So what did we learn tonight?

I just finished watching what has got to be the worst US performance in a long time. Yes, it hurt that we were playing in a pseudo-experimental formation... it also hurt that Reyna got hurt in the first 15 minutes and had to be subbed in... But we still should have beat Morocco. And the fact that they were able to sit back in a 5-4-1 formation and stall the whole game (We had maybe 2 really good chances) has got to give Bruce Arena fits, because it means that we lose if Italy gets a goal before we do.

The other thing that I noticed is that Pablo Mastroeni is just plain awful. Yes, I will grant you that he can tackle and break up plays. But what seems to escape people's notice is that his positioning and passing is horrible. Cherundulo probably should have played that ball out of bounds but rewatch the sequence on TiVo... Mastroeni is the guy following up the play and he's two concerned with going for the ball (double teaming a guy that could only have managed a tough, crossing left footed shot from 25 yards with only half the goal visible) rather then covering the wide player streaking in unmarked. The fact that he was named Sierra Mist Man of the Match is proof positive that Americans don't yet understand a game that doesn't have statistics.

On the positive side... O'Brien is looking better and better. Convey is the real deal and is going to replace Beasley on the left if Beasley doesn't step it up. Eddie Johnson has got a frickin' amazing vertical (I think he was 2 feet above the crowd on his header). And Cherundulo is quite solid and can provide width.

Grades and thoughts:

Onyewu: Not the polished product that he will be someday. He should also be concious of the tendency for referees to "assume" that the big guy fowled the little guy. This is a very human tendency and he should be concious of it. Still, I'd like to see Onyewu take on Adriano should we advance and play Brazil... That's a fight that would be very, very interesting. B-

Pope: Showed veteran skill for most of the game. His man never really beat him and he was silent for most of the game (which is good for a defender). Not the threat he used to be on set pieces but that might work to our advantage. B

Cherundulo: Looked good for most of the game. Provided good width which allowed Wolff to pinch in and be more threatening up front. People are going to say that he should have cleared the ball on Morocco's goal but let me suggest that it's possible (and only he could say for sure) that he was afraid of a quick throw-in that went over his head and caught him out of position. Still, he was one of our best players on the field. A-

Gibbs: Played in sort of a wierd hybrid left back/center back. He clearly isn't comfortable going forward but that might be okay if Convey or Beasley is playing in front of him. I'd anticipate seeing him start against Czech Republic (matched up against Pavel Nedved) and for Eddie Lewis to play the other games. B-

Reyna: Never good to see Reyna limp off hurt. Hopefully it's just a small nothing injury but we won't know until Friday probably. He's CLEARLY slower than he used to be and I think that a quick, physical, disciplined team (like Italy) will be able to exploit that weakness. NG

O'Brien: Doesn't yet have the fitness level that he'll need but he's making progress. His passes were very, very good and he was the only one that appeared to have the keys for the Moroccan defense. Really stepped up his game on both offense and defense after Reyna left the field. A

Donovan: Invisible for much of the first half. It's clear that Donovan doesn't know how to operate in midfield when he's not the playmaker. I'd rather us play him at forward or right midfield then in the center when Reyna and/or O'Brien are behind him. Looked better in the second half. C+

Beasley: Nowhere near as dangerous as he used to be. Having said that, he's a much, much better defender then he used to be and his speed means that most teams will be completely unable to exploit the flank he's on. Also, when Convey came in, he looked surprisingly competent in the middle of the field which is a plus in terms of flexibility. Convey's presence and performance shadowed Beasley's though and Beasley doesn't bring the crossing, dribbling offensive threat that Convey does. It may sound funny to say but I think Beasley might now be the "defensive" flank option. C+

McBride: The veteran forward looked good given his isolated position against a 5-4-1 defense. He was routinely double teamed and that restricted his effectiveness. His presence emphasized how lacking we are in creativity that we were unable to crack the defense. I'm a bit worried that he missed a couple of headers that he would otherwise have gotten and I wonder if he's slightly injured. B

Wolff: Josh Wolff showed exactly why he's not ready to play at forward. He squandered a couple of good chances and is looking more and more like he's only an option as a wide right midfielder. C-

Subs:

Mastroeni: Alright, I finally feel justified in unloading on Pablo. He did break up a couple of plays but they're almost always in the tackling way (rather then the more dangerous intercepting way). He's consistently out of position and his passing ability is downright horrible. He's also a thug on the field and should have gotten a yellow card. I was dumbfounded when they named him player of the game (as I said above, the goal was as much, if not more, his fault then Cherundulo's). D+

Convey: Bobby is looking more and more like this World Cup's DeMarcus Beasley. The difference is that, in Convey's case, he has much more experience then Beasley. His crossing is good and he's speedy and creative. About the only complaint I have is that he doesn't exploit space with his dribbles (he had a breakaway that he should have turned the corner on and he led an attack in which he didn't split wide when the whole left half of the field was left open to him. That being said, he was probably the most dangerous player for the US and looked really good. A

Johnson: Eddie was a poor substitution on Arena's part (not to criticize really, Arena likely just wanted to get him onto the field). He's not the player that you want on the field to exploit a packed in defense. He needs space to operate. However, I was VERY impressed by the header and I realized that's not the first time that his vertical leap has impressed me. If the US can exploit THAT trait then he might fulfill the promise he's shown. B-

Ching: The US just doesn't know how to provide Ching useful service. I'm not sure if that's his positioning or the service the team gives or what. Maybe I'll go back and watch the tape and try to figure it out. NG

Dempsey: I really wish he'd come in for Reyna instead of Mastroeni. Dempsey didn't have a chance to do much but he looked okay while he was out there. B

We looked pitiful. I hope some improvement is forthecoming.