US-South Africa Analysis: Good, Bad, Ugly

Certainly it was a win on foreign soil, but this was a very poor effort from a young US side.

Though they didn't get much possession or many opportunities in the first quarter of the game, the US players were patient and executed a good game plan against an athletic team at altitude.

The goal was against the run of play but very well taken from a difficult angle, and the US played much better toward the end of the half.

However, I don't think it is overstating it to say the US were dreadful in the second half (for more, read on below).

Nonetheless, it is good to end the year on a win and I do like that Bob Bradley is getting a lot of youngsters in the rotation.

The GOOD:

Maurice Edu: Some of the folks commenting on Soccer by Ives were disparaging Edu early in the match, which I find bizarre. A disruptive force throughout the game, he broke up several South African attacks. Of all the midfielders, he also seemed most capable of getting the ball off his feet quickly. A nice assist on the US goal as well.

Steve Cherundolo and Carlos Bocanegra - Night and day in terms of composure in the defense between the first and second half. Notable by their absence when we were scurrying to catch up to South African attacks in the second half.

Tim Howard - Sure he didn't have too much to do, but he made a very nice save at the near post on the botched corner in the first half, and distributed the ball well (maybe I'm seeing him in a better light because Brad Guzan annoyed me so much with his aimless booting in the second half).

THE BAD

Benny Feilhaber - He looked rusty and slow throughout. It wasn't simply that he was gassed; he looked one step behind the whole match. The oft-maligned (unfairly)* Max Bretos was spot-on--Feilhaber needs to get regular playing time. At his best, he plays dynamic football marked by fast touches and quick reactions--the exact skills that get dulled while sitting on a rain-spattered bench in Derbyshire.

Heath Pearce - Purely defensively, Pearce played fairly well. Unfortunately, in the first half, as the US tried to build possession out of the back, Pearce consistently stalled the ball movement. He dwelled on the ball, completely indecisive. In the second half, he led the "tackle and clear" approach--never looking to play the ball to the feet of a teammate.

THE UGLY

The US play in the second half - Sorry, can't single out anyone for blame. No energy, no creativity, no football. Certainly, the altitude played a significant factor in the players' ineffectiveness, but I would have rather seen them return to the possession game they attempted in the first half. But with no Bocanegra or Cherundolo, they were reduced to tackling and then booting it repeatedly.

Ironically, this is more physically taxing approach because you lose the ability to control the pace of the game.

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* People love to bemoan Max Bretos's announcing, but I'm always glad to have an announcer who actually knows something about soccer. There are plenty of more "polished" announcers (Dave O'Brien, Eric Wynalda, Marcelo (ug) Balboa), but they repeatedly spout statements that betray their complete ignorance of world soccer:

• "Kasey Keller is well known as the best goalkeeper in Europe"

• "Swedish superstar Freddy 'LUNG' berg").

Come on people: Max is one of us--one soccer geek made good.