getting a header close to goal. Rating: 5.5
Tim Parker: The New York Red Bull central defender made a positive contribution when he came on in the 61st minute for his first cap. Minutes after coming on, he broke up a dangerous Irish attack and then was effective in clearing dangerous passes from Ireland late in the game. Rating: 6.0
Shaq Moore: The Levante right back looked nervy in his first cap. Playing right back he didn’t get forward at all and was not as steady defensively as Yedlin. Rating: 4.5
Josh Sargent: The Werder Bremen forward had one shot after coming on in the 70th minute. Rating: 5.0
Luca de la Torre: Another Olympic-eligible player to make his international debut. De la Torre was not involved after coming on in the 77th minute. Rating: NR
Joe Corona: The Club America midfielder only had a few touches after coming on in the 81st minute. Rating: NR
Dave Sarachan: It was hardly ever going to be smooth taking this many young players with limited international experience to Europe. The intent is that even tough experiences are positive learning lessons for the future. To Sarachan’s credit, he has been integrating lots of young players during his interim tenure and that will help in the future. There are some tactical things that he could do differently with formations but the player pool is also limited for these games as well. Overall, it was probably a productive job laying groundwork for these players – which is far more important that winning or losing. Rating: 5.0
It was the second of three friendlies that is designed to give younger players a look and introduce new and promising players to the international game. After a convincing 3-0 win over a very poor Bolivian team, the United States had a much biggest test against Ireland.
Overall no players really had great game against Ireland although some at decent stretches. Next week it will face one of the best teams in the world in France and the young group will need to drastically improve to avoid what could be an ugly game.
Here are the player ratings
The Starting Lineup
Bill Hamid: The Virginia native showed a lot of rust which is understandable since he has been the backup at FC Midtjylland since leaving DC United last year. He was completely at fault for Ireland’s first goal when he misjudged a cross and allowed an easy goal. In the first half he made a similar mistake but was bailed out. Bottom line is that he needs game. Rating: 4.0
Jorge Villafana: The Santos Laguna left-back was decent defensively but offered little going forward and rarely stepped into the attack. Rating: 5.0
Matt Miazga: The New Jersey native set up Bobby Wood to give the United States a 1-0 and then was beaten badly by James McClean on the eventual winner from Alan Judge. Overall it was a game to forget for Miazga and the rest of the defensive group which really struggled to pass out of the back. Rating: 4.5
Cameron Carter-Vickers: The English-born Carter-Vickers had an off game passing the ball forward into the midfield and ended up hoofing the ball frequently in the second half. He also committed too many fouls in the first half. Rating: 4.5
DeAndre Yedlin: The Newcastle right-back committed a few avoidable fouls in the early and never really got forward into the attack effectively and used his speed to his advantage. Rating: 4.5
Will Trapp: The captain sometime struggled with the physicality of the Irish midfielders but he also was able to connect some nice passes into the attack. Rating: 5.5
Tyler Adams: The Red Bulls midfielder worked hard and helped the U.S. team tilt the game in its favor for the final 25 minutes of the first half. He forced turnovers and helped lead some decent counter attacks. He could have had a goal in the first half but Rubin attempted to redirect the shot and it went over the net. Rating: 6.0
Weston McKennie: The Schalke midfielder was a needed physical presence in the midfield and he did well to limit the Irish attack up the middle of the field. He began to contribute offensively later in the second half with a hard volley that forced a save as well as dangerously setting up Wood for a shot in the box. Rating: 6.5
Rubio Rubin: Rubin didn’t really contribute much from the outside. He had a couple of shots that were off frame and somehow deflated a shot from Adams that might have been going in. Overall he rarely threatened the Irish defense. Rating: 4.5
Tim Weah: The Paris St. Germain attacker showed that he is full of promise but also raw. He was aggressive and made dangerous runs that tested Ireland. But his final pass and shooting let him down on several occasions. Rating: 5.5
Bobby Wood: The Hamburg forward had a mixed day. For most of the game, he was not as dangerous as he could be. But his goal at the end of the first half showed a good read of the game when he made a run behind the defense in anticipation of Miazga getting a header close to goal. Rating: 5.5
The substitutes
Tim Parker: The New York Red Bull central defender made a positive contribution when he came on in the 61st minute for his first cap. Minutes after coming on, he broke up a dangerous Irish attack and then was effective in clearing dangerous passes from Ireland late in the game. Rating: 6.0
Shaq Moore: The Levante right back looked nervy in his first cap. Playing right back he didn’t get forward at all and was not as steady defensively as Yedlin. Rating: 4.5
Josh Sargent: The Werder Bremen forward had one shot after coming on in the 70th minute. Rating: 5.0
Luca de la Torre: Another Olympic-eligible player to make his international debut. De la Torre was not involved after coming on in the 77th minute. Rating: NR
Joe Corona: The Club America midfielder only had a few touches after coming on in the 81st minute. Rating: NR
The Coach
Dave Sarachan: It was hardly ever going to be smooth taking this many young players with limited international experience to Europe. The intent is that even tough experiences are positive learning lessons for the future. To Sarachan’s credit, he has been integrating lots of young players during his interim tenure and that will help in the future. There are some tactical things that he could do differently with formations but the player pool is also limited for these games as well. Overall, it was probably a productive job laying groundwork for these players – which is far more important that winning or losing. Rating: 5.0
