Following are our player ratings for the U.S. U20 Women’s National Team from its match with China Thursday morning at the FIFA World Cup in Japan (On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being perfect, 6 being average).

Bryane Heaberlin, Goalkeeper: 6 – Off her line quickly on a couple of China counters. There was little she could do on the goal.

Crystal Dunn, Defender: 6 – Had a fairly quiet game at right back. Got forward to serve a couple of good crosses midway through the second half.

Mollie Pathman, Defender:  7 - Created the opening U.S. goal with a strong run forward from her left back position. Defended well.

Cari Roccaro, Defender:  7 - Stepped to the ball assertively in her tournament debut.

Julie Johnston, Defender:  7- Stepped up to help push the U.S. forward after they fell behind in the opening half. Always assertive in the challenge.

Sarah Killion, Midfielder:  7 - Once again won some balls and played a lot of simple passes in the holding role, but with the team pressing forward a bit more, she was more involved in helping start the attack. Missed an intercept on the opening Chinese goal.

Morgan Brian, Midfielder: 5 - Was closed down effectively during most of the match. Struggled with finding the target on passes.

Vanessa DiBernardo, Midfielder: 6 - Struggled somewhat in the opening half, but a little better in the second with some good serves.

Kealia Ohai, Forward: 7 - Excellent cutback on the opening goal. Active in running down the wing.

Maya Hayes, Forward:  7 - Again made the right run and provided the simple finish on the U.S. opener. Otherwise quiet.

Kelley Cobb, Forward:  5 – Extremely quiet 45 minutes before being subbed at halftime.

Substitutes

Chioma Ubogagu, Forward: 7  - Denied a clear penalty award just minutes after coming on. Worked hard on both sides of the ball.

Katie Stengel, Forward: 6 – Quiet shift from the substitute.

Becca Wann, forward: NR – Not on long enough to make a difference

Some general match observations: When the U.S. fell behind 1-0, it didn’t really reflect the flow the match. The U.S. had controlled possession to that point. The team seemed to push forward a bit more after that, but remained relatively composed, eventually leading to a nice equalizer by Maya Hayes from Ohai and Pathman.

The tempo of the match in the opening half was quicker, perhaps due to playing in the evening and out of the hotter conditions. The result works out OK for the U.S as goal difference almost assures them of advancing to the quarterfinals, but from what we’ve seen from Germany, this team will have to play much better to have a good chance of winning Sunday.