USA-Slovakia: Postgame Thoughts

The USMNT lost to Slovakia by a score of 1-0 in a friendly this morning, their first since a friendly against Sweden back in January. Here is a collection of some of our thoughts about the match:
-We still don't know about Eddie Johnson. He didn't look bad, but at the same time, he didn't look great either. He made one good attacking run that led to a shot into the side netting, but he drifted outside a little too much and got lost in the mix at times. To be fair, the US attack didn't exactly have a great game, and there was a lack of quality service to the forwards. He'll have to show something more in Denmark, where Robbie Findley, a direct competitor for a roster spot, might also get a run.

-Cunningham needs to refine his game for the international level. The FC Dallas striker came on late in the match and provided a lot of energy, but it did not have a big impact. In MLS, Cunningham is used to running past defenders, and he tried to do the same thing today, with no success. His speed is a great asset, but he needs to learn how to change pace and keep the defenders guessing if he wants to create goalscoring opportunities for himself.

-Guzan is an extremely capable #2. The big Aston Villa keeper made several clutch saves on point-blank shots that kept the US in the match. USMNT fans will be comforted to know that the goalkeeping position is in safe hands in the event that Tim Howard is unable to play. Guzan still has some room for improvement, particularly in distribution, but he definitely seems to be another quality USMNT GK in the making.

-Feilhaber and Bradley are a great center midfield tandem. These two imposed themselves in the center of the field, particularly Feilhaber, and were able to break up a number of Slovak attacks. Feilhaber also did well in receiving from the back and turning up field to start the attack. Bob Bradley seemed to favor Ricardo Clark for much of the summer because of the defensive benefits, but Feilhaber showed that he too can combine with Michael Bradley for a strong pairing in front of the backline.

-Robbie Rogers is getting there. The Columbus Crew midfielder had a disappointing finish to the Gold Cup, but he redeemed himself with a decent showing against Costa Rica. Today, Rogers had a solid showing, with a couple good crosses and good composure on the ball. At times, he tried to do too much, but he did provide spark to a flat US attack. With Clint Dempsey possibly moving up to forward, the USMNT needs depth out wide, and Rogers can provide that.

-Jonathan Bornstein can learn a lot from Steve Cherundolo. Bornstein frequently looked to get into the attack and had one particularly good service to Benny Feilhaber, but he also had a couple bad turnovers that led to counterattacks. Cherundolo did a much better job of picking his spots going forward and also protected possession better. Bornstein also got torched repeatedly on the left side, with one such incident leading to his foul inside the box that proved to be the difference in the match. Cherundolo, meanwhile, had a good game on the right side and showed some of his veteran wisdom and guile.

-Jonathan Spector can play at center back. The West Ham outside back looked good paired with Carlos Bocanegra in the center. His solid performance is a blessing for the US depth chart that is currently thin at the position. Though there is hope that Oguchi Onyewu will be back for the World Cup, Americans can take solace in the fact that Spector can step in and do the job if Onyewu is not available or fit. This also allows Bob Bradley to get Spector and Cherundolo on the field at the same time.


Overall, this wasn't a pretty game, and the US attack clearly was lacking a creative spark (Landon Donovan). Bob Bradley's squad will try for a better result and performance on Wednesday in Aarhus.