Report Card: US-Trinidad and Tobago

By Mark Goodman

April 2, 2009

Thanks to a smooth, free-flowing attack and an equally poor display of defending from its opponent, the United States men�s national team dispatched Trinidad and Tobago, 3-0, Wednesday night in Nashville, Tenn.

Man of the Match: Jozy Altidore. Simply awesome. When the worst thing that can be said about your performance is, �Well, he maybe should�ve had four or five goals,� you�ve done well. He just makes things happen when he�s on the pitch. Second goal was world-class.

SNE Report Card

Tim Howard: B. Didn�t have to do a whole lot with his teammate�s dominance in front of him. Nearly suffered a howler in the sixth minute when an attempted clearance deflected off oncoming T&T striker Stern John, but the ball bounced wide.

Frankie Hejduk: B-. The good news: he made several brave sliding tackles near the U.S. penalty area. The bad news: most of them were recovery efforts after being caught woefully out of position. Got forward with typical vigor, but his service from the right flank was inconsistent.

Oguchi Onyewu: B+. Won a couple key early battles with T&T striker Kenwyne Jones to set the tone.

Carlos Bocanegra: B+. Solid and composed defensively, and whipped in one of the best crosses of the match in the fourth minute. He�s probably still the best left back the U.S. has, but is needed in the middle.

DaMarcus Beasley: C-. Looked like a midfielder trying to play fullback. Didn�t have as many runs down the flank as you would expect, and a few of his attempts to mark T&T winger Carlos Edwards were downright scary.

Clint Dempsey: B. Had some great ideas, though the execution wasn�t always there. Developed a good understanding with Hejduk on the right wing as the game went on, and his hold-up play started Altidore�s second goal.

Pablo Mastroeni: B. Disrupted plenty of Soca Warrior attacks with his aggressive play, although that style did catch him out of position a few times.

Michael Bradley: B-. Not his best game by his lofty standards of late - giving the ball away a few too many times - but played a key role in the second and third goals.

Landon Donovan: A. Well, it was a home game against an abject opponent, so he was always bound to play well. Marvelous on the ball and with his passing (he assisted all three goals); his turn on the second goal was breathtaking.

Brian Ching: B+. I�m not a �Ching guy,� but he was real good in this game, doing the dirty work up front and letting others get the glory. His header to Donovan off a Bocanegra long ball was a huge part of the build-up to the first goal.

Jose Francisco Torres: B. Had some nice touches on the ball after coming on for Ching in the 81st minute. Bob Bradley has a player here.

Sacha Kljestan: C. Relegated to the bench after a poor showing in San Salvador. Was a little better in this one, but should�ve done better with his cross from inside the box in the 85th minute.

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