After a 1-1 draw Friday with Ecuador, Jurgen Klinsmann, the coach of the United States national men’s soccer team, made significant changes to his roster to include many veterans who played in the 2014 World Cup in an exhibition Tuesday against Honduras. The result, however, was the same, as the United States conceded yet another late equalizer in another 1-1 draw.
Klinsmann elected to go with an experienced roster. Left back Greg Garza was the only player in the starting lineup who was not on the 2014 World Cup roster. Mix Diskerud was given more responsibility in the midfield and Jermaine Jones moved to central defense, but most of the game plan was similar to what was used in the World Cup.
After a strong start, the United States faded. It created only one very dangerous opportunity, which it capitalized on for its only goal. Over all, the midfield lacked the creativity and speed to stretch the defense. Honduras eventually found its way into the game to control possession and force the draw.
The poor result will now give rise to questions about the approach moving forward in the new cycle. Will new players have to be introduced into the team faster than anticipated? Will some established veterans have to give way to younger players? These are questions that will linger at least until the next international break in November when the United States faces Ireland and Croatia.
The Starting Lineup
Nick Rimando: It was a game mostly to forget for Rimando. He made mistakes with the ball at his feet and his giveaway in the 19th minute gave Andy Najar a terrific chance. He was caught out of position on Maynor Figueroa’s goal in the 86th minute. Rating: 4.0
Timothy Chandler: For the second straight outing, Chandler was given the opportunity at right back. While his passing did not open up the right side offensively for the United States, Honduras had little success attacking down his side. Rating: 5.5
Jermaine Jones: The boldest experiment of the night came with Klinsmann starting Jones in central defense as opposed to central midfield. The result was mixed. It is unwise to draw conclusions based on one game. In the 82nd minute, he made one of the defensive plays of the game when he stripped Romell Quioto from behind inside the box to break up a scoring chance. Four minutes later, however, he was out of position on Mario Martínez’s free kick, which found Figueroa for the equalizer. Rating: 5.5
Matt Besler: In his first game with the team since the World Cup, Besler had the difficult assignment of pairing with Jones, who was making his international debut on the back line. Besler did well over his 64 minutes and handled whatever challenges came his way. Rating: 6.0
Greg Garza: Appearing in his third straight game for the United States, Garza again performed well defensively at left back. While he does not have quick pace for a fullback, he is smart and comfortable on the ball. He has been one of the few bright spots for Klinsmann in the first three games of this new cycle. Rating: 6.5
Graham Zusi: The Sporting Kansas City midfielder looked out of sync. His touch was off and he was not able to find his way into the game offensively. Rating: 4.0
Mix Diskerud: In making his third straight start for the United States, Diskerud continued to show his improvement on both sides of the ball. His smart defensive effort began the play on Jozy Altidore’s 10th-minute goal. As the rest of the team began to fade in the second half, Diskerud was not able to maintain his influence in the game. Rating: 5.5
Michael Bradley: It was a strong start to the game for Bradley, who hit a beautiful arching pass to Altidore on the assist of the opening goal in the 10th minute. Aside from that, he did not have much of an influence on the game until being replaced in the 75th. Rating: 5.0
Alejandro Bedoya: The Nantes midfielder was the hardest working American player on the field. Offensively, he was aggressive. In the 21st minute, he made a nice play to get behind the Honduran defense, but his cross was barely cleared. In the 53rd minute, he made a long run back into the defense to break up Andy Najar’s chance. Rating: 6.5
Clint Dempsey: The United States captain, Dempsey was involved early but gradually faded. In the eighth minute, he did well to receive a pass from Altidore that was behind him and to fire a shot that narrowly missed wide. In the 21st minute, he combined well to spring Bedoya into the final third. After that, however, he added little. Rating: 5.0
Jozy Altidore: He scored the only goal for the United States on an outstanding effort in which he controlled the ball with his chest and beat his defender to create space for a perfect low shot. Two minutes before, he nearly took advantage of a mistake by Bernardez to set up Dempsey for a good opportunity. Rating: 6.0
Substitutes
Tim Ream: After replacing Besler in the 64th minute, Ream was not part of any noticeable plays defensively. His distribution out of the back was useful, but the back line was on its heels for most of the final 20 minutes. Rating: 5.0
DeAndre Yedlin: Coming on in the second half, Yedlin attempted to bring much needed speed to the attack. There were moments when he pressured Honduras’s defense, but he was not as involved as he was Friday night. Defensively, he has improved his game. Rating: 5.5
Bobby Wood: The 1860 Munich forward turned the ball over too many times and was rarely dangerous. It will be hard for him to get call-ups after these two recent exhibition games. Rating: 4.0
Alfredo Morales: The Ingolstadt defensive midfielder gifted Honduras a good chance in second-half stoppage time with a horrible clearance. Minutes later, he nearly redeemed himself with a nice pass to set up Wood with an opportunity. Still, he was part of a midfield that was badly outpossessed late in the second half. Rating: 4.5
Joe Corona: After replacing Bedoya in the 78th minute, Corona struggled to provide life to a midfield when Honduras was pressing for the equalizer. Rating: 4.0
Miguel Ibarra: In replacing Diskerud in stoppage time for a cameo, it was more symbolic than substantive as he became the first player from the North American Soccer League to earn a cap with the United States national team. Rating: No rating.