The Juergen Klinsmann era continued with yet another 1-0 loss. This time France edged past the USA on a single goal by substitute Loic Remy after 72 minutes. The game looked like every other game under Klinsmann. The USA assumed a defensive posture from the start, rarely had significant possession, hung on thanks to some great work by Tim Howard, and offered nothing going forward.
It would probably help if Klinsmann had Landon Donovan, Stuart Holden, Jose Torres, Clint Dempsey, and at least one striker who could score goals at the international level. However, of the four named players only Dempsey has been regularly involved. Jozy Altidore, for all his hustle and bustle, still looks like a bull in a china shop, especially when compared with the smooth moves of Karim Benzema of France.
The USA will meet Slovenia to wrap up 2011. That will give Klinsmann plenty to think about prior to the annual January camp. He will also have time to review the events of the U-20 and U-23 camp that is taking place in Germany concurrently.
Here are the player ratings for the USA against France (scale 1-10, 1 is the lowest and 10 is the highest):
Tim Howard: Where would this team be without him? He made one stunning save from a Jeremy Menez free kick and was fortunate to see a Benzema header from close range hit the crossbar. He is the reason every game has been close. 8
Steve Cherundolo: He focused on preventing Franck Ribery from doing damage and succeeded. Unfortunately, that meant he hardly got forward at all. His one corner kick curled out of play. That’s poor. 6
Carlos Bocanegra: The captain was AWOL when Remy went through to score. Otherwise, he had another solid game. The defense remained organized for the better part of the game, limiting a talented French side to very few decent chances. 7
Clarence Goodson: He lost a physical battle to Remy on the goal. He didn’t threaten from the few USA set pieces. He was good in the air, safe in possession, and did some good covering when Cherundolo was isolated against Ribery. 7
Timothy Chandler: Like Cherundolo, he hardly got forward at all. There was little linking between him and Brek Shea. He did defend reasonably well. 5
Kyle Beckerman: Why does Klinsmann like him so much? He got left in the dust of Ribery, Menez, M’Vila and anybody else who went through the center of midfield. On the ball, he is ponderous and doesn’t switch play at speed. Perhaps against weaker CONCACAF opposition, he will shine. Until then, where is Michael Bradley? 4
Maurice Edu: He couldn’t launch counterattacks. His passing didn’t help advance play further up the field. He left Beckerman isolated a number of times. Maybe it’s time for the Bradley-Jermaine Jones combination. 4
Brek Shea: The FC Dallas winger simply wasn’t involved. This was his worst outing, but easily the strongest opposition he has faced. Shea is clearly worn down by the MLS season. How would he handle a tougher European season? Let’s hope he learns something during his month at Arsenal. 3
Daniel Williams: He offered about as much as Shea. At least he did his defensive duties. Williams lacks the raw speed to play the wing. Perhaps he should be tried in a central role. He failed to get by any defenders 1 v. 1. 4
Clint Dempsey: Dempsey worked very hard, but just couldn’t consistently link up with his teammates. That was as much due to his inaccurate passing as it was the lack of options offered to him. He just doesn’t team well with Altidore and they have been together enough in various selections to know each other better. 6
Jozy Altidore: A striker has to be judged on goals. Again, he failed to produce even a shot on goal. At least he worked hard for the cause, held the ball well, and had a decent shout for a penalty turned away. Still, it’s another goose egg. 5
Jermaine Jones: He replaced Beckerman and showed that he can compete at this level. It is about time he showed some ability to link with his teammates when in possession of the ball. There’s no question that he does the defensive part just fine. 5
DaMarcus Beasley: With Shea out of energy, Beasley should start against Slovenia. He did show his pace, but never got ball in a position to attack the French defense. 5
Fabian Johnson: Yet another German-American made his debut. He even tried to run at the French defense. At this point, he doesn’t have enough chemistry with his teammates. That will take time. 5
Edson Buddle: The USA is so short of striking options that a part time starter for the team at the bottom of the German second division is summoned. It’s hard to grade him, because the expectations are so low and he meets them every time. 4
Juergen Klinsmann: For a guy who was a terrific striker and loved to attack, he has assembled a defense first team that is completely incapable of creating offense. He has consistently summoned an overabundance of defensive midfielders and refuses to call in players like Herculez Gomez, Sacha Kljestan, and Benny Feilhaber who have the ability to create offense. He continues to call in Michael Orozco, Robbie Rogers, and Edson Buddle who have demonstrated that they are not international standard players. We can only hope that the young crop of players training in Germany this week can offer something over the next three years. We now know that the USA will meet Jamaica, Guatemala, and Antigua and Barbuda in the first group phase of World Cup qualifying. Maybe the US will attempt to score a few goals in those games. 4