USMNT-El Salvador: Post-Match Thoughts

Revisiting this post from earlier in the week, let's take a look back at how those key players fared and what direction their World Cup stock is headed in after last night's match in Tampa.

The big winner on the night was Brian Ching, who turned in a very good performance coming off the bench in the second half.  His main competitor, Conor Casey, had some bright moments of his own in the first half, with two quality passes to set up a pair of scoring chances (one of which to Sacha Kljestan should have been assist).  He also contributed on the defensive end with a clearing header inside the box.  There were, however a couple of attacks that stalled at his feet, making the Rapids striker's overall performance fairly average.

Ching, meanwhile, was a key cog in the US attack throughout the second half.  He made intelligent runs inside the 18, getting on the end of several crosses and flashing a few headers across goal.  He also made several good passes, including one ball over the top late in the second half and his assist to Sacha Kljestan on the game-winner.  He took his goal well, snapping the header on frame with a lot of pace.  While Ching probably would have liked it to be further in the corner, the speed on the shot left the El Salvador goalkeeper with little hope of steering it aside.  All in all, I think Ching has nudged himself to the front of this two horse race, and I think he may earn some minutes in Amsterdam (assuming he gets the call).

Elsewhere at striker, Robbie Findley was looking to live up to the hype that's been surrounding him in this post-Charlie Davies' car crash world.  Last night, he had several bright moments, but also showed signs of inexperience or, better yet, anxiousness.  He showed good instincts early in the second half when he took a pass from Sacha Kljestan 30 yards out, got his head up right away, and fired a low shot on goal.  The build up seemed fairly harmless, so it was nice to see such a quick burst into the attack from the RSL striker.  He also had a couple of other opportunities inside the 18 that he helped create with the occasional run, though he never could quite get that final touch to set himself up for a shot.

As far as the point about being anxious goes, there were a few instances where Findley might have been better served taking one extra touch, but instead he opted to play an early pass.  Also, on at least two occasions, he was a little over-eager with his runs, getting behind the back line far too early and forcing a teammate with the ball to go elsewhere so as to avoid an obvious offsides call.  All in all, Findley showed some good things, but looked like a player that still needs a good deal of polishing at the international level.  I didn't really expect anything else from someone earning just their third cap.

Despite leaving the game due to an apparent injury, Findley can take solace in the fact that his replacement Jeff Cunningham did not make a huge impact on the match.  You didn't hear the announcers call his name too much, with the only notable instance I can recall being a cross that found Brian Ching, who nearly scored with a near post shot.  Other than that, Cunningham was fairly anonymous.  He may luck out, though, because of Findley's injury.  If it's serious enough that the RSL forward is unable to play in next Wednesday's friendly, it could mean that Bob Bradley will bring Cunningham over to Amsterdam.  In the grand scheme of things, though, I'd say both of these stocks didn't move too much last night.

Robbie Rogers had a somewhat odd game to categorize.  He was very active and involved throughout the night, but his final bit of decision making and execution was lacking.  He seemed to lose a step late in the game, presumably from fatigue.  Overall, it looked like a game from someone who knows that they need to impress, as he seemed to forcing things at times.  I think Rogers' stock took a bit of a hit last night, and it'll be interesting to see if he can beat out the likes of DaMarcus Beasley and Freddy Adu for a spot in the squad for the Netherlands friendly.

Clarence Goodson had a solid game at the back, with several aggressive, well-timed challenges.  The fact that Chad Marshall did not even feature in the game (with Bradley opting to use Jonathan Bornstein in the center instead of his customary LB spot) appears to be a pretty damning indication that Marshall is on the outside looking in at this point.  With Goodson turning in another solid performance, I think the IK Start defender has the inside track to the fourth World Cup center back roster spot.

As far as the newcomers, it was good to see Dynamo midfielder/defender Geoff Cameron earn his first cap.  He wasn't too involved in the minutes he played, though he came close to making it a very memorable debut when he fired a shot just a foot or so over the bar late in the half.  He should be someone in the picture for 2014, so keep an eye on him in the upcoming MLS season (assuming that it, you know, happens).

Beyond those players that I talked about in the match preview, there were some others who stood out.  Of course, there will be questions about Sacha Kljestan after his dramatic game-winner, but I still think he's pretty far down the pecking order in the midfield.   He had a good first half, but tapered off as the game wore on, only reemerging with his gift of a goal (on which the El Salvador goalkeeper inexplicably gave up on...very bizarre). He also really should have had three goals, but didn't finish his opportunities well.

Another player worth mentioning is Heath Pearce.  The FC Dallas defender dropped off the map last summer after disappointing performances with club (then Hansa Rostock) and country.  Now, I'm not saying that last night's performance against El Salvador makes up for all that, but Pearce did look like a completely different player.  He added a lot in on the left hand side, getting forward very well throughout.  He had the assist on Brian Ching's goal and nearly had another in the first half after a fantastic sequence of stepovers and cuts outside the box.  Playing at what is arguably the USMNT's weakest position, Pearce kept himself on the fringes of the World Cup picture with his solid performance, though I'm sure Bob Bradley realizes that a February friendly against an undermanned CONCACAF side is hardly a good measure of international ability.  Even though there are few natural LBs at Bradley's disposal, I almost certain that he would favor putting Bocanegra, Spector, or Bornstein at that spot rather than resorting to Pearce, so it's still a bit of an uphill climb.  Nevertheless, a positive sign from a guy who is still just 25.

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Ultimately, though, all of my opinions mean nothing (though I like to think otherwise), and only those of Mr. Bradley carry any weight, so we'll see how things shake out come this afternoon when he releases his roster for the March 3rd friendly.

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USSD Man of the Match: Brian Ching