All in all I am pleased with today's game. Ecuador isn't Denmark or Japan, they are a bona fide opponent who made it to the knockout round last WC so to put on a good show today against them is quite satisfying. The ref could have easily called a penalty shot on two different occasions but in the end the US would certainly not need them. Tim Howard played well when called upon with a couple of solid saves at key moments, its suffice to say he will be the go to guy in net for the next couple years.
Midfield: Feilhaber had a solid debut today. He had a handful of minor mistakes like anybody's first cap but otherwise played well and has a future on the MNT midfield. Bradley also did pretty well especially for someone who is just 19. Nobody can say he doesn't deserve a spot on this team. Demarcus Beasley I was minorly disappointed with as he wasn't very visible for much of the day, but he did redeem himself by drawing what could have been a penalty in the box when he was shoved from behind as well as the nice pass to set up Donovan's third goal. Dempsey was pretty much invisible, and when he wasn't he either gave the ball up or missed an empty net.
Forwards: The US desperately needs somebody to step up here. Brian Ching played well and showed some toughness. The best thing he has going for him is his chemistry with Donovan from their time together with San Jose, which really showed today on several plays. I'm not convinced he's the answer to our forward issues though. Eddie Johnson is very frustrating and his funk still continues. He had a pretty lousy day and needs to get back to the form he showed 18 months ago as he is still probably the forward with the most talent on the US roster. I'd like to see more of Twellman, I am hopeful he will get the start on Wednesday against Guatemala.
Defense: They looked much sloppier than I had anticipated since all of them should be in midseason form playing in Europe, especially in the first twenty minutes of the game. Its possible the heat were getting to them. Nevertheless, they settled down in the second half and Ecuador was largely quiet the last 45 minutes. Oneywu didn't look particularly great on a couple sequences and Conrad's lack of speed is a liability. I look forward to seeing Demerit, Pearce, Spector, and Simek who should all get time in the next game.
Landon Donovan: What else can be said? None of those goals were a fluke, and Ecuador is a decent opponent. Each goal was more spectacular than the last, and he was dangerously close to having at least one more. The first was an excellent left footed strike, he showed great patience on the breakaway for the second, and then the third was an absolute rocket perfectly placed. Even when he wasn't scoring he looked extremely dangerous nearly every time he touched the ball today, which fortunately was quite often. He looks completely different from the way he looked for much of last year, and he needs to continue to play without fear. The last couple of games have been one of the best stretches I have seen Donovan ever play, and I think he's going to silence a lot of critics.
There are a lot of guys that didn't play today that will get their chance on Wednesday against Guatemala, which I'm looking forward to. Lastly, I'm not a big fan of the new jersey either but luckily it is an alternate and not replacing the current blue one, which is my favorite. It would be nice if they still had the red "do not tread on me" pre-WC jersey though (which I unfortunately can't find a pic of).
