{"id":8792,"date":"2012-01-26T00:16:59","date_gmt":"2012-01-26T05:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=8792"},"modified":"2012-01-26T00:17:57","modified_gmt":"2012-01-26T05:17:57","slug":"player-ratings-u-s-mens-national-team-at-panama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=8792","title":{"rendered":"Player Ratings: U.S. Men\u2019s National Team at Panama"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2019Connell, Julian Cardillo and Sean Donahue contributed ratings for the USA\u2019s 1-0 victory over Panama<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Nick Rimando<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 6.17<\/strong> (Brian 4.5, Julian 7, Sean 7)
\nThawarted Renteria\u2019s shot early, good distribution. Gambled big on a few Panama strikes and never looked comfortable. (Brian) \u2026 Did everything necessary to keep the ball out of the net. Came up with some big saves and kept the U.S in it. (Julian) \u2026 One shaky moment where he hurt himself leaving his box, but otherwise several fantastic saves and did well commanding his box. (Sean)<\/p>\n

A. J. DeLaGarza<\/strong> – Average Rating: 4.5<\/strong> (Brian 4, Julian 5, Sean 4.5)
\nOutmuscled, questionable runs and passes, but did track back somewhat better than he did during the Venezuela game. Improved somewhat in the second half, but not by much. (Brian) \u2026 Made a few nice tackles, but didn\u2019t have the best pace. Let the ball get away from him a few times. (Julian) \u2026 Positioning was questionable, still doesn\u2019t look comfortable on the right after playing center back with the Galaxy. (Sean)<\/p>\n

Michael Parkhurst<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 6<\/strong> (Brian 5.5, Julian 6.5, Sean 6)
\nBeaten on Perez header than went wide late; streaks of sound defense interrupted by miscues. Distribution never an issue. (Brian) \u2026 Seemed to labor more against Panama than he did against Venezuela but still got the job done. Didn\u2019t get along as well with Parke as he did with Cameron, but still had a solid night. (Julian) \u2026 A couple of miscommunications with his fellow center backs on positioning for crosses, but otherwise read the game well and was his usual composed self in the back. (Sean)<\/p>\n

Geoff Cameron<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 4.83<\/strong> (Brian 4, Julian 6, Sean 4.5)
\nStruggled to wall up the box and never really established himself in the area; red card may have been undeserved, but he was out of position. (Brian) \u2026 Unlucky to be called for a foul that led to him being red carded. Did allow a little too much space at times, but made some nice acrobatic clearances to keep the U.S. out of danger. (Julian) Seemed to lose his man on an early cross. Red card was harsh, but could\u2019ve been avoided. (Sean)<\/p>\n

Zach Loyd<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 4.33<\/strong> (Brian 3.5, Julian 5.5, Sean 4)
\nBeaten and burned along the flank before getting the hook late in the first half; the cross that led to Zusi\u2019s score actually appeared to kick off a Panamanian heel. (Brian) \u2026 Nice cross to lead to the goal, but a few questionable decisions on the ball. Wasn\u2019t as sharp passing on the floor. (Julian) \u2026 Decent getting forward, including the long ball to set up the goal, but his defensive positioning was poor and led to several Panamanian chances. (Sean)<\/p>\n

Graham Zusi<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 5.5<\/strong> (Brian 5, Julian 6, Sean 5.5)
\nAdded what little bite the U.S. attack had in the first half; though it wasn\u2019t much; credit due to the opportunistic strike. (Brian) \u2026 Nice finish on the goal, but he was, in truth, lucky to get the ball in that position. Didn\u2019t do much for the attack following the goal. (Julian) \u2026 Great finish, but otherwise a fairly quiet night. (Sean)<\/p>\n

Jermaine Jones<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 5.33<\/strong> (Brian 5.5, Julian 5.5, Sean 5)
\nAnother hot\/cold performance; ripped a class shot at the half hour, but once again, trying to do too many things diminished his effectiveness. (Brian) \u2026 A few giveaways in midfield, but he did manage to keep the reckless fouls on the down-low. Performed decently as captain and helped the U.S. keep calm after going to down a man. (Julian) \u2026 Obviously has the fitness advantage and can play a nice ball at times or blast an impressive long shot, but far too many giveaways. (Sean)<\/p>\n

Ricardo Clark<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 4.67<\/strong> (Brian 4, Julian 5.5, Sean 4.5)
\nUnsettling performance.\u00a0 Plagued by poor passes, low quality on the ball, and spells of defensive indifference. (Brian) \u2026 Made some nice passes to start up the attack, but was just one step behind the defender once he got into the box. (Julian) \u2026No huge mistakes, but it was easy to forget he was on the field at times. Didn\u2019t leave his mark. (Sean)<\/p>\n

