Player Ratings: U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Panama

After each match the contributors to New England Soccer Today will rate the performances of the United States National Team players who made an appearance on a 1 to 10 scale (1 horrendous, 5 average, 10 perfection). This week Brian O’Connell and Sean Donahue contributed ratings for the USA’s 2-1 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group C loss to Panama.

Tim Howard – Average Rating: 4.25 (Brian 4.5, Sean 4)
Communication with defenders was terrible in first half; too much screaming and not enough organizing. (Brian) … Didn’t have much to do. Hard to blame him for the rebound on the first goal or the penalty, but needed to command the backline better. (Sean)

Sacha Kljestan was our top rated performer in a disappointing U.S. performance against Panama. (Photo by CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com)

Steve Cherundolo – Average Rating: 5.75 (Brian 5.5, Sean 6)
Turned it on in second half after a quiet first frame; nice runs on the wing to sharpen the attack. (Brian) … Dangerous throughout the match getting forward and sending service into the box. (Sean)

Tim Ream – Average Rating: 3.5 (Brian 3.5, Sean 3.5)
Poor against Spain, poor against Panama; can’t defend speedy attackers; it’s become evident that Ream’s not ready for the international stage. (Brian) … Unnecessary tackle leading to the penalty and a poor performance overall.  (Sean)

Clarence Goodson – Average Rating: 4.5 (Brian 4.5, Sean 4.5)
Abysmal in the back, got burned on the first Panama goal; did well to nod the US goal through, but defending was suspect all night. (Brian) … At fault for Panama’s first goal and for another Panama chance to make it 3-0 before halftime. Only his goal saves him from a rating as low as Ream’s. (Sean)

Carlos Bocanegra – Average Rating: 4.25 (Brian 4, Sean 4.5)
Added some physicality against a tough Panama team, but showed his age when he got burned often in the first half. (Brian) … Struggled at times, but much of that can be blamed on a lack of help on the left from Dempsey. (Sean)

Clint Dempsey – Average Rating: 6 (Brian 6.5, Sean 5.5)
Offense in a bottle; created well, good touches, well-timed runs; unfortunate to come up empty handed. (Brian) … Spearheaded the U.S. attack and constantly a threat to score. Left Bocanegra out to dry by failing to track back on defense for most of the match while playing left midfield. (Sean)

Michael Bradley – Average Rating: 5 (Brian 5, Sean 5)
Nice nod on the Goodson goal, looked good centrally, but impatient going forward. (Brian) … It’s becoming a bad habit for Bradley to take long range shots rather than looking to pass when he is in the final third. (Sean)

Jermaine Jones – Average Rating: 4 (Brian 4, Sean 4)
Distribution wasn’t sharp; added nothing to the attack; first player taken off was indicative of his performance. (Brian) … Involvement and passing were much better against Canada. (Sean)

Landon Donovan – Average Rating: 4.5 (Brian 4.5, Sean 4.5)
Split personality performance; service good on set pieces, but subpar on the run of play. Good ideas, but poor execution. (Brian) … Good set pieces, but Donovan failed to have the impact on the game we’ve come to expect from him, especially when the U.S. were behind. (Sean)

Jozy Altidore – Average Rating: 4.25 (Brian 4, Sean 4.5)
Dumb yellow card in first frame showed his immaturity; sprang to life in second half and served a ball to Wondolowski that should’ve made it 2-2. (Brian) … Effort seemed to be lacking tonight, but had a few nice forays forward, including dribbling into the box to set up what should have been the equalizer for Wondolowski. (Sean)

Juan Agudelo – Average Rating: 4.25 (Brian 4.5, Sean 4)
Played smart, but couldn’t outmuscle the strong Panama backs; despite that, looked ready to break out before seeing his number 9 on the substitute sign. (Brian) … Again failed to make enough of an impact on the game and his bad early giveaway could’ve proved costly for the U.S. (Sean)

(sub) Sacha Kljestan – Average Rating: 6.25 (Brian 7, Sean 5.5)
Super-sub extraordinaire; combined well with Dempsey and Donovan, calm on the ball, good vision, and sparked the attack upon his arrival in the second half. (Brian) … Kljestan improved the U.S. attack after replacing Jones in the midfield. Did well linking the midfield with the strikers. (Sean)

(sub) Alejandro Bedoya – Average Rating: 5.25 (Brian 5.5, Sean 5)
Sharpened the attack; linked well with Dempsey, but a bit naive on the flop inside the box. (Brian) … Aided the U.S. comeback attempt, though he was caught attempting to earn a penalty kick. (Sean)

(sub) Chris Wondolowski – Average Rating: 4 (Brian 4, Sean 4)
Terrible, terrible finish on the Altidore ball that should’ve leveled it; almost made up for with a deft touch to help set up Bradley’s near-miss late. (Brian) … Hard to look past the awful miss on what should’ve easily been the equalizer. (Sean)