USA vs. Belgium: United States Player Ratings

The United States lost its second consecutive match on Tuesday by a 1-0 score. This time the opponent was Belgium, but the US will take away some of the same things from its 1-0 loss to Costa Rica last week.

First among the takeaways is that the US must get better at creating chances. Much like the Costa Rica game, the US dominated possession early but failed to score. This time however, Belgium dominated the US for the latter part of the first half. The US defense weathered Belgium's sustained attacks but conceded a goal against the run of play in the second half.

The US probably didn't deserve such a harsh result, but at this point it hardly matters. Three games into the Jurgen Klinsmann era, the objective is identifying talent and tactics, and Tuesday's match will go a long way toward fulfilling those goals.

A few players shined. A few players faltered. Klinsmann smartly changed his tactics at halftime, and the adjustment worked. The US started in a 4-3-3 that gave Belgium too much space and time in the midfield. But by bringing on Kyle Beckerman as a second holding midfielder, Klinsmann shored up the midfield and helped the US take a foothold in the game.

With that said, the US will have to get better as World Cup qualifying nears. But here's betting Klinsmann will know what to do.

Below are player ratings for the United States based on a 1-10 scale. One is the worst rating, 10 the best.

Man of the match: Tim Howard: He probably could have done more on the goal, since the ball went under his body. But it's hard to blame him too much, for two reasons. First, on a normal day, that ball would not have skidded past him. Second, without Howard's sharp skills in the first half, the US probably would have been losing 2-0 at halftime. As usual, Howard was a rock for the US at goalkeeper.

Goalkeeper

Tim Howard: 7

As noted above, Howard probably could have done better on the Belgium goal. But he was in top form for much of the game. He made a superb save on Simons' rocket of a shot in the first half, and he added a nice reflex save on his Fellaini's volley a bit later. Another assured, mature performance.

Defenders

Carlos Bocanegra: 6

Bocanegra was mostly quiet, but that's fine in a central defender. The Belgians had a lot of chances in the first half, but that was because the US midfield gave up too much time and space. A captain's performance once again.

Clarence Goodson: 6

Same as Bocanegra. Goodson could hardly be faulted for anything. But both of them should probably take some blame on the goal, if only because their defense wasn't organized enough to close down the shot in time.

Steve Cherundolo: 6

We're starting to see a theme here. That's because the US defense had a pretty solid, mostly quiet game. As usual, Cherundolo turned in a mature, experienced performance. He got forward when needed and defended competently. Not much to criticize here, but nothing spectacular either.

Timmy Chandler: 5.5

The entire defense gets a collective six, but Chandler gets marked down slightly for forcing Edu to cover for him a couple of times after venturing forward. Overall, Chandler played well and should be getting close to regular status as a fullback.

Midfielders

Maurice Edu: 5

He didn't play poorly but was the player most responsible for Belgium's sustained dominance late in the first half. The Belgians had too much time and space in midfield and ran all over the place. Their passing led to several chances, and Edu never seemed able to keep up. He should have been more physical. Scored a goal that was disallowed for unclear reasons.

Clint Dempsey: 4.5

He played a traditional central midfielder in the first half. That's not normal for him, and it was obvious. As the slightly more defensively tasked partner of the playmaker Torres, Dempsey was the second-most responsible for allowing Belgium so much space in the midfield. He played better when moved out to the wing in the second half, but this wasn't his best performance by a long shot.

Jose Torres: 5.5

He didn't play nearly as well as he did against Costa Rica, but there was still plenty to like. His free kick in the 18th minute nearly hit the target and must have put a scare into the Belgium defense. As has been the case lately, he ran the US offense, tracked back well and even won a few balls. He seemed to tire before being subbed, but Tuesday served as a nice cameo in the No. 10 shirt, which is on loan from Landon Donovan. But expect to see him in it full-time before too long.

Forwards

Robbie Rogers: 3

Rogers hasn't done anything to justify his call-up. He was nearly anonymous again, and when he was noticeable, it was for making a negative pass or conceding a bad free kick. He'll be lucky to get another call-up anytime soon.

Brek Shea: 5

Not his best performance for the US, Shea also looked tired. But that's to be expected after playing two games in four days, nine timezones apart. He didn't track back well enough and played nervously. Perhaps that was because European scouts were watching him.

Jozy Altidore: 4

Another sub-par performance. Altidore was subbed out at halftime, and the TV sideline reporter said Altidore had nothing left in his legs. It's unclear whether that's due to fatigue or something else, but Altidore didn't play very well. He got into dangerous spots a couple times early, but he wasn't nearly enough of a target man and didn't hold up play well enough. His first touch remains below average. He'll have to do better to justify his repeated selections.

Substitutes

Kyle Beckerman: 6.5

He replaced Rogers at halftime and completely changed the game. Beckerman's introduction stabilized the US midfield and got the US back in control of possession. Unfortunately, Belgium scored out of nowhere and changed the complexion of the game. The US then had to chase the game, and as a defensive midfielder, Beckerman is not an ideal option in that situation.

Juan Agudelo: 7

Replaced Altidore at halftime and showed, again, that he's a better option for the US attack. Agudelo played with high energy, defended immediately after the US lost possession and often forced the Belgium defense into acting more quickly than it would have liked. He performed well as a target man and took a couple of hard fouls. He just needs better service and a more traditional partner at striker.

Jeff Larentowicz: No rating

Came on for Torres in the 76th minute and didn't have much impact on the game.