The good:
We beat an LA team that figuratively had their shit together (save for Zardes who is horrible).
SJ should be the #1/2 keep for the US- he is phenomenal when he has some defense to work with.
Villa is a machine.
Lewis is essentially untapped but the valve is starting to drip.
Brillant is solid once he starts to get playing time.
Callens is a beast that expects better ref'ing than CONCACAF/Pro delivers.
The bad:
That ref was totally uneven. JJJ should have had minimum three yellow cards, but evidently he's protected.
TMac is the worst player we've had since Grabavoy: he plays the backpass every chance he gets, prances around at half effort like he's too good to sprint, and he's an absolute waste of a position. The days of living off last year's stats are long gone, and as
JGarrettLieb said last night, he's actively sabotaging the team's play. PV needs to relegate him below Stertzer - I'm not even sure he should be allowed to practice since he's bad karma.
Khiry's (late) decision when to shoot is killing him.
Those yellows hurt, but it will mean Ring and White are fresh for RB, so a blessing in disguise.
Odds/ends:
We heard before the match that Maxi was still feeling the effects of the Chicago match (kind of what I described comparing that match to racing a Half Marathon). Last night Jack looked exhausted early in the match. By the end he could barely run. I think he's also experiencing a lag in recovery, and looking long term, I'd sit him against NE so his legs have some more recovery; this isn't a case of the RSL rotation, with a break for the sake of a break, but rather if Jack doesn't get a chance to recharge he could completely break down as the season winds to a close. Dead legs are real and he hasn't looked explosive since Chicago.
Looks like RJ will be a lock to deputize for White, but I'd be curious if Awuah could play the third MF role and keep things simple? If not then (shoot me) Lopez (again, stay simple). Start Wallace (if he can go 70-90) and Lewis. Grind out a win vs NE and get the majority of the team back for RB - and hopefully Chanot will be back by then.