Jump to content

Player Ratings: Canada vs. Costa Rica, July 10th


earlimus

Recommended Posts

2-2!!! Top of the group! Not bad boys. Love reading good news for a change with the morning coffee.

Anyone interested in chipping in with player ratings again? Should be interesting with many of the guys rested for this match.

Thanks by the way for everyone who helped out with this topic for the El Salvador match.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sure, why not.

Sutton - 3

What is there to say that hasn't already been said. Leaving the 1st CR goal aside: his distribution was poor (as usual); he clearly had communication issues with his defenders (not sure he is solely to blame for that); had trouble commanding the area on corners; and generally didn't have to make a save of note. On a positive note, he did a half-decent job time-wasting in the second half.

De Jong - 7

Solid. Scored a nice goal. Got up on some overlapping runs. Moved the ball well. Looked much more comfortable than at left mid.

Hastings - 3

Time to retire. Thanks for the years of service. Slow, unoriginal with his distribution and panicky under pressure. I thought he was going to gift CR a goal in the first 2 minutes. Also seemed to have communication issues with both McKenna and Sutton.

McKenna - 6

Not as sharp as the last two games which probably had something to do with the back line changes. Nonetheless, he continues to win the ball in the air and make timely interceptions.

Hainault - 5

Clearly was playing out of position. Didn't add much to the attack and was exposed a few times, allowing CR to get decent crosses in.

Simpson - 6

As someone else posted, a bit of a one-trick pony. I watched the game with a hockey buddy who observed that Simpson is like the winger who chips off the boards and tries to go wide every time. He really needs to cut to the middle more often. That being said, a beautiful cross to set up Bernier.

Bernier - 7

Playing as well as I can remember. In past I have found him to be a bit lazy and careless with the ball. His passing seems crisper and his marking more intense. Great finish on the goal as well.

Atiba - 6

Solid and unremarkable. Tracked back well defensively and was less notable on attack. He clearly missed JDG out there.

Peters - 6

In my opinion, the jury is still very much out. His size clearly lets him down out there and he doesn't seem to make the intelligent runs to take advantage of his speed. He is much improved with his decision making with the ball though and is using his teammates better.

Johnson - 5

Largely invisible. Seemed to be isolated out there. I can't remember anything particularly positive or negative.

Jackson - 4

Clearly can't play up front on his own. In several instances he was simply outjumped / outmuscled for winnable balls. He will be more useful as an attack oriented sub when we are looking for a late goal.

Issey - 5

See comments re Johnson above. With the clock running down at the end of the game and with Canada clearly playing for a tie, I would like to see him do a better job time-wasting after he got fouled.

Gerba - NR

Cann - 3

Presumably brought on to help defend corners. Didn't really help in that regard. Then he got skinned and allowed a dangerous cross in which was headed over the bar. He shouldn't be called up again.

Overall, it wasn't our best game. But considering the travel, the changes to the line-up and the heat & humidity, it was a pretty solid result. I thought CR looked pretty dire and disinterested for most of the match.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^Nice job with your assessment. The only things I have to add is support. Glad you noted that Cann play: it looked like he had buck fever and rushed in trying to make the play only to get skinned. Perhaps if we need to make a similar tactical sub in the QF maybe Hainault would be a good choice because I think he might be better at closing guys down.

As much as I have appreciated the efforts of the midfield, particularly Bernier this evening, I really wish we had a d-mid "horse" in the mix/depth chart, someone like a Serioux. Granted, I guess a number of teams would be looking for a similar player, but it just seems as if we are a little on the lightweight, sand-kicked-in-face side in that position. However, we'll make the most of quickness in a more Jack Russell terrier-like fashion as opposed to having police department German shepherds on search and destroy mode.

Good points about the wing candidates. Teams have to respect Simpson's pace so I liked how he looked to play that early (excellent) ball for Bernier's goal: also, if he can use Klukowski more effectively, like he did on a nice interchange vs ES, he can add more tricks to his pony show. Johnson and Issey are not as dynamic 1 v 1 but are good tactically with build up play and passing decisions. On a gut level, I'd choose Peters ahead of Johnson for the QF with Jackson providing the late game speed and Johnson providing time-killing late game possession.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by Gian-Luca

Ouch. Anyone would think we lost this game by two clear goals with the overall low level of these marks. How did Gerba get away with a no rating when he had more playing time than Cann who gets a 3?

