The Republic of Ireland 2 USA 1.
Here’s how we rated the players:
Colin Doyle – 5.5
He looked a little shaky when in possession, and won’t be happy to have conceded a goal in his six-yard box.
Seamus Coleman – 6.5
With the USA targeting the space behind James McClean in the first-half, most of the play came down Ireland’s left-hand side and Coleman wasn’t really involved. The same occurred after the break, as Ireland, unfortunately, failed to regularly utilise Coleman’s ability going forward. He was involved in the passing move for Ireland’s goal at the end.
John O’Shea – 6
The defender made way after 33 minutes, receiving a standing ovation from the Aviva crowd in his final appearance for Ireland. Before that, O’Shea carried himself well, winning some headers when called upon but was largely untested.
Shane Duffy – 5.5
Frequently kicked the ball away, and conceded a sloppy chance in the second-half with a careless header. The Brighton defender has become a key player for Ireland but has had better games than his showing against the Americans.
Kevin Long – 7
Long defended well and covered for McClean who was often out of position, coming across to win headers and he foiled the talented Tim Weah with an excellent recovery tackle in the first-half. He was slightly loose at times in possession, but he at least tried to pass it into midfield.
Declan Rice – 8 (Man of the match)
Rice regularly won possession in midfield, was neat on the ball and often looked to drive forward. He looked very composed again, and never shied away from taking the ball. The 19-year-old seems very likely to start the autumn games against Wales and Denmark if fit.
Jeff Hendrick – 6
Full of energy in the first-half, Hendrick looked to break from midfield and win second balls, as he does for Burnley. It would’ve been nice to see him link up with O’Dowda and Rice – two players who are naturally comfortable on the ball – but Hendrick’s passes were often sideways and back to his central defenders. This may have been a direction from his manager, however.
Callum O’Dowda – 7
One of Ireland’s brightest and most dangerous player in the first-half, O’Dowda caused the US problems with his runs from central areas. He was one of the team’s better players in possession and looked a threat, even if his performance dipped slightly after the break.
James McClean – 5
McClean was frequently out of position at wing-back, forcing Kevin Long to come across and cover for him against the dangerous Weah. His final ball was often poor and he was quite careless in possession. Ireland had three players who are more natural wing-backs on the bench – Greg Cunningham, Enda Stevens and Matt Doherty – yet O’Neill chose to persist with McClean.
On the evidence of his showing against the US, if the Ireland manager wants to continue with the 3-5-2 formation, then he’ll need to find a new position for McClean, who showed little evidence of being capable of excelling at wing-back. He didn’t cover himself in glory for the American goal either, but looked more comfortable when he went up-front for the final 30 minutes and helped set-up Judge’s late goal.
Jonathan Walters – 6
As expected, he worked hard, won some headers and tried to hold the ball up. He didn’t pose the Americans much threat – as he wasn’t going to run away from them – and he was second to some loose balls. But Walters improved as the game went on and almost scored with a decent effort in the second-half.
Graham Burke – 7
The Shamrock Rovers forward scored on his first start for Ireland with a tap-in on the goal line and didn’t look out of place. Burke dropped deep to help his midfield when Ireland were out of possession and showed some nice touches, getting the ball down and often looking to link-up play with his strike-partner Walters. A composed performance from a player who will surely be an option for O’Neill going forward.
Substitutes
Darragh Lenihan – 6
The Blackburn Rovers defender replaced O’Shea after 33 minutes, and won’t be pleased that he was beaten to a header for the USA goal at the end of the first-half. He made up for it after the break though, setting up Ireland’s equaliser with a shot stabbed home by Burke.
Daryl Horgan – 6.5
He was more disciplined than McClean tracking back and got the opportunity to show his flair going forward in the final few minutes with some threatening runs.
Enda Stevens – N/A
Not on long enough to rate
Harry Arter – N/A
Not on long enough to rate
Alan Judge – 7
He was only on the pitch for two minutes when he scored the injury-time winner. Great impact and nice finish.
