US wins Group A - Player grades
US 4-0 El Salvador
The US men came out and made it a big night for all the fans in Foxborough as they finally started playing up to their quality. All aspects of this team were connecting as the backline moved together, the midfield created chances and the forwards knew where to place the ball. There is no such thing as a perfect game but this was just about as close as a team can get.
Yes, the offense still failed to finish a number of chances and the defense got beat a handful of times, but the squad did not get frustrated. Instead, they adapted. El Salvador was the better team for the first 15-minutes of the second half but Bob Bradley made a few chances while the players talked to one another and slowly found their way out of it.
Goals:
USA: DaMarcus Beasley (1) 34', (2) 89', Landon Donovan (1) pk 45+', Taylor Twellman (1) 73'
With the win, the US takes first place in Group B with a full nine points from 7 goals. By the way, the team still has not conceded a goal. Also, Guadeloupe from Group A has earned a spot in the quarterfinals due to the USA's victory.
Player grades:
Tim Howard (GK) - Not on call much but did come up with a couple saves. His distribution is also getting better. A
Jonathan Spector (D) - Was beat a number of times and had trouble clearing the ball. B-
Oguchi Onyewu (D) - Timid at first but calmed down and stated becoming a force. Needs to watch the cards and work on his service. B+
Michael Parkhurst (D) - Forced a few mistakes from El Salvador and had some quick passes but still lagged a little at times. B+
Jonathan Bornstein (D) - Loved using his speed to force the issue on the attack but was out thought on a number of occasions. Note, can't just run through physical matter. B
Pablo Mastroeni (M) - Welcome back, here is your yellow card. Showed some rust by not working great with others but started a few good attacks. B
Michael Bradley (M) - Had an off night. Passes were intercepted and his timing was off with his tackles. C+
Benny Feilhaber (M) - Much quieted on the night but did the little things that forced El Salvador out of position while stealing a number of balls. B+
Clint Dempsey (F/M) - He was everywhere making plays happen. Passes were spot on, took some great looks at goal, broke up plays and overall did everything he could and didn't even break a sweat doing it. A+
Landon Donovan (F) - It is obvious he is happy because he was playing great. He ran at players and made some good passes and his dead ball deliveries are getting better. A
DaMarcus Beasley (F) - How could I forget about Beasley (thanks Kinney)? Another wonderful night. Picked apart the defense and made some quick reactions and not just for his goals. This was the Beasley we all love to see. A+
Subs
Taylor Twellman (F) - On for Donovan in the 46th. He loves playing in front of the home crowd. He put himself into position using his muscle and teamed well with Ching. A
Brian Ching (F) - On for Bradley in the 63rd. He worked it as the provider as he placed a number of balls in for Twellman, Beasley and Dempsey. His touches were still a bit off but they are getting closer. B+
Frank Simek (D) - On for Spector in the 82nd. Didn't have much time to judge but did stop one buildup. Gentleman’s B
Trinidad & Tobago 1-1 Guatemala
T&T gave Guatemala more then they thought they would get as the Soca Warriors were able to hang around just enough to get leave the Gold Cup with a point. Guatemala had their chances but somehow T&T stopped them.
Goals:
Guatemala: Carlos Ruiz (1) 83'
T&T: Errol McFarlane (1) 87'
Guatemala takes the second spot in Group B and will face Canada on Saturday.
Here are the Gold Cup tables:
Group A
Group B
Group C
Golden boot leaders:
3 - Carlos Costly - Honduras
3 - Walter Centeno - Costa Rica
2 - Julián de Guzmán - Canada
2 - Dwayne De Rosario - Canada
2 - Reynier Alcántara - Cuba
2 - José Luis Garcés - Panama
2 - Blas Pérez - Panama
2 - DaMarcus Beasley - USA
The US men came out and made it a big night for all the fans in Foxborough as they finally started playing up to their quality. All aspects of this team were connecting as the backline moved together, the midfield created chances and the forwards knew where to place the ball. There is no such thing as a perfect game but this was just about as close as a team can get.
