Originally Posted by
Lyle
Do you think England should be worried about playing the US after their issues with Egypt?
ESPN player ratings
GK, Tim Howard, 7 -- Howard made several fine saves and had little to do with the goals the U.S. conceded. His defense was organized well.
D, Jonathan Bornstein, 2.5 -- Bornstein had a dreadfully unlucky game. The good: He got forward well on a few occasions. The bad: He had something to do with both Dutch goals and was torched time and again by Arjen Robben.
D, Jay DeMerit, 7.5 -- DeMerit was one of the strongest players for the U.S. on the day. He was superior in the air and simply denied Dutch attempts to reach the strikers with high balls after attempts to play them over the ground proved fruitless.
D, Carlos Bocanegra, 7 -- Scored on a nice header and was composed in the back, keeping cool under prolonged periods of pressure.
D, Jonathan Spector, 5 -- While he did some good offensive work and didn't have a bad game, he was made to look foolish by Eljero Elia a number of times.
M, Michael Bradley, 6.5 -- Bradley really played two games. Defensively, he was instrumental in controlling the center of the field and keeping Sneijder from getting into a rhythm. Offensively, he had an off day, with pass after pass finding nothing but an opponent.
M, Jose Torres, 4.5 -- The game passed him by for large stretches of the first half. His offensive flair didn't show and he became a liability defensively.
M, Stuart Holden, 5 -- Playing for only 34 minutes, Holden made some nice moves out on the right, showing himself as a serious option there.
M, Landon Donovan, 5 -- Donovan did not do what one might reasonably expect of him: inject U.S. play with some offensive moxie and help distribute the ball. Isolated for much of the first half, Donovan lost the ball too easily. He was much better up top, getting teammates involved, but was taken off soon thereafter.
F, Robbie Findley, 4.5 -- Findley was slightly out of his depth, with little involvement in the play. He showed again that he doesn't have the physique or the savvy to find space against a quality opponent.
F, Jozy Altidore, 6.5 -- Showed more in the second half than in the first, when he started receiving the ball closer to the goal and unleashed a fierce shot. He was the only American consistently keeping the Dutch defense busy.
Subs:
M, DaMarcus Beasley, 6.5 -- Beasley came on for Holden in the 34th minute and provided a spark. Contributing several dangerous runs on the wings, he also delivered a fine assist on Bocanegra's goal.
M, Maurice Edu, 6 -- Coming on for Torres at halftime, Edu proved an upgrade. He held his ground and did a good job distributing the ball.
M, Alejandro Bedoya, 5.5 -- A 63rd-minute entrance into play was a success. Bedoya was part of the U.S. resurgence near the end of the game with several good passes.
D, Heath Pearce, 6 -- A 70th-minute addition, Pearce showed that he is one of the better options on the left. Going forward, he hit a few dangerous crosses to the U.S. strikers.
F, Eddie Johnson, N/A -- While Johnson was on the field during the strongest attacking phase the U.S. had, his touches were limited after he came on in the 76th minute.
D, Clarence Goodson, N/A -- Another late addition, Goodson, who came on in the 86th, hardly got a whiff of the ball.
