Paraguay beat us for the first time ever (I was also shocked to hear that we've had 2 wins and 2 ties against, arguably, South America's third best team). The game was a textbook example of the problems of youth. There were many mistakes across the board and I think it's a game in which we largely outplayed our opponents but made a couple critical mistakes that led to goals for them and a couple mistakes that led to missed goals for us...
Kasey Keller (5): The Kasey of old would not have given up the last two goals... Not that that's a big knock on him as there aren't many goalies in the world that I would make that statement about anyways... It is a pretty clear statement that Tim Howard is the best goalie we've got now, however. I think Tim probably stops that 2nd goal and the 3rd goal is a crap shoot but I think Tim would have had a pretty good chance at it...
Drew Moor (3): Looked slow and exposed on the right flank. Did not mix well with Olsen and Mapp and showed pretty complete incompetence in his wide-open header that missed at point blank range (looking at it, I can't even give him alot of credit for GETTING open because it was more a case of a case of the Paraguayan defenders moving to cover everyone else in a way that left a Drew Moor sized hole where Drew was standing... )
Johnathan Bornstein (4): He looked exactly like the player we thought he was. A good MLS player that was out of his league and punished by every mistake he made. He showed against Argentina that his athleticism and positioning could compete with the best in the world (Lionel Messi) but when he's asked to assume a more creative, offensive role he is not equipped for that role. I think if he uses the KISS method (Keep It Simple Stupid) he does just fine but we lack the wing play on the left side that Bradley wants. It was his pass, as much as Conrad's poor judgment, that resulted in the 2nd Paraguayan goal. Often took one too many touches on the ball which is a common problem for MLS players when trying to get used to International speed...
Jimmy Conrad (5): Looked very good and solid for most of the game. His one mistake was in misjudging how slow Bornstein's pass back to Keller was. At this level, one mistake is usually punished and Paraguay is a classy enough team that that was the case.
Jay DeMerit (5): Also looked pretty good in the back... Picked up an injury early in the 2nd half that forced Danny Califf to come in
Danny Califf (substitute, 4): A clear step down from DeMerit. He's a guy that should not be playing at this level and is trying to get by on sheer athleticism. He gave up the free kick that led to the 3rd Paraguayan goal but it was a pretty ticky tack call and he really shouldn't be blamed for that.
Ricardo Clark (7): One of the only player on the night that really shined. He was able to make some pretty incisive passes and had some good shots on goal (including our lone goal). He had a shot late in the 2nd half that was a real cracker and almost tied it up. He isn't quite the defensive force that Mastroeni has been... But that's okay because he's much better offensively and Benny Feilhaber is there to help (vs. Donovan or Reyna who weren't big tackling forces).
Benny Feilhaber (6): Made some very good passes that probably should have resulted in at least one more goal. His ability to weight a long ball perfectly is something we haven't had in a long time. He looked frustrated towards the end but he can clearly play at this level and he's likely to only get better.
Ben Olsen (6): A real fighter on the right flank. What more can you say about him. He had no help behind him (offensively or defensively) from Drew Moor. One of the only players that consistently plays with heart, passion and fight. To use a cliched phrase, "He bleeds red, white and blue".
Justin Mapp (substitute, 4): Continues to play very well but tries to do a bit too much. Had some brilliant runs (one late in which he split two defenders to get inside was just amazing) but then tries to beat one more guy. The rule at this level should be, unless your name is Pele or Maradona, don't try to beat everyone. Beat one guy then look for a pass. Admittedly, his pass onto Moor's head should have resulted in a goal. I will say two things here. One, he seemed out of position on the right for much of the game but that also has potential if he can learn to get quickly onto his left foot (or develop his right foot a little better) he could be a Preki type right sided player. Two, I don't know what Bob Bradley's instructions to him were. He may have been trying to do too much because Bradley said, "We need you son... Work your magic". If this is the case then I think (with the exception of the shot on goal that should have been a pass to Johnson) he did largely okay...
Sacha Kljestan (5): A kind of blah, so-so performance. He didn't do anything wrong but nor did he do anything really right. He's young enough that he should continue to improve a bit and this is some good experience for him.
Lee Nguyen (substitute, 3): Wasn't on the field for long but looked completely out classed by the players around him. Unfortunately, this wasn't an outclassing in terms of skill or composure... He was physically beaten to the ball a couple times. I would expect a fresh player to beat all but the fastest players who have been playing the whole game and yet he lost all of these foot races. He plays for PSV so I'm assuming there's some talent there... I just didn't see it last night.
Taylor Twelllman (4): Like against Argentina, Twellman was invisible through much of the game. He never seemed to be making the right runs (the trailing forward should never go far post if the other forward goes far post) and didn't gel well with Johnson. Admittedly, some of this lack of chemistry is probably Johnson's fault but the fact remains that I constantly found myself wondering, "Where was Twellman on that play?"
Eddie Johnson (6): ESPN thinks that Johnson was a 4 and we clearly disagree. I think this was one of his best games in a long time. I would obviously like to see his finishing improve but he played hard all game, helped on defense (sometimes coming VERY deep just to slow a guy down and stop a break away). His movement looked good and he got himself into some good positions (why Mapp doesn't pass to him in the 75th minute is just beyond me).
There's cause for some hope in this. If we can get a 3-0 win or so against Columbia we have a shot at going to the next round. Also, as Bradley pointed out, we'll know if we've got a shot prior to the game. If we don't have a chance, expect some players who you haven't seen to get some playing time. I'd expect to see a Johnson / Davies partnership up top just to see if it turns in to anything.
