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Posted by
Ian Clarke,
June 8, 2011 |
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Email Ian Clarke
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United States 2 – Canada 0
It was less than hoped, but realistically better than what it could have been as Canada were silenced against the United States in their 2011 Gold Cup opener. Les Rouges can attribute much of this loss to a very lackluster opening twenty minutes and they appeared to have no clue how to get out of first gear as the Americans piled on the pressure right from the get go.
It may have been a reflection of the United States having more experience playing together and the majority of their players were used to competing at a higher level as integral parts of their club teams.
While there is no doubt disappointment in the overall scoreline, there are some positives and ways to spin the loss that make it easier to continue and look forward to the matches against Guadeloupe and Panama.
The first half was quite poor, but Canada more than held their own in the second half and were it not for the skill of Tim Howard, on paper the result would have looked more respectable. The substitution bringing in Ali Gerba and relieving Simeon Jackson from being the lone striker changed the face of Canada’s attack and brought their most threatening spell.
Added to that, it is better to get this loss out of the way in the opener than suffer it in the second or third match and not be able to regain confidence or have the time to make necessary adjustments.
Stephen Hart will have a tough decision on his hands – do the players who did not perform well, specifically De Jong and Ledgerwood, get taken out for two players lacking match fitness in hopes they find it over the next week? Or do you stick with them and hope they have enough in the tank to grind through the tournament and raise their game?
The key to the ratings, as seems to be the logic on a scale of 1-10, is not to view it as a “grade”, as in a 6 would be a 60 or a C. The formula is that each player begins the game with a 5 and is the equilibrium from which their performance either improves or degrades (positive or negative influence on the match) moving in increments of .5.
Here is the breakdown of the starting XI:
Lars Hirschfeld – 4.5
At this level, in this competition and against the U.S., simply cannot let balls slip by as was seen in the opener from Altidore. Considering the entire teams appeared out of sorts in the first 20 minutes it can’t entirely be put on his shoulders, but making that save on a fairly straight forward shot could have made a difference down the stretch, and what is expected with his level of experience.
Marcel De Jong – 4.5
There was some quiet hype surrounding De Jong leading into this tournament. Regular minutes at left-back, club promoted to Bundesliga, looks have his position locked down – but last night did not appear in sync at all with his teammates, looked too casual at times and couldn’t deliver on a much needed final ball on the cross.
Andre Hainault – 5
Did not stand out or apart on the back line (which can be a good thing) but did well in the centre back role considering he is used all over the defence with Houston. Speed will always be an issue but with the experience of McKenna beside him, should be able to make up for it with good positioning.
Kevin McKenna – 5.5
A good performance for McKenna, who displayed his leadership and veteran presence at the back for the full ninety. Strong in the air and positionally sound, will need another tournament like 2009 if Canada are to stay competitive each match.
Nick Ledgerwood – 4
The level of competition looked a bit too high as he appeared to be just keeping his head above water for most of the match. Errant passes and difficulties tightly marking the more athletic and physical American attackers, Ledgerwood still has a ways to go to be the answer for Canada against the top CONCACAF sides. However, should be able to bounce back if given a chance Saturday against Guadeloupe and the question will remain if he is the choice against Panama.
Terry Dunfield – 5
Not the impact performance as seen against Ecuador, but as the game progressed found his feet and became more reliable on the ball making up for some cheap turnovers in the first half.
*MOTM* Atiba Hutchinson – 6.5
Aside from Tim Howard, a strong case could be made that Hutchinson was the class player from both sides. Calm, cool and collected, Hutchinson never panicked on the ball and rarely, if ever, forced or made the wrong pass.
Will Johnson – 5
Despite his work ethic, grit and determination, just could not deliver that final ball or shot to really turn it up a notch and make an impact in the attack.
Josh Simpson – 6
As seen over the last year, when the ball is at his feet Simpson is able to hang with the best of them and even when double-teamed found his way out of trouble to create pressure. As noted by Craig Forrest and many others post game, Canada has to find a way to get him the ball more often as his dribbling and ball control is superb and has to be taken advantage of.
Dwayne De Rosario – 5
Perhaps a bit harsh on the score as De Rosario, despite not connecting with his teammates on a few occasions, consistently delivers on what his strength is which is never-ending energy and a knack to pop up out of nowhere and threaten goal. A mixed bag of passing and maintaining possession and overall needs to deliver more in the attack.
Simeon Jackson – 5.5
It was there to see that Jackson has it in him to be a legitimate predator in front of goal, but isolated without a physical presence to play off of just is too easy to shut down. Looked better down the stretch with Gerba up front and was able to have some solid chances when put in 1v1 situations, which might be food for thought going into the Guadeloupe match Saturday.
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