USA-Peru (1-0)
Brad Friedel (7). Solid positionally throughout and spectacular on two occasions in the second half. A short-side reflex stop on Ysrael Zuniga's 10-yard bid and a
full extension one-hander on Abel Lobaton's low drive preserved the victory.
Carlos Llamosa (5). The least visible player on the team was stable and gritty. No standout plays nor any glaring
errors. Took care of business but added little if any support to the attack.
Eddie Pope (6). Won every aerial joust, kept the defense organized and did not turn the ball over. Looked
fragile, however, limping away from several tackles and was caught upfield holding his stomach on Peruvian counter that resulted in Lobaton shot.
Greg Vanney (5). Marked responsibly,
defused through balls from Roberto Palacios in first half, but whacked aimless long balls with increasing frequency as game progressed. Did not provide the support that would have aided Lewis' flank
play.
Cobi Jones (7). Burned Marcial Salazar several times early, then mysteriously fell back and yielded the right wing to Eric Wynalda. Rebounded in second half by combining with Wynalda
and timed his run perfectly to score the goal. First touch and overall control cleaner than usual.
Chris Armas (4). Chased as doggedly as ever, but lost possession too often. Appeared to be
a primary target of Peru's pressure and did not reduce his touches accordingly. Fouled to halt counters during Peru's best phases.
Claudio Reyna (5). Aptly filled his standard role of
on-field director, but did not threaten. Attempted shots were either blocked or awry. At times seemed uncharacteristically distracted by officiating.
Eddie Lewis (6). A courageous
right-footed assist during an otherwise average performance. Had trouble finding the ball and space through much of the game; sent a few balls on with no one ahead.
Jovan Kirovski (4). Did
not test the defense. Seemed content to repeatedly send balls back where they came from, but chose to do so wisely, given that he looked incapable of holding possession long enough to create. Finally
showed a spurt of offensive desire late by shedding two Peruvians and shooting wide of the far post.
Brian McBride (5). After missing a few days of training, his feet looked slow, yet still
was a presence in the box. Peru tugged, bumped and elbowed him to prevent him heading at goal. Mobility forced defenders to track him, which helped the U.S. keep possession.
Eric Wynalda
(4). Ineffective in the first half; stripped of possession several times. Found space to operate wide right and in the second half, just before coming off, began finding Jones on the overlap.
Visibly disgusted by substitution.
SUBSTITUTES
C.J. Brown (5). Comfortable on the ball; drew foul that resulted in Zuniga's second yellow card.
Ben Olsen (5). Active and
dangerous. Quality shot blocked after drifting over to join left-side counterattack.
Ante Razov (4). Did not get up to speed of play, failed to see teammates' runs.
PERU
Oscar
Ibanez (5); Juan Reynoso (6), Marcial Salazar (5), Miguel Robosio (4), Juan Jayo (5), Roberto Palacios (5), Roberto Holsen (4), Jorge Soto (4), Abel Lobaton (5), Jose Del Solar (6), Henry Quinteros
(4). Substitutes: Ysrael Zuniga (3), German Pinillos (5).
