Paraguay 3 - USA 1

Tough match for the US last night. Lot's of positives and negatives to the match.

Positives - world class set up by Twellman and even more of a world class strike by Clark. Depending on the development of Michael Bradley, the combination of Clark/Fielhaber could be the starting 2 CM's for 2010, they looked good last night. Jay DeMerit continues to impress.

Negatives - Kasey Keller being hung out to dry on the first two goals and his poor judgement on the third. Jonathan Bornstein... what happened to the Gold Cup version of you? Jimmy Conrad's complete lack of concentration on the second Paruguay goal. Still no 'true' attacking option.

All in all, the US controlled much of the match last night. To a solid Paraguay team that brought it's 'A' list players, the US 'B' team held up pretty well. Mental lapses on the first and second Paraguay goals and the poor judgement on the third (both Keller and Califf whose foul led to the free kick) in addition to the poor finishing of the Americans kept this from being a 3-0 US win.

Now, the player rankings for last night...

Keller - 4 - two huge saves in the second half, but poor judgement on the third goal... looks somewhat lost sometimes... Great character guy though, it's a shame to hear rumors of his possible retirement

Moor - 5 - Decent game for a defender who made his national team debut. Nothing spectacular, but played solid D throughout the game. Would rank him low in the defensive wing depth chart though...

Conrad - 4 - he would have received a 6 or 7 had it not been for that mental lapse on Paraguays second goal. Every American watching last night had to be screaming like crazy as he watched the ball go by.

DeMerit - 8 - Great game. Arguably the best the US has to offer when it comes to defensive technique. I take two points off his game for his lack of defensive headers, but it will come in time. Should be paired with Bocanegra on the first team.

Bornstien - 2 - That awful pass that led to the second goal would normally merit a '0', but some strong defending in the first half puts it up to a '2'. Nothing special in the second half. He's leaving the door open for Spector.

Olsen - 7 - solid performace from the vet. Was not a huge fan of his addition to the Copa squad, but he has definitely proved me wrong. Nothing spectacular on his end, but made all the plays he needed to make, warranting an above average rating.

Clark - 8 - huge turnaround from the Argentina game, where I would have given him a '2'. Defensively solid and a world class stike merit this 'strong' rating

Fielhaber - 7 - Like Olsen, nothing spectacular but made a lot of good plays throughout the game, and that's fine, because his game isn't overly flashy (aside from his goal at the Gold Cup which is arguably the prettiest goal ever scored by a US international)

Kljestan - 6 - played well considering he wasn't playing in his natural position. I take points off because of his lack of finishing more than a few times last night.

Johnson - 3 - I pride players who know their role defensively, which is why Johnson get's anything over a '1'. His offensive game was nothing to be proud of... What is he waiting for? He's overly cautious and it seems like he's afraid. So much potential here... It's actually sad I have to say that he needs to be riding the bench, or withdrawn from the squad... I heard something about him the other day that I could not agree with more "he seems like Robbie Fowler. Great domestic player, but leaves a lot to be wanted at the international level"

Twellman - 5 - I wanted to give him a four, but his chemistry with Johnson (when EJ decided he wanted to play) and his set up to Clark merited higher. His finishing leaves a lot to be wanted, but you can't complain on this guy's motor. He's constantly going.

SUBS

Califf - 4 - So-so... Defensively sound up until he threw his weight around (hasn't anyone learned anything from Onyewu?) which led to the 90th minute free kick and subsiquent goal

Mapp - 5 - One of the few players on the squad who will attack defenders and create chances. So much potential here. He needs to learn when enough is enough though... more than a few instances he would beat his man then try to take on the 2nd or 3rd guy behind him. Freddy Adu could learn alot by watching Mapp attack defenders. Mapp just needs to learn to tone it down just a little. He should've given the ball off to Johnson late in the game (who was wide open for a goal) and instead shot it straight at the keeper.

Nguyen - 3 - nothing special. Didn't even know he came in... I suppose that's a bad thing.

If anything, I hope the US can pull off a win against Columbia and take away a lot of things from Copa to build on. If anything it gives guys like Fielhaber, Clark, DeMerit and Bornstien (guys who will be on the first team come 2010) some invaluable experience at the international level.