Post-World Cup: Performance grades/scores and analysis

Self-explanatory

I'll add my thoughts in a few minutes.



Howard: B-. Mostly solid. Could've done a bit better on a few of the goals though where he was caught out of position. You feel confident knowing he is back there and he dealt with crosses well considering the ball was a joke.

Cherundolo: B+. Better than I think most of us would've expected. Good going forward and combining with Donovan. His crosses were mostly solid, let him down against Ghana. His defending was great after he got booked early against England. Was taken for a bit of a ride early in the Ghana game but settled down. Could possibly be the Frankie Hejduk of the next cycle. Good job, Steve.

Demerit: B. I liked his performances. He was great against England and again against Algeria. Caught out a bit in the Slovenia game but it all balances out. I thought Jay might have been a big time weak link so I was happy to be proven wrong.

Onyewu: C. A year ago I thought Gooch would've had a break-out tournament, but injury got the better of him. Showed glimpses of what he is capable of in the England game. I think Bob probably made the right call in dropping him.

Bocanegra: C+/B-. Torn on this one. He was pretty average at times. Made some nice plays and looked more composed than some of our other players, but you always felt he'd get beat for pace. Looked shakey against Ghana.

Bornstein: B. Not the most popular figure around here and only had himself to blame. But he was surprisingly solid. Only had two games but didn't put a foot wrong. Good going forward too. Hopefully the move to Atlante works out for him, only 25 so he should get better.

Bradley: A. Michael was excellent and really stepped up. Everyone took notice of him. Very calm and composed on the ball which is exactly what you need from a player in his position. Love to have seen him get a few more chances to shoot from just outside the area. Very well taken goal against Slovenia. He can be proud of himself and his performance.

Edu: B. Brought stability against Slovenia when introduced, and was good against Algeria before being sacrificed. Really should've started against Ghana. When he did come on, he was good. Like Bradley, he was composed and unfazed. I like Edu going forward to 2014

Clark: D. Will probably be made the scapegoat. He wasn't great against England, although he wasn't as bad as some thought. He shouldn't have started against Ghana. But I must say I did feel bad for him when he came off. That must be soul-destroying for a player and he looked on the verge of tears on the bench. Bob did the right thing in taking him off, he was getting run over.

Dempsey: B+. Got a goal (although a fluke) and won a penalty against Ghana with some nice skill. He's always a threat, but I think he will be disappointed with his tournament since he has high standards.

Donovan: A. Was great. He was very good against England, excellent against Slovenia and got 'that' goal against Algeria. That penalty against Ghana was very nicely taken in a high pressure situation. He was heavily marked in a few of the games and still managed to have an impact. His final ball is top class. 3 goals from 4 games is a good output for a midfielder. Well done, Landon.

Altidore: B-. What a unit he is. Came up huge with that assist against Slovenia. Even though I was skeptical of him pre-tournament due to his club form, I can see the importance of his play. He wins a lot of free-kicks in good positions. His pace is also underrated. I think Bob made an error taking him off against Ghana. Without sounding patronizing, if he can develope his first touch and finishing, he will be a machine. Can't believe he's only 20.

Findley: D. Fail. A poor replacement for Davies in my eyes. Never threatened much, and when he had a chance against Ghana, he blew it. I don't think he'll be sniffing any serious national team time apart from B games and camp cupcake.

Feilhaber: B. Very impressed with Benny considering I wasn't sure he should've made the final squad. Good passing, good touches, good movement and calm on the ball. Helped shift momentum in games when introduced. He elevated his standing.

Buddle: N/A. Didn't really get enough time and when he was on he didn't do much. Don't feel it would be fair to rate him. We all knew he would never be the MLS Buddle in South Africa. I'm sure he'll take a lot from the experience though, something to tell the grandchildren.

Gomez: C. Was lively against Algeria but didn't do that much. Not enough time to impact against Slovenia, and did nothing against Ghana with 30 minutes. Hope he does well at Pachuca, he is a nice player to have as forward depth.

Torres: D. Considered not rating him since he only got a half. Not entirely his fault against Slovenia as he was asked to play a role which isn't his forte. Look forward to two more cycles from him.

Holden: N/A. I think he had one touch against England. Would've liked to have seen more from Stu as he's a talented player.

Beasley: N/A. Got something like 10 minutes.