Scuffed, Vol. 17: Gold Cup grades and more McKennie

The U.S. won the Gold Cup on Wednesday, defeating Jamaica 2–1 in another scrappy contest that didn’t convert any new soccer fans. Jozy Altidore curled in a free kick from distance late in the first half, Jamaican midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson equalized by shaking off Jordan Morris on a corner kick and smashing it home at the back post five minutes into the second half, and then Morris redeemed himself with the winner in the 87th minute, pouncing on a loose ball in the box and slamming it into the right corner. Details here. Highlights here.
In the global hierarchy of men’s soccer trophies, winning the Gold Cup is like winning the Missouri Valley Conference championship. But it’s a trophy! And it’s clear that under Bruce Arena, the USMNT is well-organized, confident and committed. The boys haven’t lost in Arena’s 14 matches and are now champions of the top half of the Western Hemisphere. All good stuff. After the game, Arena told reporters, “We’re getting better. We need to get much better than we are right now.” Also true.
Here’s my stock up/stock down report on the guys who played in the Gold Cup.
Darlington Nagbe: Way up. His quality on the ball was on full display Wednesday — gliding past defenders, never losing possession. This ability to hold onto the ball in traffic, move into space and find teammates made him the best player on the pitch for the U.S. against Jamaica. He likely won’t score, and probably won’t get many assists, but from box to box (this heat map basically says it all) he is such a valuable asset that you gotta assume he’s locked down one of the midfield starting spots in Russia.
Michael Bradley: Up. His wisdom, organization and defensive positioning brought order to the U.S defense and intention to our attack. Little of what he does pops off the television screen, but if there was any doubt he’s the leader of the team before the Gold Cup, it’s gone. He won the Golden Ball as best player in the tournament for his efforts.
Clint Dempsey: Up. I wondered before the Gold Cup if there would be a place for Dempsey on the national team next year. I wondered in vain. He is the best American player (yes, better than Christian Pulisic) in the attacking third, and he has found a role as an impact substitute. He scored and assisted on the only two goals in the win over Costa Rica last week, and brought instinctive quick passing to the attack against Jamaica for the last 30 minutes.
Matt Besler: Up. The unsexy Sporting K.C. center back was a rock on the back line down the stretch. He’s not perfect, but he’s very solid, and I’d take him to Russia if I were Arena.
Tim Howard: Up. He’s our starting goalkeeper. Done locked it down. Again.
Dom Dwyer: Up. The now quite handsomely paid forward went home before the knockout round, but he brought fight, energy and a nose for the goal to the team despite serving as the striker for a disjointed attack. Arena appears to disagree with me, but for me he’s the fourth striker in the pool behind Wood, Altidore and Dempsey.
Jozy Altidore: Up. We already knew he was a good passer with the strength to hold up the ball while his teammates join the attack. He showed that again in this tournament, and scored big goals in the semifinal win over Costa Rica and the final victory over Jamaica. His strike from distance drew a good save from Andre Blake early. One of these days an Altidore blast like that is going in, and we’ll all go wild. He’s a good soccer player. Not great, but good.
Omar Gonzalez: Up, I guess. A bit shakier than Besler in central defense, but he’s our best defender in the air and he’s a gamer. He just keeps fighting, and winning. He’s also an Arena guy, and he scored two goals in the tournament.
Jordan Morris: Up, I guess. Yes he scored the winner against Jamaica, and put up a brace against Nicaragua. He’s also fast and strong. But boy is he frustrating. He struggles too much to find the game, his first touch is heavy, and he isn’t great at combining in the attacking third.
Paul Arriola: Up, I guess. The quick little winger does all the small things right. He buzzes around, tracks back in defense, wins loose balls, and combines well with teammates. The problem is his crosses into the box never find anyone, and when the ball finds him in the box, he doesn’t score. He is the yin to Clint Dempsey’s yang when it comes to quality in the attacking third. But it’s hard not to like what he brings to the table.
Kelyn Rowe: Up, I guess. He got a big goal and a bigger assist, and aside from Dempsey down the stretch, was the most consistently threatening attacker for the U.S. He also struggled a bit with his defensive responsibilities and got sent home before the knockout round.
Dax McCarty: Slightly up. He didn’t get a lot of minutes after the big guns came in for the knockout round, but he proved himself to be a competent central midfielder and probably the best line-splitting passer in the pool. He’s also small and not very fast, and more or less plays the same position as Bradley. Probably a good backup for the World Cup.
