AMSTERDAM – Aided by a first half mistake by the hosts and sterling work from back-up netminder Nick Rimando after the break, Jurgen Klinsmann's new edition US national team scored a rather mature 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic in Prague on Wednesday.
The US were the superior side before intermission, then bent but did not break as the experienced Czechs threatened to take over down the stretch.
GK Brad Guzan (6) - The Aston Villa star made his one save look easy and kept his defense very organized.
RB Fabian Johnson (7) - There were a couple of hiccups at the back in the late going, but other than that Johnson was a defensive monster at right back. He had six clearances, including a couple of important back post plays, and four tackles. The 'Gladbach flank handyman did not have much impact going forward, though, with most of it coming during the first half hour.
CB Michael Orozco Fiscal (6) - Though really not pressed to do much defensively, the Puebla defender did move the ball around safely in his 45 minutes.
CB John Anthony Brooks (6.5) - In the first half, the Hertha Berlin prodigy looked fairly ubiquitous and definitely in command, both on and off the ball. Call it a sneak preview of days to come, because Brooks looked a lot less comfy and assertive after being moved to the right center back slot.
LB Timothy Chandler (6) - It was a rather dry and simple effort from the left back. No real mistakes, no outstanding moments, 62 minutes; that about covers it.
CM Mix Diskerud (7.5) - You'll forgive, oh, let's say every USMNT fan for wondering why Mix's cool in the attacking zone got no play at World Cup. In addition to going 17 of 20 on his forward passes, Diskerud looked the most eager/comfortable of the three starting midfielders in helping out at the back. If that wasn't enough the Rosenborg ace read an interception perfectly to supply the nice low rebound for Alejandro Bedoya's winner.
CM Alejandro Bedoya (6.5) - Speaking of the scorer, he was very active, part of the reason he was in the right place to follow up for the easy-as-pie finish. Bedoya also provided some defensive help, but was not always so effective passing the ball.
CM Joe Corona (5) - Of the three starting midfielders, Corona seemed the most unsure. When presented with some good opportunities to create in the final third, the Tijuana man failed to do so.
RW Joe Gyau (5.5) - Even with a couple of harrowing bits of naïveté in his own box, there was plenty to like about Gyau's debut. He firmly held a wide position to pull at the Czech defense and showed an impressive ability to ride challenges at this level.
LW Julian Green (5.5) - Like Brooks, Green was significantly better in the opening frame. And like his Bundesliga rival, there were flashes to get one excited for the future. Still, Green did not really threaten to play in the Czech area, his influence waned when moved to the middle, and a couple of his turnovers put the US in trouble.
ST Jozy Altidore (5.5) - The Sunderland striker started brightly, showing some muscle in his hold-up play. Like Green, though, he rarely looked a serious threat and he got away with one weak clearance after a set piece.
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann (7.5) - The fluid midfield model worked quiet well in the first half, not so much after the pause. Nevertheless, a very green lineup went into Prague ready to kick it around against a Czech side in serious mode (Euro 2016 qualifying starts next week against the Netherlands).
There were also plenty of other impressive aspects to the play of an inexperienced group still making introductions, such as some sturdy backline play that caused the home side numerous problems. On the down side, the play in the final third was toothless for long stretches and the US could have easily let the result slip away without Nick Rimando's magic.
Substitutes:
Nick Rimando (9) - There will be a couple Czech players cursing the day they had to face Rimando. The Real Salt Lake backstop made four saves, including three particularly impressive efforts. With the foot, with the hand, on a screened shot he barely saw; they'd probably rather see Edwin van der Sar suit up against them next week than to ever face Rimando again.
Tim Ream (6) - While he was found a bit wide-eyed and frozen a couple of times with the ball loose in his own area, Ream did prove he could pass cleanly out of the back and command the aerial battle against a real international side. The reigning Bolton Player of the Year notched six clearances in the final 28 minutes of regulation.
Brek Shea (5.5) - Apart from one fantastic burst out of the US area to relieve pressure, Shea was not terribly involved during his 27 minutes.
Alfredo Morales (4.5) - The Ingolstadt defensive midfielder was all over the place in his second US cap, with his clumsiest moments resulting in three whistles and a yellow card. The Czechs carved through his jurisdiction too easily on a few occasions.
Greg Garza (6.5) - Though a little tentative at first, the Tijuana left back grew into his debut appearance. Garza was disruptive to the Czechs on several key occasions in the waning moments and gained made positive efforts with his few passes.
Emerson Hyndman (6) - Even more than Garza, Hyndman was fairly invisible during the opening phase of his shift. Then the Fulham youngster started warming up, with his only error on the ball over 23 minutes coming sandwiched between calm possession work when the team needed it and the hustle tackle he made to win the ball back.
