USA 1-1 Panama: Player Ratings

Panama usually gives the United States a run for their money every time and the same can be said for today’s game.

The USMNT opener in the Gold Cup ended in a 1-1 draw. A sloppy game and not the start you would like to get in a tournament. However, there is always time to bounce back as Panama was the toughest team in the group.

A point is a point and the overall performance was not the worst but just seemed a little off. Some players played better than others and that is what we are here to judge.

Players are judged on a 1-10 scale with 10 being a perfect game and 1 being the worst possible game.

Brad Guzan - 6

Guzan made some really good saves today. Even though the goal he let up was a little soft, right before that he showed amazing reflexives and made a stunning save. Guzan has looked a lot better in the last two games than he has for awhile.

Jorge Villafana - 5

The outside back did not have a bad game, but also did not impress. Villafana looked threatening in attack but lacked when it came to one on one defending. Fortunately for him, Panama is not the best team and they could not capitalize. But, going forward, a good team could expose him.

Matt Besler - 6.5

Besler showed how important he is to this team. He kept the defense organized and even made some very important tackles and clearances. By no means was it a perfect performance, but Besler showed us we do not have to worry about the center backs in this tournament.

Omar Gonzalez - 6

Much like his partner, Gonzalez was solid today. Although at sometimes he seemed off, he showed us that himself and Besler can form a solid partnership and step in if one of the first choice center backs (Jon Brooks and Geoff Cameron) go down.

Graham Zusi - 4

What can I say about Zusi? Think Zusi does his best at right back, but at the end of the day, he is not the answer at this position. He was not good defensively and when he had the chance to attack, he did not do that good either. Luckily for him, he will not get too exposed in this tournament, but versus harder competitions, he will.

Dax McCarty - 6

McCarty does his role perfectly. He controls the game and helps make things tick. Although today did not go in the teams’ favor, McCarty’s importance to this team is immense. He is an instrumental part of this team and an important piece going forward in this tournament.

Kellyn Acosta - 4.5

Today was not his best game. In fact, Acosta will probably want to forget this one. He was sloppy on the ball and he was not as good as he has been on the defensive side of the ball. He is young and will bounce back, but today, he gets a 4.5.

Alejandro Bedoya - 5

Captaining for the first time, Bedoya was good today, but as an outside midfielder, he needed to do more in the attack. As always, Bedoya worked his butt off, but other than that, he did not offer much more.

Kelyn Rowe - 8

The creative force behind the USMNT’s performance today. Rowe was lively on the ball and always looking to go at opposing defenders and either take a chance or create one. Once he was taken off, that attacking inspiration was gone.

Joe Corona - 3

Playing as the teams’ number ten, Corona was given a lot of attacking responsibility. Too much responsibility I might add. Corona offered almost zero to the team. In fact, he almost hurt the team more than helped them.

Dom Dwyer - 7.5

Two goals in two games for Dwyer now. When given a chance, Dwyer will score. Some say what makes a striker is his ability to be missing for the whole game, but when a chance arrives he converts it. That can be said for Dwyer here. This might be a little premature, but the USMNT might have found a forward they could lean on going forward.

Substitutes

Gyasi Zardes - 3

Don’t think he changed the game after he was subbed on. However, I feel Zardes is played out of position because he does not seem like a left midfielder. He did not really do too much, but maybe with more minutes, he would be able to show his worth.

Jordan Morris - 4

Unfortunately for Morris, he was not able to see too much of the ball. However, Morris does look the part and does make good forward runs. Think he can offer more with more time. Possibly a Dwyer and Morris partnership???

Juan Agudelo - 5

Thrown in to change the game, Agudelo had a tough task. Although he did not create a goal, he looked up for it and offered a lot offensively. Like the other substitues, I’d like to see him get more time.