The USMNT lost again to Mexico in Azteca. The result, and perhaps even the way it happened, was predictable. The United States simply could not keep up with the Mexicans, and poor play all over the field did them in as much as the external factors that playing in Azteca presents.
A quick look at what I saw, both good and bad, in yesterday's supremely disappointing loss.
The Good
Charlie Davies. The speedy striker did his best to keep the US in the match, and was the only American who was able to put himself in dangerous positions on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, the Americans' passing through the midfield was so poor and the long ball service so frequent, that Davies was unable to truly impact the game after his ninth minute goal.
Tim Howard. It could have been worse, and if not for Tim Howard, it might have been. Howard was unable to keep the Mexicans from scoring on two occasions, but there was nothing he could have done in either instance to prevent the ball from going into the net. In both cases, Howard's defense let him down.
The Start. The Americans managed to score in the first ten minutes of the game, something that seemed unlikely to happen prior to the match. Energy and attack were there, Donovan's pass to Davies was perfect, and Davies' finishing was excellent. It's just too bad the team couldn't make it stand up.
The Bad
Michael Bradley. Bradley was utterly and completely terrible yesterday, both in maintaining control in the midfield or contributing anything going forward. The simple task of completing a pass seemed beyond Bradley's capabilities, and he gave away the ball on numerous occasions. Due to the importance of central midfield play, Bradley's poor performance stands out more than perhaps any other American.
Passing. It wasn't just Michael Bradley who couldn't manage to complete a pass. It was an epidemic of team-wide proportions, even going as far to effect Oguchi Onyewu's ability to complete a simple back pass to Tim Howard. The inability to get the ball across the center line on the ground inevitably led to searching long balls that the American front line could never seem to track down. Even when a pass did manage to find it's target, it was too often over-hit or under-hit, forcing the receiving player to adjust, and allowing the Mexicans to take the ball off of them. This was the most disheartening part of the American performance for me; we know this team is capable of completing passes and maintaining a modicum of possession, and they just simply didn't do it. Because of that, it became a game of keep-away, meaning that the altitude and smog affected the US more than it should have been allowed to.
The Referee. First, let it be said that the ref was not the reason the US lost; but he was poor enough that it's worthy of a note. "Inconsistent" doesn't begin to describe the calls Roberto Moreno made. Home bias is an accepted reality in the world of international soccer, but Moreno went beyond the pale with his calls. While the Americans were picking up cards for rash tackles that are bookable offenses by the letter of the law, the Mexicans avoided warnings for similar trangressions. Moreno also lost control, allowing the Mexican players to manhandle Charlie Davies when he was down with an injury (the believed him to be time-wasting), and refusing to dish out proper punishment when the situation boiled over.
Everything Else. Especially Donovan getting beat to the endline on the play that resulted in Mexico's game-winning goal. That one hurt.
The Invisible
The Attack. There was none, at least not after Davies scored. I maintain that the early goal allowed the US to relax too much, creating a situation that led to Mexico dominating the remainder of the match. No player showed any ability to create space or find teammates in space, and the Americans created zero chances after the initial ten minutes of the match. It's hard to give yourself shots at goal when you don't have the ball of course, so the reason for the disappearing attack is obviously tied to the inability to possess the ball.
Brian Ching. Ching did literally nothing when he touched the ball (which wasn't too often), aside from picking up a few fouls. I don't have the energy to get into the Ching debate at the moment, but I may be coming around to the idea that the time has come to phase him out.
The Fullbacks. Specifically, the fullbacks in the attack. Neither Bocanegra or Cherundolo added anything on the wings, something the Americans desperately needed with their inability to connect passes in the midfield. Instead, the outside defenders were impotent bystanders, doing nothing but contributing to the poor passing that infected the team and worthless long balls that invariably ended up at the feet of a player wearing green.
Clint Dempsey. I know Dempsey played, and I know he touched the ball; I just can't remember him doing anything worthwhile. Clint's spot out on the right doesn't seem to be in jeopardy (mostly because there are no other viable options), but maybe it should be. Or maybe it's time to find a way to play Clint more centrally.
