The US national team put in an underwhelming performance in settling for a 1-1 friendly share with New Zealand at RFK Stadium on Tuesday night.
Despite a sluggish start, the USMNT went into the break with the lead thanks to another goal from Julian Green. However, they were never able to build on that edge and were often outdone by the visitors in the second frame.
GK William Yarbrough (6): Making his first US start, the León netminder looked a tad shaky out of the gate. He left a fat rebound in the opening moments, but was bailed out by an offside flag. Yarbrough settled down, though, providing some decent distribution before leaving at the break.
D Michael Orozco (6): The Tijuana defender did duty at both right and left back, but looked much more comfortable at the former slot. During the first half, Orozco did what he could to support the attack and added four tackles in the US end.
D Omar Gonzalez (5): The Pachuca center back had plenty of first half struggles with Kiwis target man Chris Wood and would later have trouble dealing with the visitors' quicker attackers. Gonzo was far more solid in the late going.
D Matt Besler (7): The Sporting KC man was also rescued by the aforementioned early offside flag, as he'd lost his man on the rebound. After that, however, he was on the top of his game in every facet. In all, Besler logged 12 interceptions and a pair of big blocks.
D Kellyn Acosta (5.5): As is typically the case when Acosta is shifted to left back, there was plenty of both good and bad on offer. The FC Dallas standout was predictably eager to join the attack, such as when his sprint forward helped Green gain space for the US strike. However, Acosta also repeatedly got himself caught up with bad giveaways.
M Perry Kitchen (5): The Hearts skipper often seemed confused about his positioning and hurt the team with a few turnovers in bad spots.
M Michael Bradley (6.5): While Bradley contributed several timely recoveries at the defensive end and a half-dozen positive passes in the attacking third, he never quite grabbed the game by the throat. For long stretches, the US midfield needed more leadership.
M Sacha Kljestan (6): The designated playmaker keyed some good rushes with his vision, but far too often drifted to the flank. Kljestan also disappeared from the match over the last 20 minutes.
M DeAndre Yedlin (5): It was a largely disappointing night for Yedlin, who split his time on the right side between attack and right back. While working as a winger, Yedlin never really worked his defender out wide. He did break into the Kiwis box through the middle to force a save, but could have done better with the chance.
M Julian Green (6.5): The Bayern Munich attacker did well to score the lone US goal, even if the New Zealand 'keeper was badly caught on the wrong foot. After that, he struggled to have much impact in the final third.
F Jozy Altidore (4.5): While the lead striker had a couple of moments, including a flick-on assist, his overall effort was spottier than a leopard. Altidore was among those who could have made a bigger move to stop the guests' late equalizer.
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann (5): His grade is not docked for the game plan, because the players clearly did not follow it. The coach gets docked because he never remedied the overly noticeable spacing issues that plagued the team on both sides of the ball for most of the night.
Substitutes
GK David Bingham (6): The halftime sub notched a couple of comfy saves to go with as many cross claims.
M Lynden Gooch (6.5): The debutant kept it simple, pumping three dangerous crosses into the box.
M Daniel Williams (6.5): After a slow start to his half-hour shift, the Reading ace pitched in with a few positive outlet passes, a handful of defensive stops in the US end and a threatening strike from distance.
F Juan Agudelo (-): The Revs striker only enjoyed a few touches in the wide areas of the field.
F Terrence Boyd (-): It was nice to see the goal shark back after nearly three years, even if it was just a brief cameo. He looked eager for the task.