Yes, the offense still failed to finish a number of chances and the defense got beat a handful of times, but the squad did not get frustrated. Instead, they adapted. El Salvador was the better team for the first 15-minutes of the second half but Bob Bradley made a few chances while the players talked to one another and slowly found their way out of it.
Goals:
USA: DaMarcus Beasley (1) 34', (2) 89', Landon Donovan (1) pk 45+', Taylor Twellman (1) 73'
With the win, the US takes first place in Group B with a full nine points from 7 goals. By the way, the team still has not conceded a goal. Also, Guadeloupe from Group A has earned a spot in the quarterfinals due to the USA's victory.
Player grades:
Tim Howard (GK) - Not on call much but did come up with a couple saves. His distribution is also getting better. A
Jonathan Spector (D) - Was beat a number of times and had trouble clearing the ball. B-
Oguchi Onyewu (D) - Timid at first but calmed down and stated becoming a force. Needs to watch the cards and work on his service. B+
Michael Parkhurst (D) - Forced a few mistakes from El Salvador and had some quick passes but still lagged a little at times. B+
Jonathan Bornstein (D) - Loved using his speed to force the issue on the attack but was out thought on a number of occasions. Note, can't just run through physical matter. B
Pablo Mastroeni (M) - Welcome back, here is your yellow card. Showed some rust by not working great with others but started a few good attacks. B
Michael Bradley (M) - Had an off night. Passes were intercepted and his timing was off with his tackles. C+
Benny Feilhaber (M) - Much quieted on the night but did the little things that forced El Salvador out of position while stealing a number of balls. B+
Clint Dempsey (F/M) - He was everywhere making plays happen. Passes were spot on, took some great looks at goal, broke up plays and overall did everything he could and didn't even break a sweat doing it. A+
Landon Donovan (F) - It is obvious he is happy because he was playing great. He ran at players and made some good passes and his dead ball deliveries are getting better. A
DaMarcus Beasley (F) - How could I forget about Beasley (thanks Kinney)? Another wonderful night. Picked apart the defense and made some quick reactions and not just for his goals. This was the Beasley we all love to see. A+
Subs
Taylor Twellman (F) - On for Donovan in the 46th. He loves playing in front of the home crowd. He put himself into position using his muscle and teamed well with Ching. A
Brian Ching (F) - On for Bradley in the 63rd. He worked it as the provider as he placed a number of balls in for Twellman, Beasley and Dempsey. His touches were still a bit off but they are getting closer. B+
Frank Simek (D) - On for Spector in the 82nd. Didn't have much time to judge but did stop one buildup. Gentleman’s B
Trinidad & Tobago 1-1 Guatemala
T&T gave Guatemala more then they thought they would get as the Soca Warriors were able to hang around just enough to get leave the Gold Cup with a point. Guatemala had their chances but somehow T&T stopped them.
Goals:
Guatemala: Carlos Ruiz (1) 83'
T&T: Errol McFarlane (1) 87'
Guatemala takes the second spot in Group B and will face Canada on Saturday.
Here are the Gold Cup tables:
Group A
| Team | Pts | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
| Canada | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
| Costa Rica | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Guadeloupe | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Haiti | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 |
Group B
| Team | Pts | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
| USA | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 |
| Guatemala | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| El Salvador | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | -4 |
| T&T | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -3 |
Group C
| Team | Pts | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
| Panama | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
| Honduras | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Mexico | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Cuba | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 |
Golden boot leaders:
3 - Carlos Costly - Honduras
3 - Walter Centeno - Costa Rica
2 - Julián de Guzmán - Canada
2 - Dwayne De Rosario - Canada
2 - Reynier Alcántara - Cuba
2 - José Luis Garcés - Panama
2 - Blas Pérez - Panama
2 - DaMarcus Beasley - USA
Labels: 2007 Gold Cup, CONCACAF, El Salvador, Player Grades, US MNT, US Soccer
posted by Mike H at 11:05 PM
2 Comments:
Score a brace and you still get forgotten. What does a player have to do?
Great Job all-around on the blog! Thanks.
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