USA-Colombia Men's Friendly Player Ratings - Soccer America (2024)

Proof is in the Pudding,
Watched the entire match and it comes down to some simple truths once again.

GB was outcoached badly once again. Trying to press with a partial mid-block in a 4-4-2? I am not a coaching genius, but this completely destroyed any defensive shape. Either your are pressing or you are not? Columbia did not have to pull anyone out of shape we ran out of it ourselves. This has to have been part of GB game plan as we did it the whole match (might be why players quit at the end giving up 3 goals so quickly).

No solid formation line on defense–Coaching

Playing a 4-3-3 set with a double pivot (How do you attack from this setup?—Coaching

Pushing outside backs up past your midfield while your CB have the ball—-Coaching

If this is not the writing on the wall I don’t know what else USSF needs to see to make a coaching change NOW. As far as the player ratings, the only ones I disagree with are Johnny and Scally. Both were the best players on the pitch and played quite well. When the rest of the plan is crap though it will not matter. Players were not set up for success with the game plan. Reyna was incognito most of the match, but again, not really his fault as our two D-Mids were back by the CBs. How can you even break the first line? You could really see this come to a head with CCV making that stupid pass. But before he is looking at all his team mates that are not in good positions to receive a line break pass. Again, playing GB’s system and not playing against the opponent.

I give Turner his dues as a shot stopper, but you insist on playing out of the back with your keeper and he is the worst with his footwork. Have to look at Horvath against Brazil.

Oh the misery

I don’t know where to begin. I watched a little of it last night but I didn’t pay much attention…This morning watching the first 15min. took me about 30 min for there is so much wrong going on. And most of it comes down to what SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED 12years ago, instead of talking about what happened in this game for it shows the end product of the poor player development.

First of all, look how all the players of Colombia carry themselves with the ball in one on one situations, in small spaces or under pressure as compared to our players. It’s a WORLD of DIFFERENCE. Ask yourself what is the difference ,the most salient feature in experience between our players and theirs when comparing soccer experience in their developmental years….PICKUP!!! It is so obvious watching the Colombians handling the ball that requires at any moment improvisational thinking, ball techniques, touch and manuevering with the ball…
This can ONLY be learned playing PICKUP where you continuously find yourself in situations having to THINK and TECHNICALLY learn how to get out of it .

The more you experience playing PICKUP ,the more ROUTINE everything becomes. This is not something you learn at Soccer Camp, or going to practice. This whole system of PAY TO PLAY is a RIPOFF!!! What a youth gets for all the thousands of dollars the parents pay is basically a player developed at 30% capability. We have got to start programs or actions that will bring a culture of soccer, whereby Pickup soccer becomes the major part of a youth’s development…Until we do that we’ll continue breeding Turbo, Athleticism, lack of ballhandling skills in small spaces and MOST IMPORTANT thinking how to solve unexpected situations. Our players don’t think for we have a brain trust of coaches on the bench with high-tech gadgets, note books, flip-over charts, computers and what not to figure out how to play a simple that only requires good skills, positioning off the ball, and thinking.

Reyna , what does he do defensively?….ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!! He does everything at one speed, slow-motion. I don’t expect him to make flying tackles, and kickass, running around with foam on his mouth for that is not his style, but I do expect him to make an effort. He only plays zonal defense and on his time schedule and only reacts to something and never think a step ahead defensive through postioning off the ball… Any smart opponent knows, Reyna will never pressures you to make a mistake with the ball. Reyna makes only a half-hearted attempt to come at you without spilling his cup of tea he’s holding. He stops about 2steps away from the opponent and just sort of lifts his leg in the air pretending to foil a pass…Look at the lead up of how the first Colombian goal was scored and see how his lack of effort , intensity, and defensive coverage contributes to the goal.

I have no idea why he’s even on the field. His lack of defense forces Pulisic to take up the slack ,defensively and waste attacking energy…Pulisic, reminds me of an Alaskan Husky who wants to run, has to run, needs to go ,go to be active even when it’s not necessary, making him very PREDICTABLE in his actions…The first ball Pulisic receives in his own half, is transformed into wanting to outrun two opponents. He’s about 60meters from the goal, no one in front of him and thinks he’ll blow by 2 defenders down the flank. First of all, if he used some intelligence, and viewed the field ahead of time he would have seen Balogun in a 1v1 situation at midline with the centerback. He should pass the ball behind the centerback and allow Balogun the foot race…Instead Pulisic, like usual, wants to beat everyone but ends up on ass ,then complains and cries to the ref that he’s fouled…This is our leader ,so to speak ,our captain…

How many times in the game did a Colombian player run from behind and steal the ball. Why do we build up from the back when our goalie has weak foot skills…Why does the goalie pass to a #6 with his back facing downfield right outside of the penalty area??? especially when there is a tricky opponent very close nearby…Why do we see stupid passes made like that….at least pass it to someone who has better view downfield…This is basic 101 passing!!!

Our backfield has weak ballskills and still our centerbacks still handle the ball more than our better players further up…Look at begining 6:38, which sums up to me the lack of real soccer intelligence on this team. Richards, the right centerback, has tons of space , time and FIELD VIEW to pass to McKennie (FORWARDS) who is open in the opponents half, which would bypass 6 opponents, but instead passes the ball to Reams who faces him and the sideline. The pass to Reams is to his WRONG foot, the foot nearest to the opponent, which means Reams is unable to shield the ball from his opponent. Likewise Reams should have seen McKennie open but instead choosed to pass awkwardly back to Richards who has to chase the ball going toward the sideline.

As Richards control the ball on the run, he passes to Scally about 4meters away with his back to the sideline with a defender close by along with Richard’s opponents who is not only capable of picking Scally or Richards at the same time
as well. This play forced our players Richards and Scally to play to their ‘weakness’- small space. Richards instead all he had to do was turn to his right ,creating space and time and pass to the goalie… Just this one scenario ,one of many ,many throughout the game tells you that ,yes, we’re playing soccer but it’s the LEVEL of soccer we play which is downright poor. Fortunately the great majority of fans, and coaches alike don’t see all the mistakes made out there, otherwise these basic mistakes would not be occurring if players were taught properly throughout their developmental years.

So many of this mistakes happen throughout all these games makes you ask., why do we have such lousy coaches/ coaching producing the products that play for the National Team?

Watching this game further, I have no idea what they see in Cardozo, Richards or even Reyna, just for starters…Why do we continually watch Reyna, and Cardozo, separate or both come back and ask for the ball with their back facing downfield from Ream and Richards and then pass back to them….Our midfielders should be thinking forward ‘Forwards’ not backwards. The two worst passers in the back, Richard and Ream continually begin our socalled attack. Something is out of whack….

Why can’t we start out with one centerback who is an attacker type who can pass and dribble and knows the score . Our lack of ‘footballing’ centerbacks makes midfielders having to go backwards for the ball and thus wasting or reducing midfield options. Every line should have a player that is good technically to be able to move up to the next line with the ball and or create an extra free man…..Just like we should have an defensive type midfielder to balance it out with an offensive defender in the back and we should have an attacker midfielder with frontline attacker that can move to midfield…

All the players on the squad play in Europe so we would expect some good quality soccer??? This is why I go back to development. Our players who are not developed properly go to Europe at an age that it is a little too late for further development to learn what they have missed, for there you have perform or else you’re going….