Agree with above but aside from the opportunistic goal scoring which is great (and rare for us) there wasn't much to write home about. Had CR been a little more interested out there we would have looked really bad. I'm happy, though, that the subs were able to get some PT and a result to boot, and we got a bad game over with, which had some upside. I'm expecting a much better performance with the familiar regulars in the next game.

I don't think it has been mentioned, but that was probably one of the largest and best timed blooding of newcomers I've ever seen from the CMNT. This is something the CMNT has been very poor at (introduction of relatively new players) Well done Mr Hart.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Atiba deserves more than a 6, Hart picked him to play deep in the 2nd half, protect the back 4, he protected the ball and moved it economically out of a deep position. The guy did everything he was asked too do not a flashy effort but a sound one.

I thought Simeon did well playing alone up top, when the ball came to his feet he kept possession and when he had time evne turned thier CB's numerous times. He needs to play underneath a target man IMO.

quote:Good points about the wing candidates. Teams have to respect Simpson's pace so I liked how he looked to play that early (excellent) ball for Bernier's goal: also, if he can use Klukowski more effectively, like he did on a nice interchange vs ES, he can add more tricks to his pony show.

That's a great point, 3 games and very little in the way of Overlapping runs from our Fullbacks. A dimension that has to be worked over the next week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree almost wholeheartedly with Soro17. We weren't great - players don't deserve inflated ratings because we happened to secure a point in a largely lacklustre affair. I would had trouble rating Gerba, too, as I can barely remember him touching the ball, while Cann, as noted, put in a distinctly shaky effort during similar minutes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Sutton can't do the job properly with the MNT, I don't why but it seems that MLS goalkeepers look bad when playing at international level. No need to remind you Onstad during WCQ and now Sutton, he looked bad in some situations againt El Salvador and Costa Rica first goal was thanks to Sutton.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Sutton can't do the job properly with the MNT, I don't why but it seems that MLS goalkeepers look bad when playing at international level. No need to remind you Onstad during WCQ and now Sutton, he looked bad in some situations againt El Salvador and Costa Rica first goal was thanks to Sutton.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Simpson - 6

As someone else posted, a bit of a one-trick pony. I watched the game with a hockey buddy who observed that Simpson is like the winger who chips off the boards and tries to go wide every time. He really needs to cut to the middle more often. That being said, a beautiful cross to set up Bernier.

He scored 9 goals in 41 games for Kaiserslautern. Would've been pretty hard to do it from the byline.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought Hainault looked comfortable for the most part at RB! The backline was lacking overall speed but they controlled the ball quite well and started most of our attacks! I agree that DeJong looked more comfortanle in the LB spot than in midfield, we're set in that position for years to come! Bernier has played quite well the last couple of games, he took his goal well, however that was a foolish free kick he gave up that lead to their equalizer! Hastings didn't look sharp at all, he really hasn't played much football lately, and is surely at the end of his MNT career! Sutton is scaring me, hopefully he is just rusty from lack of playing time and will improve for the QF and beyond! Overall a good performance from a reshaped lineup and BTW, full marks to Hart for being able to rest key players and still get the needed result!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by Lomonty

Atiba deserves more than a 6, Hart picked him to play deep in the 2nd half, protect the back 4, he protected the ball and moved it economically out of a deep position. The guy did everything he was asked too do not a flashy effort but a sound one.

Totally agreed. I would have gone with an 8 for him, actually.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by Gian-Luca

Totally agreed. I would have gone with an 8 for him, actually.

Indeed. The Costa Rica match really showed the versatility of a guy like Atiba. He has often played an attacking left-sided role with his club, played as the offensive linchpin in midfield against El Salvador, and worked the Daniel Imhof role against CR. I'd hate to see what Sutton and that back four might have conceded without Atiba in that spot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by bettermirror

BearCat: Hainault was already on the pitch - Cann was a logical choice to enter the fray because of his size and our struggles with crosses/corners. Unfortunately he didn't add much!!!

