USA vs. Panama Grades via ESPN

[ugafan6612]

G - Nick Rimando, 6: Had a pretty quiet first half, as he was only asked to clean up some loose balls in the box.

D - DaMarcus Beasley, 6.5: Was robbed in one sequence early with Sanchez but recovered to hold his own. He found more opportunities to get forward in the second half and put in some telling passes.

D - Matt Besler, 6.5: Had some dynamic clearances, and was sharp on the ball. Did get caught out on one through ball, but the attack came to nothing. Raised his game a notch in the second half.

D - Clarence Goodson, 7: Looked composed in his defending and his passing and did well in his battles with Perez. Overall, Goodson has done plenty in this tournament to remain in Klinsmann's reckoning.

D - Michael Parkhurst, 7: Was forced to defend more than in previous games, but fared well in his encounters with Quintero. Had a vital clearance on an early Gabriel Torres cross.

M - Joe Corona, 5: Had some bright moments in the middle third to help the U.S. get forward, but wasn't as effective as he got closer to goal. Faded out of the game in the second half.

M - Kyle Beckerman, 7: His positioning was excellent per usual as he claimed lots of loose balls. No complaints about his distribution, either. Had some vital blocks and clearances late in the match.

M - Stuart Holden, 5.5: Got off to a promising start, shooting over the bar after a steal in the 11th minute, but was forced off with a right knee injury eight minutes later, the same knee that kept Holden out on and off for two years.

M - Alejandro Bedoya, 7: Took up some good positions in the first half, and shook free from Panama's defense a couple of times, but needed more end product. He solved that problem in the second half as his telling pass picked out Shea in the run-up to the goal.

F - Landon Donovan, 7: Was very quiet in the first half as Panama denied him space. Looked a different player after halftime, thankfully, and was part of the team's best attacking sequences. Should have done better on his 56th minute header but inadvertently played a critical part in the run-up to the goal. Fully deserved his tournament MVP honor.

F - Eddie Johnson, 5: Drifted out wide in an attempt to find the ball but found space tough to come by. Stayed more central in the second half and created space for Donovan, yet should have done better with a late chance.

Subs:

M - Mix Diskerud 6.5: Connected his passes well, and helped his team out by earning some free kicks. Picked up the pace in the second half, and sprayed some accurate long-range passes.

M - Brek Shea, 7: Scored one of the great two-foot putts but they all count, and but for one flubbed touch, he was generally a menace on the wing.

D - Omar Gonzalez, 6: Late cameo but provided a sturdy aerial presence at the end.

Do you agree? Post results if you're bored and have time

 

[ugafan6612]

My only changes

D - Clarence Goodson, 7.5: Played great in defending the speedy Panama strikers. Defenders are challenged more than anybody every game and he did a great job.

M - Joe Corona, 6: Didn't do much with his chances up front but still was aggressive enough to get the start and gave us some chances to score

M - Kyle Beckerman, 6: I guess I just don't like Beckerman that much. I feel like he wasn't very aggressive this game and passed back too much. He did have some nice defense though and didn't make too many bad passes.

F - Landon Donovan, 6.5: Played with determination but next time he has that chance he has to get a goal in that shot by Shea
Subs:

M - Mix Diskerud 7: Created so many chances in this game. Was a good sub for Holden and had some great passes. Probably shouldnt have taken his one shot outside of the box when he did but for the most part played really good.

M - Brek Shea, 6:Good for him scoring the big goal, he brought speed onto the field and awareness but should have probably taken a shot off the touch he got in the box

 

[hokiegrad]

I wouldn't have argued against a 7 for Beckerman. I haven't been a huge fan in the past, but I thought he did a very good job with both distribution and defense. If he continues to play like that, I'll call him improved and want him on the WC roster.

How the ESPN writer could give Mix less than a 7 is beyond me. Maybe they were distracted writing their article before the game was over? Mix was great in this game, plain and simple. I'd go even higher and give him a 7.5.

You're right that Shea didn't deserve a 7. I thought he played much better as the tournament went on, but when you start the tournament playing that bad... he wasn't quite that much better. And it's hard to give him much credit for a tap in goal that was already going in anyway. 6 works for me.

I'd have gone higher on EJ. He has to be knocked for that stupid end of game card, and the bad miss, but other than that I thought he had a pretty good game, enough to draw a 6 IMO.

I would have dropped Beasley down to a 6. Some missed opportunities there, and he didn't look terribly strong in defense.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

My only changes

D - Clarence Goodson, 7.5: Played great in defending the speedy Panama strikers. Defenders are challenged more than anybody every game and he did a great job.

M - Joe Corona, 6: Didn't do much with his chances up front but still was aggressive enough to get the start and gave us some chances to score

M - Kyle Beckerman, 6: I guess I just don't like Beckerman that much. I feel like he wasn't very aggressive this game and passed back too much. He did have some nice defense though and didn't make too many bad passes.

F - Landon Donovan, 6.5: Played with determination but next time he has that chance he has to get a goal in that shot by Shea
Subs:

M - Mix Diskerud 7: Created so many chances in this game. Was a good sub for Holden and had some great passes. Probably shouldnt have taken his one shot outside of the box when he did but for the most part played really good.

M - Brek Shea, 6:Good for him scoring the big goal, he brought speed onto the field and awareness but should have probably taken a shot off the touch he got in the box

Pretty much agree about Beckerman. Not a huge fan, I thought he was mediocre in that game. Not terrible but by no means was he a game changer.

 

[boltfan72]

Of the players that haven't seen A team duty in a while I've gotta think Donovan, EJ, Mix, and Wondo are the most likely to move up. But there's a lot more involved than just their Gold Cup play. Rimando may have earned a spot on the bench as well.

 

[ugafan6612]

Of the players that haven't seen A team duty in a while I've gotta think Donovan, EJ, Mix, and Wondo are the most likely to move up. But there's a lot more involved than just their Gold Cup play. Rimando may have earned a spot on the bench as well.

I just don't think Wondo did enough against the better teams. I would think him and Corona are the next guys up though within a yr or so(besides the guys you mentioned)

 

[hokiegrad]

Klinsy's thoughts:
Klinsmann: "It's a sign of consistency" - U.S. Soccer