Brek Shea<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 4.83 <\/strong>(Brian 4.5, Julian 5.5, Sean 4.5)
\nDisheveled and erratic. Passing lacked the crispness seen in recent performances. Looked tired and lethargic. (Brian) \u2026 Not much out of Shea. Kept the ball well, but was not very involved in the attack. Nothing to remember or forget. (Julian) \u2026 Looked indecisive at times in the attack. Not his best day. (Sean)<\/p>\n

Chris Wondolowski<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 5.17<\/strong>(Brian 4.5, Julian 5.5, Sean 5.5)
\nNearly converted the rebound on Jones\u2019 30th minute shot; though he was unlucky not to score, the simple truth is that it was another chance tossed into the wastebasket. (Brian) \u2026 Marginally better than Bunbury. Also needs to decide what runs he wants to make and whether he\u2019s a poacher or hold up player. Got totally robbed on reaction save by the Panama keeper in the first half. (Julian) \u2026 Unlucky to see his header denied, but didn\u2019t form a good partnership with Bunbury. (Sean)<\/p>\n

Teal Bunbury<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 4.17<\/strong> (Brian 3.5, Julian 5, Sean 4)
\nA non-factor would be putting it kindly; was a detriment to the attack and seemed to lack the understanding of his role alongside Wondolowski. Forgettable performance. (Brian) \u2026 Had one shot that really tested the keeper, though it went wide. Needs to figure out whether he\u2019s the poacher or the forward that plays hold up soccer. (Julian) \u2026 Didn\u2019t combine well with Wondolowski and struggled to find space or make good runs (Sean)<\/p>\n

(sub) Sean Johnson<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 5.83<\/strong> (Brian 6, Julian 5.5, Sean 6)
\nSettled the area and smothered a dangerous ball in the 66th minute. Showed good composure despite the chaos in front of him. (Brian) \u2026 Didn\u2019t have much to do but made the saves when necessary. Seemed to have trouble interacting with his defense. Often sent the ball out to early after making a save or collecting a loose ball. (Julian) \u2026 Did well commanding his box and distribution was solid. (Sean)<\/p>\n

(sub) Heath Pearce<\/strong> \u00a0– Average Rating: 5.5<\/strong> (Brian 5, Julian 5.5, Sean 6)
\nStabilized the wing after coming on for Loyd, and Panama took notice as they shifted their attack away from the left as the game progressed. (Brian) \u2026 Not a bad job on the overlap. Defended cleanly and got along well with the backline once he came in. (Julian) \u2026 Helped lock down the left side and provided nice support in the attack. (Sean)<\/p>\n

(sub) Jeff Parke<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 4.67<\/strong> (Brian 4.5, Julian 4.5, Sean 5)
\nNearly paid for a misplayed header in the shadow of his own net; seemed to struggle against Panama\u2019s speed merchants. (Brian) \u2026 Unimpressive next to Parkhurst. Gave the ball away at critical times and was lucky not to have a goal scored off of some mistakes. That said, it is tough going in after a red card and slotting next to a defender who already established his rhythm with another player. (Julian) \u2026 Tough situation to get thrown into with the U.S. down a man and partnering Parkhurst for the first time. Nothing spectacular, but limited mistakes. (Sean)<\/p>\n

(sub) Jeff Larentowicz<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 5.67<\/strong> (Brian 5.5, Julian 6, Sean 5.5)
\nAdded some much needed confidence to the middle of the park; established himself as a key cog late. (Brian) \u2026 Made some bright runs and had some decent hold-up play. Unlucky not to be part of an attacking strategy. (Julian) \u2026 Provided a bit more life in the midfield after replacing a struggling Clark. (Sean)<\/p>\n

(sub) Brad Evans<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 5.33<\/strong> (Brian 5.5, Julian 5.5, Sean 5)
\nAnother improvement to the midfield; though the circumstances limited his chances, he showed for his teammates and made a few nice runs. (Brian) \u2026 Did what was expected. Came back to defend and controlled the ball. (Julian)\u2026 Didn\u2019t make too much of a mark going forward due to the circumstances, but provided support defensively. (Sean)<\/p>\n

(sub) C. J. Sapong<\/strong> \u2013 Average Rating: 6.33<\/strong> (Brian 6.5, Julian 6.5, Sean 6)
\nHeld the ball well, and though he didn\u2019t get any shots, his class on the ball was one of the few bright spots up front. (Brian) \u2026 Came in and did some excellent hold up work. Helped the U.S. late by being the big presence they needed up top to drain some time off the clock. (Julian) \u2026 Did exactly what was needed off the bench playing the role of target forward. (Sean)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No shortage of mediocre performances for the U.S., despite its 1-0 victory over Panama.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nesoccertoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/jonesfeature2.jpg?fit=490%2C240&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8792"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8792"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8797,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8792\/revisions\/8797"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}