US Far from Impressive

Bruce Arena fielded a team of MLS players in a World Cup roster-trimming exercise against Jamaica tonight in North Carolina and the results were far from awe-inspiring. Besides the master of CONCACAF fixtures, Landon Donovan, tonight's game showcased few performances by players destined to be added to any individual highlight reels. While not as humbling as the 4-1 thrashing at the hands of the Germans three weeks ago, tonight's lackluster performance should hopefully bring the final roster selection process to an end.

The US went a goal down early after a counter-attack by the Reggae Boyz found 19 year-old Teadore Bennett behind the defense and quickly beyond the slow-charging relic named Tony Meola. While the 'keeper should not be held responsible (he is a senior citizen, after all), the back line was slow in recognizing the danger and incapable of catching the speedy Bennett. The fourth minute strike seemed to be a harbinger for a long night ahead for the Red, White, and Blue.

Just over twenty minutes later however, the score was leveled after a wisely taken early free kick by Donovan sent Ben Olsen in on net unopposed. The DC United midfielder's shot was headed directly for Jamaican goalie Donovan Ricketts' left leg before he miraculously managed to swipe the ball with both hands into the net behind him. As embarrassed as many US fans were to have Tony Meola earning his 100th cap on the evening, the thought of the hapless Ricketts earning more than 60 caps in that kind of form for anyone is just flat-out horrifying.

Besides Donovan's usual strong performance against weak opposition, there were few brightspots for the US. Clint Dempsey came on in the second half and showed the creative spark and attack-mindedness that have surely earned him his ticket for Germany. Oft-injured Pablo Mastroeni and John O'Brien showed glimpses of both the versatility and class that make them appealing options for the final selection, yet occasional lapses in form and judgment as well as.

None of the four strikers competing for roster spots alongside automatic starter Brian McBride (Twellman, Wolff, Johnson, and Ching) received much service or created many chances for others. Taylor Twellman and Josh Wolff played the first half and besides a couple of decent runs by Wolff, neither did much of note in their 45 minutes. Eddie Johnson and Dempsey looked poised to link up on two occasions in the second half, but nothing dangerous developed. Brian Ching made several attempts to come into the midfield to get some touches and along with Chris Albright, was also a target of some decent crosses from former teammate in San Jose, Landon Donovan.

The night's most impressive performance, if not from the stand-in US captain, Donovan, was surely from Jamaican defender Omar Daley. His crunching tackles and well-timed movements forward were really quite impressive. He will definitely be seen many times against American opponents in the future as this two teams continue to meet in CONCACAF play.

How tonight's game affects Bruce Arena's thought process ahead of announcing the final roster for the World Cup on May 2nd remains to be seen. I'll be posting my predictions for the 23 man selection next week.

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