USA vs. Peru: Winners and Losers from International Friendly

Jozy Altidore scored twice in the second half to give the United States men's national team a 2-1 victory over Peru on Friday in an international friendly at RFK Stadium in Washington.

Peru led through Daniel Chavez's deflected strike midway through the first half, but Altidore leveled the score in the 59th minute, converting on the rebound after seeing his penalty saved. The U.S. striker then grabbed the winner nine minutes later, finishing at the far post following Gyasi Zardes deflected cross-shot.

Here, B/R selects winners and losers from the game.

Winner: Jozy Altidore

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The Gold Cup went poorly for Jozy Altidore. After struggling with fitness and form throughout the group stage, Altidore parted ways with the team ahead of the knockout phase.

"We believe that Jozy’s just not there yet," coach Jurgen Klinsmann said at the time (h/t MLSSoccer.com). "Jozy never really got into this tournament and never really picked up the rhythm."

In his return to the national team, Altidore scored twice and made the difference. The striker didn't necessarily play his best soccer, but in the end, only the goals will matter.

Sure, Altidore missed his penalty in the 59th minute, and he nearly managed to send the rebound off target. What's more, the second goal was all about being in the right place at the right time. Altidore had little to do besides stick out his leg to redirect the ball into the net following Gyasi Zardes' deflected cross-shot.

But as with any striker, Altidore will take confidence from scoring the goals. And that can only be good news for the U.S. as the crucial playoff with Mexico approaches.

Following the disappointment of the Gold Cup, the U.S. needed a good performance Friday night against Peru. In addition, Klinsmann needed to see certain players show improvement.

Altidore, who had endured a rough summer at international level, must be pleased to have put himself back on the scoresheet.

Loser: Omar Gonzalez

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Daniel Chavez opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a shot that deflected off Omar Gonzalez and fluttered into the net past U.S. goalkeeper Brad Guzan. The deflection itself was bad luck, but Gonzalez was guilty of defending poorly on the play.

When the pass came into Chavez, Gonzalez was responsible for marking the Peruvian attacker. Instead, the U.S. man was positioned a few yards away, allowing Chavez to turn. At that point, Gonzalez inexplicably back-pedaled, rather than applying pressure.

It was a sequence of errors, and it led to the opening goal. Gonzalez simply must do better. The U.S. defense was a source of disappointment at the Gold Cup this past summer, with inexperienced center-backs John Brooks and Ventura Alvarado drawing loads of criticism.

Gonzalez had a chance to impress coach Jurgen Klinsmann on Friday, but his defending on this play can't be what he had hoped for.

The audition lasted only 45 minutes, as Klinsmann brought on Alvarado for Gonzalez at halftime.

Winners: Gyasi Zardes and Tim Ream

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The U.S. benefited from two strong contributions on the left flank.

On the wing, Gyasi Zardes consistently created danger with powerful runs and probing crosses. The 24-year-old Los Angeles Galaxy star posed a threat nearly every time he attacked, and it was no surprise that he set up the winning goal.

Behind him, Tim Ream turned in a solid shift at left-back. In fact, Ream did so well that longtime fans of the U.S. will be puzzled as to why coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been so reluctant to give the 27-year-old his chance.

"Ream (was) splendid tonight," tweeted The Yanks Are Coming. "Begs question of why manager didn't realize he's been splendid for 2 years."

Next month the U.S. will face rivals Mexico in a special one-game playoff to determine CONCACAF's representative in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. After watching Ream on Friday night, Klinsmann must have the defender in his plans for the game.

Loser: Jurgen Klinsmann

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Based on the outcome of the match, U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann could be considered a winner. Regardless, however, the German World Cup winner came off as highly condescending in comments he made to Steven Goff of the Washington Post in the lead-up to the game.

Speaking about the U.S. team's disappointing fourth-place finish at the Gold Cup, Klinsmann made some puzzling excuses. Here's what he said about the loss to Jamaica in the semifinals:

"

It was definitely our best game (against Jamaica in the Gold Cup), (but) there were these calls. Everybody was saying, ‘Yeah, that’s true, it’s crazy.’ Three days later, it was a loss against Jamaica, two mistakes on two set pieces, and suddenly it was bad coaching. People see the result and they think, ‘That must have been really bad.'

It’s a good thing you have so much comments and opinions because it shows you that a lot more people care. They care about the game, they care about the national team. They care about saying their opinion. Do they understand really what happened in the Gold Cup? Some of them absolutely do and a lot of people don’t. I take it, it’s not a big deal. But it also explains we have a long way to go to educate people on the game of soccer still in this country.

"

Two things need pointing out.

First, blaming the referee is almost always a bad idea. The U.S. did not play well during the Gold Cup, and the semifinal match against Jamaica was no exception. Klinsmann might have disagreed with a few decisions the officials made that night, but the fact was that Jamaica was the better team.

Second, Klinsmann is just plain wrong to imply that his critics aren't knowledgeable about soccer. His insistence on playing Ventura Alvarado and John Brooks together throughout the Gold Cup was as puzzling as it was unsuccessful. Many coaches would have made a change after an underwhelming group stage, but Klinsmann persisted and it cost the U.S.

These comments did not cast Klinsmann in a positive light. With the crucial playoff against Mexico fast approaching, he should consider a more judicious approach in speaking to the media.

Winner: Brad Guzan

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Brad Guzan started in goal and made a key save in the second half to help his team win. But that's not why he's a winner in our eyes. He's a winner because he's already assured of a starting spot in the next two U.S. games—despite former No. 1 Tim Howard's return to the national team.

Howard, who starred in the Americans' World Cup campaign last year, recently came back into the fold following an international sabbatical. Considering his stature within the U.S. team, it would have made sense if Howard had slotted straight back into the starting role.

Not so, though. Klinsmann kept Guzan there and plans to do so against Brazil in next week's friendly—and again in the playoff against Mexico in October. 

“Since we are so short away from that clash with Mexico, we are not making changes right now,” Klinsmann said this week, per Fox Sports. “Brad is the No. 1. Tim is the No. 2. Tim accepted that because he was gone for more than a year from the team."

Klinsmann added: "Once we have got the Mexico game—hopefully successfully—out of the way, then we can think about how we maybe we can split some time. Now it’s about consistency with the players and getting the job done in October.”

That's good news for Guzan, who will have a chance to cement his place as the team's first-choice goalkeeper.