My post referred to the upcoming QF, not the CR match just played.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by jonovision

Indeed. The Costa Rica match really showed the versatility of a guy like Atiba. He has often played an attacking left-sided role with his club, played as the offensive linchpin in midfield against El Salvador, and worked the Daniel Imhof role against CR. I'd hate to see what Sutton and that back four might have conceded without Atiba in that spot.

I only saw the match live on TV the one time and I don't think I'd rate him as high as some here. I saw too much of Centavo with the ball in dangerous areas and that tells me he's not getting closed down well enough, but then again you can apportion responsibility equally between all three mids. Mind you, those were tough, energy sapping conditions at the time of the match so it's an even more difficult task to handle the defensive side of midfield in such situations.

However, coming into this tournament I had hoped that Hutchinson would be determined to have something to prove and I think he's done quite well. I still prefer him in the more offensive role that he demonstrated in the first two matches.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It seems that no matter who Hart sends out to play, he gets a result. Why others couldn't do that with the cream of crop players is hard to understand at times. Be that as it may, I just wanted to comment on McKenna. I used to dislike the guy in the past, but I must admit that he has been playing really well and has become a key element in our defence.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by The Ref

It seems that no matter who Hart sends out to play, he gets a result. Why others couldn't do that with the cream of crop players is hard to understand at times. Be that as it may, I just wanted to comment on McKenna. I used to dislike the guy in the past, but I must admit that he has been playing really well and has become a key element in our defence.

I think he needs to be complemented by the right CB partner. I thought he played well at GC 05 with Hutchinson alongside him and he's looked best with Jakovic as his running mate at this tourney as opposed to the last match with Hastings.

Speaking of McKenna, did he say something to p*ss off referee Terry Vaughn late or at the end of the Jamaica match, because he couldn't get a break in aerial challenges vs CR: he'd either be called for a foul or the Tico striker would be clearing using his arms to push him backwards and gain position without a call being made the other. I guess I'm guilty of exaggerating the situation, but it just seemed to jump out at me during that match.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^ McKennas' absence during WCQ really hurt us IMO, with all due respect to the other CB's he is playing at the highest level of them all and is a true leader! And yes Ref, Hart seems to have the magic touch, we can only wonder what might have been had he been in charge of player selection and tactics in the WCQ!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty poor ratings posted here for our players considering that the match would be one of the better Canadian team performances I have ever seen.

The two players with deserved sub-par marks were the ones in each others faces. No names needed.

Hainault was very good. His 'shoulder to shoulder' on the sidelines drew as big a roar from me as the two goals. Note to Costa Rican winger, when you see a bit of daylight between Tim Horton and the boards, not such a wise idea to try to beat him wide.

McKenna was great again, muffed or missed a couple of long balls but great steadying influence at the back. De Jong got over his nerves from his forgettable last 10 minutes from last week.

The midfield was superb. Hutchison and Bernier were very strong and Peters was the revelation of the night for me. Grown enormously in skill and guile over the last couple of years. Simpson had his best half as a Canuck, putting the right side of the CR defence under constant pressure, using his speed well. He set up one beautiful goal and almost sent Jackson in clear with another great run in the first half, but Jackson was well offside.

Johnson wasn't as dynamic as in previous tilts, but made a great run tracking back in the 2nd half to negate a good CR scoring chance on the counter after De Jong muffed a corner. Jackson was a bit of a disappointment. He's got to realise that the officiating on Friday night was about as good as it gets in Concacaf. Quit whining, keep your feet moving and stay on your feet.

Good sub performance from Issey as well.

Overall, an excellent performance by a group of players who will likely be key components of our next WCQ drive.

And a '10' to coach Stephen Hart, who managed to get every outfield player into action over the three games and still won the group, going undefeated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

quote:Originally posted by Ed

Hainault was very good. His 'shoulder to shoulder' on the sidelines drew as big a roar from me as the two goals.

Same here. And I didn't even think it was a foul (especially the way Vaughan was calling the match), let alone worthy of a yellow card.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...