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Man, that was tough. Tough, as in "tough to watch." The United States looked a winnable - nay, easy - game right in the eyes and promptly played the most boring, emotionless, and unexciting match of their lives. It wasn't just dull, it was mind-numbing. Honestly, if I'm Canada, I'm a little upset that I didn't steal a win in this game.
Since there's not a whole lot of action to recap, let's have a quick look at some of the things we saw and learned in this match:
- Brad Evans didn't show us much. Honestly, I don't think he's shown anyone anything to suggest that he deserves to be in the National team picture. He was mostly absent in the first half, apart from misplacing several passes in the final third. His play at fullback wasn't really bad, but nothing jumped out and said "I can do it at this level."
- Forward play is still a problem. I thought Chris Wondolowski had the best game of any forward out there, and his game included passing up a couple of opportunities. No one's touch was particularly good, and the movement up front - especially when Wondo went off - was just stale and predictable. Eddie Johnson, in particular, was poor. His touch deserted him, and he just didn't seem to have it tonight.
- Josh Gatt is fast...but does he have the rest? The kid is video game fast. And he's also fearless, taking guys on with impunity and trying to create on the dribble. The problem is that he doesn't seem to know when to pick up his head or play the pass. He should have had an assist in the second half but waited two touches too long to play the ball. If he wants to hit the next level, he needs to make those plays.
- Benny was Benny, but somehow people will still sing his praises. Benny Feilhaber did what every Revolution fan expected him to do, but we know what everyone else is going to say. He had one or two good passes, and even two good set-piece deliveries, but anyone paying attention would have seen the misplaced passes and layoffs, and his poor deliveries later in the match. He remains as infuriating as ever; the talent is obviously there, but for some reason, he can't keep it switched on and integrate with his teammates.
- Beckerman and Zusi remain solid. Kyle Beckerman and Graham Zusi both had fairly solid evenings. Zusi looked like he was being misplayed a bit, but he still had some of the best ideas on the pitch. Beckerman did what he always does: cover ground, clean up the midfield, and play the good pass. They didn't hurt their stock in this game.
- No one new really made a case today. No one who wasn't already in the picture made a compelling case for inclusion tonight. Matt Besler wasn't tested, the fullbacks were decent but not great, Davis seemed a little out of his depth, and none of the subs had the desired effect. If I'm Jurgen Klinsmann, I'm rolling with the usual crew on the 6th.
What do you guys think? Agree with the assessments, or see something we missed? Leave it in the comments!