The report cards came back with considerably brighter marks for most after the US national team settled for a respectable 1-1 draw away to Switzerland despite losing Jozy Altidore to an impetuous red card midway through the second half.
The 10-man Nats allowed a goal in the waning moments (80th minute or later) for the 14th time in their last 15 games, but it was not indicative of an overall performance that matched marked improvements in team cohesion in their own half with a Brek Shea free kick belter.
As a periodic reminder, all grades are handed out on a scale with "6" as the average. Ratings are also relative to minutes played (e.g. a 90-minute "7" is more impressive than a "7" earned from a quarter-hour shift).
GK Nick Rimando (5.5) – The Real Salt Lake netminder has next to nothing to do in the first half. He gets docked for a poor 16th-minute boot straight to Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri.
RB Timothy Chandler (6.5) – Aside from putting Rimando in a tough situation on the stray kick mentioned above and losing Shaqiri once in his corner, Chandler enjoyed one of his most-engaged outings in a US shirt. In addition to causing plenty of trouble with six troubling crosses into the box, the right back piled up four pass picks, four clearances and three tackles.
CB Michael Orozco (6) – Though positionally strong for nearly all of his 45-minute shift, Orozco did watch a low cross run past in the 40th minute. The defender continued to show care on the ball, completing all 11 of his passes.
CB John Anthony Brooks (6.5) – It was a quietly solid night for the Hertha Berlin defender, even if he could occasionally be more present in set piece defense. While his passing game was on mute, Brooks notched two late tackles at the gate to the US area to go with a pair of earlier shot blocks inside it.
LB Brek Shea (7) – The Orlando City SC artist put his signature on a picturesque free kick to bag the fourth goal from his last 12 caps. To boot, Shea completed 25 of 30 passes, which included a few dangerous crosses, to go with a handful of solid plays at the back. He did have a couple of defensive hiccups in the 78th minute, but those were the exception today.
CDM Daniel Williams (6) – The Reading midfielder was cautiously efficient on the ball, as one would expect. Williams could have been a touch more vigilant in protecting the area above the US box, especially in the first half, but he held his own against some tough foes in the center of the park.
CM Alejandro Bedoya (7) – After spending the first 20 minutes of the game looking like the most lively US attacker, Bedoya suffered without a single offensive touch for the final 25 minutes of the opening frame. His offensive influence as the team's "right side No. 10" predictably waned with the Altidore ejection, so the Nantes man went about with plenty of defensive work in his own end before being removed in the 76th minute.
CM Alfredo Morales (5.5) – Used out of position again, the Ingolstadt ace coped a bit better this time. While he needs to be more accurate with the more difficult passes required on the side of the midfield, Morales provided all sorts of attitude and grit against a physical Swiss offense. He did lose an aerial battle and the ball on the goal, but was run into by a teammate on the play.
CAM Michael Bradley (5.5) – On a night of solid displays, the skipper's was a bit flat, especially before the break. Bradley clearly demonstrated why he should not be used so far up field by failing to make any decision during a threatening three-v-three rush in the 16th minute. He also muffed a golden early chance to score, but rallied to pitch in with a host of possession passes and seven total defensive stops in the US end after intermission.
FW Gyasi Zardes (5.5) – It was a definite improvement over last week for the LA Galaxy forward, even if he fell shy of final product. As long as Zardes is learning out there, a subpar grade like this is actually an investment on future ratings.
FW Jozy Altidore (3.5) – Aside from a pair of incisive through balls midway through the first half, the Toronto FC striker was fairly quiet until his mouth got him sent off in the 68th minute. While usually a noted team player, Altidore gets a major demerit for letting frustrations boil over in a silly episode.
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann (6.5) – The result featured plenty of good indicators of progress at the back – the defense was largely organized, patient with the ball and heavily limited danger despite Switzerland owning 63% of the ball and a man advantage for 22 minutes. That deserves a hearty round of applause. In fact, the whole team was easily more cohesive off the ball than any other time we've seen since Brazil '14.
On the other hand, something needs to be fixed in the set piece defending; the USA's top markers are being led astray too often while restarts land in their wake. Most disturbingly, though, basic structural defects and lukewarm position-morphing experiments in the midfield are badly hurting the team on both sides of the ball. The USMNT was outshot 12-5 on the day and 24-9 in both March friendlies combined, actually amplifying recent balance-of-play issues from a mathematical standpoint.
Substitutes:
GK William Yarbrough (6) – There debutant did come up with a big late punch, but there wasn't really much could do on Switzerland's point-blank equalizer mere moments later.
CB Ventura Alvarado (5.5) – It was another nervy start for the halftime sub, and like Brooks, he gets pulled out of the restart hot zones too easily. However, Alvarado settled to offer a handful of passes to ease pressure on the backline and a three pass interceptions.
RB DeAndre Yedlin (6.5) – The Tottenham prospect looked far more lively and in control in 14 Tuesday minutes than he did against Denmark. Yedlin proved a very disruptive force for a team hanging on with 10 men.
FW Jordan Morris (-) – A mere cameo.
LB Tim Ream (-) – See above, but the Bolton star was fooled on the overlap once.
