USA vs Guatemala: Grading the American Players in Their World Cup Qualifier

The United States national team completed their fifth match of the past month by participating in a World Cup qualifier in Guatemala. Though the Guatemalans are the 85th best side in the world according to FIFA's World Rankings, playing in this Central American country is by no means an easy task, which makes the 1-1 draw that occurred a fair result.

The Americans decided to go with a proactive 4-2-3-1 system, which was the correct philosophy to use in a difficult fixture like this one. Instead of allowing Guatemala and their fans to dominate the game, the Yanks had the right state of mind, which allowed them to succeed.

Many American fans were unable to watch the match because it was offered on pay-per-view for the cool asking price of $29.95. But for the fans that did watch the match, they can understand the hostility that existed in Guatemala City for this fixture.

In the past, there had been stories before these qualifiers that featured the Americans including 4:00 AM wake-up calls and a radio station staging a promotion outside the American hotel at night. We only could imagine what happened to this group of American players during this trip.

But these players deserve a ton of credit for playing well in a difficult environment. Using a letter grading system, here is my evaluation for each Yank in this important qualifier.

Tim Howard

Grade: B+

Tim Howard made some incredible saves to keep the Americans ahead. The best player for the Americans, Howard continued to show that he is the best keeper in North America.

Howard's only blemish was on the goal that came from a Marco Papa free kick. But it is hard to blame the keeper for what was a perfect free kick.

Steve Cherundolo

Grade: C+

Not overly impressive, Steve Cherundolo did a decent job to jump-start some American attacks down the wings. Did a decent job defending, but was beat by Pappa several times.

Cherundolo's passing was not perfect, but he put together a decent match. Nothing special, but it gets the job done.

Clarence Goodson

Grade: C

With some defensive problems alongside Carlos Bocangera, Clarence Goodson was thrust into the starting role. Goodson did not play a bad match, but only participated for 45 minutes due to a sketchy yellow card.

Considering how poor Oguchi Onyewu has been in recent weeks, Goodson has not hurt his national team spot with this performance, though it was disappointing.

Carlos Bocanegra

Grade: C+

The last time that the United States played in Guatemala, Carlos Bocanegra had the winning goal. This time, Bocanegra did not have the same impact, but he was still impressive.

Bocanegra made some important clearances and brought a calm demeanor, which helped out Goodson and Fabian Johnson.

Fabian Johnson

Grade: B-

Considering he just got off of injury, Fabian Johnson had an impressive performance. Johnson made some great runs with the ball, with one of those runs leading to Clint Dempsey's goal.

The lone blemish on Johnson's record was the foul that led to the tying Guatemalan goal.

Maurice Edu

Grade: B

Maurice Edu's passing was fantastic. From the beginning of the match, Edu's passes were crisp and helped lead to multiple American attacks.

If the offense made more of Edu's performance, they would have won.

Michael Bradley

Grade: B-

Michael Bradley has been in the best form of his life this year, but compared to some recent performances, the midfielder was disappointing.

Bradley's passing did not lead to enough chances, though his best pass of the match should have been converted by Jozy Altidore.

Landon Donovan

Grade: C+

Landon Donovan's play has been disappointing since his hat trick against Scotland two and half weeks ago. That continued tonight with a lack of opportunities created.

Donovan probably should have been substituted in the second half, and he needs to start shooting more often when he gets his chances.

Jermaine Jones

Grade: C

Jermaine Jones again put in a performance that makes you wonder why he is starting considering his high foul total and his inability to stop players.

Jones was lucky not to get sent off after some tough challenges. But his spot as a starter on the national team should be thrown into question.

Clint Dempsey

Grade: B

Clint Dempsey got the only American goal. Dempsey also put together another strong performance in which he relied on his strength to bully Guatemala.

Without Dempsey, the USA probably wouldn't have scored.

Herculez Gomez

Grade: C

Herculez Gomez was included in this squad because the Untied States thought that his experience in the Latin game and his recent strong form would make a difference.

However, Gomez was a disappointment and did not bring anything to help the American game. The Yanks were more potent without him.

Sub: Geoff Cameron

Grade: C-

Geoff Cameron was put in after Goodson's booking. But he didn't do a strong enough job shutting down the Guatemalan attack.

Cameron also did not have a helpful role in the attack.

Sub: Jozy Altidore

Grade: B-

Jozy Altidore came to national team camp late and has not been able to click. But he did show some promising signs, including a play that should have been a goal but was mysteriously called back for a free kick.

Altidore did a fair job, but did not show the form that he did for AZ Alkmaar this past season.

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