The US national team put in an uneven performance in Friday night's CONCACAF hexagonal opener, which allowed arch rivals Mexico to pull a late smash 'n' grab for their first ever World Cup qualifying win in Columbus.
The hosts came out in a unfamiliar formation and coach Jurgen Klinsmann's risk was punished for a goal before an adjustment was made. The Red, White & Blue rallied to claim the momentum and a tying goal, but more organizational problems would eventually come back to bite them when Rafa Marquez flicked home a late winner.
Tim Howard (6.5) - Shortly after getting just enough of a Jesus Manuel Corona to push it off the post, Howard was unfortunate to be beaten by a tricky deflection. Near the break, he was forced off by a groin injury.
John Brooks (6.5) - For much of the game, Brooks was the steadiest US back liner. Brooks notched eight total defensive stops in or around the area, including a big shot block near the hour. His grade is dinged by an early booking and a late flub while defending out on the flank.
Omar Gonzalez (5.5) - The Pachuca man was decent enough in defense, though rarely tested. However, Gonzo shipped too many aimless passes out of the back, especially in the second half. He also might have done better with a wide open restart header and was incredibly lucky to get away with what easily could have been a penalty foul near the hour.
Matt Besler (6) - Though he also saw yellow, Besler stayed fairly busy defending the left flank. After shifting to left back midway through the opening frame, He did not offer anything going forward.
Timothy Chandler (5) - The Eintracht Frankfurt right back had a few strong moments in attack. On the other hand, these pluses were outweighed by several occasions when Chandler was caught up or failed to close down a wing threat.
Fabian Johnson (5.5) - After an empty first half that was characterized by a couple of very poor touches in strong attack positions, Johnson rallied a great deal after intermission. His biggest contribution was a 79th minute back post stop that at least temporarily kept the game tied.
Michael Bradley (5) - The skipper was a mere shell of himself during the opening half hour; it was his weak challenge attempt that started the sequence for Mexico's opener. He gradually improved over the remainder, but never came up with a big play on the ball, despite several opportunities to do so.
Jermaine Jones (5.5) - Like Bradley, Jones struggled for long stretches to have an impact while on the ball. Unlike Bradley, the Colorado Rapids star was a constant nuisance when Mexico had possession. He helped swing the momentum by forcing 10 turnovers over the last 52 minutes of the match.
Christian Pulisic (7) - The Borussia Dortmund wunderkind was a one-man pressure valve, kept Mexico's defense honest and showed some physical mettle when El Tri came to shove. Other than one cross, Pulisic could have provided more end product, but it was a very promising shift.
Bobby Wood (7) - The Hamburg forward never stopped battling, and was eventually rewarded by the goal that leveled matters. His emergence gives the US two forwards who can withstand 90 minutes of rough treatment, which will come in handy through the rest of the hex (and, presumably, in Russia).
Jozy Altidore (6.5) - Nearly every rush by the hosts was facilitated by an Altidore touch of some kind. He never broke loose on his own (and was sadly out-muscled when he could have feasted on a first half sitter), but the Toronto FC ace constantly kept his teammates moving forward.
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann (3) - The US boss has a habit of trying to be too cute, and this tendency cost the team in a few hurtful ways. For obvious starters, he started the team out in a formation they haven't used in a competitive game. This is never a swell idea, let alone in a game of this magnitude.
Additionally, Klinsmann's strange proclivity for wasting corner kicks continued (and against a team of inferior size, no less). Finally, the team's set piece defense leaked yet again. On Mexico's lone corner of the night, the USMNT not only had no one guard the back post, they had no one fronting the near post. It was a rather strange combination of incompetence, and a costly one.
Subs:
Brad Guzan (6) - The stand-in netminder had little work to do until left without a chance on the El Tri winner.
DeAndre Yedlin (5.5) - The Newcastle speedster played it safe when the team needed a little more.
Michael Orozco (6) - Slightly more than a mere cameo.