Graham Zusi: Slightly up. He’s not setting the world on fire at right back, but he keeps getting the call from Arena and seems like an adequate backup to DeAndre Yedlin — solid on the ball, diligent in his responsibilities, a decent crosser when he can tee it up.
Alejandro Bedoya: Slightly up. He had a positive influence in the Martinique match, and was man of the match against Nicaragua. I still don’t love it when he’s on the pitch, because it’s a guarantee that nothing transcendent will occur on his wing, but he’s a solid veteran and maybe he works as a sub to see out a match.
Bill Hamid: Slightly up. He played one match in goal and posted a clean sheet against Nicaragua. Still probably the №3 goalkeeper at best.
Jorge Villafana: Neutral. He’s a good crosser and nifty in the attack, but he gets burned too much. Luckily for him there’s no better option at left back in the pool except Fabian Johnson, who allegedly is playing midfield for the USMNT now. We’ll see if that lasts.
Eric Lichaj: Neutral. He had bright moments — the assist against Martinique — and bad moments — the poor back pass against Martinique that nearly led to a goal. I would have liked to see him displace Zusi or Villafana at outside back, but he hasn’t.
Matt Miazga: Neutral. Didn’t see a lot of him, but the one match he played in ended in a clean sheet for the U.S., and he scored the all-important third goal on a header in the 87th minute. He’ll be back.
Justin Morrow: Neutral. The left back was OK, but not as good as Villafana, which is not a terribly high bar. His tournament ended with the Martinique match, which was an inauspicious day for American soccer.
Brad Guzan: Slightly down. He should have saved Martinique’s first goal. He’s probably still the №2 goalkeeper, but hardly has the spot locked down.
Juan Agudelo: Slightly down. I like him, and thought he did good things when he was on the pitch. He’s a strong, technical forward. But he barely played outside of the aforementioned Martinique match, and I can’t see — barring a plague of injuries — how he gets minutes when Bobby Wood, Dom Dwyer, Jordan Morris and Jozy Altidore are at Arena’s disposal.
Kellyn Acosta: Down. I’m not sold. He was poor against Jamaica, as he has been too often in the tournament. Not fast enough in his decision-making or tracking attackers, not strong enough in the tackle or the air, and full of errant passes. His is a hard job, and he’s only 22, but he did not seize a golden opportunity in this tournament to lock down the №8 spot next to Bradley. (Wes McKennie, anyone?)
Matt Hedges: Down. The tournament was a disaster for the F.C. Dallas defender. Many thought this was his chance to claim a spot in the World Cup roster. He didn’t. When he was turned and torched on Martinique’s second goal, his tournament essentially came to an end.
Cristian Roldan: Down. He’s a good MLS player for Seattle, but not good enough to boss the midfield at the international level. He’s still young, though.
Joe Corona: Down. He had a goal and a few nice moments, but he doesn’t look athletic enough for this level. Would be surprised if he gets called up for a qualifier in the next few months.
Gyasi Zardes: Down. He got a surprisingly high number of minutes, but I don’t understand his inclusion on the roster. His legendary first touch — legendary for how bad it is — did not disappoint. He doesn’t beat people around the corner, and he doesn’t combine well through the middle. Not sure what he offers.
Chris Pontius: N/A. We didn’t see enough of him to learn anything.
Sean Johnson: N/A. The goalkeeper didn’t play.
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The U-17 roster for the World Cup in India has been announced, and Josh Sargent is on it. No updates on his future.
I saw Tyler Adams in the flesh last weekend when the Red Bulls visited Minnesota. He was solid at right back, against a beleaguered, hopeless Minnesota United side. Didn’t get forward much, but he locked down his man, Sam Nicholson, and had a good bit of swagger. He’s a cocky, vocal leader on his team at 18. I’m not sure where he fits on the national team of the future, but he’s got the drive.
Weston McKennie continues to impress at Schalke. While his American teammate, Haji Wright, was dropped from the first team, McKennie is in Austria with the first-choice squad for the final stretch of training before the season starts, and he’s looking at Bundesliga minutes this fall. Seems little doubt. By most accounts he’s been the best player this summer for the club. Given Acosta’s struggles at the Gold Cup, I think there’s a way for McKennie to force his way onto Arena’s radar. I know this kind of talk gets people’s eyes rolling, but McKennie has it. He’s the next USMNT star, and he’s going to be on Pulisic’s level, just at a different position. You heard it here.
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