Apart from one particular standout, the US national team report card for Sunday night's scoreless draw over the border in Canada is more than a little disappointing.
Jurgen Klinsmann oddly opted to switch the USMNT back into the old-school empty bucket and his periodically uncomfortable side could have lost the game just as easily as they could have won it.
Tim Howard (7) - Though the netminder didn't have the heaviest work day, he handled all business well. Howard's most important action was the save on Tosaint Ricketts midway through the opening frame.
Steve Cherundolo (6) - The Hannover 96 skipper had a few defensive scrapes, but rallied to make a couple of necessary plays in the second half. Cherundolo gets the average grade mostly thanks to the sheer volume of positive passes shipped up his wing.
WATCH: US tired, but ready to move ahead
Clarence Goodson (8.5) - After one early snafu, the beanpole defender was in total command. Goodson was marvelous in the air in windy conditions and nearly as strong in disrupting ground attackers. To top it off, he was robbed of a late winner when his bullet header was tipped over just before the final whistle.
Carlos Bocanegra (5.5) - Though less involved than his partner, the captain was tidy against a physical Canada front line for the most part. Bocanegra did, though, get away with misjudging a second-half cross that dropped in the middle of the US area.
Edgar Castillo (6) - After a first half that saw him provide thrills good and bad, the Tijuana left back (above right) pitched in a calmer, more solid effort after the break. Castillo was lucky to have a foul erase a foolish pass out of his corner and just as unlucky not to score on an obscene big dipper from halfway to Hamilton.
Michael Bradley (6.5) - Pinned back further than in the previous two contests, the midfielder generally appeared content to play it safe. Bradley did cause some trouble in the attack end with his late restart serves.
Jermaine Jones (5.5) - The card collector was always making himself available, and then prodding the team forward with runs and passes. But as noted previously, Jones' forays are not always wise or successful, meaning he's often missing from his guard post when the opponent springs a counter.
Landon Donovan (5) - His passing touch was off again Sunday night, and a few of his bad turnovers set Canada to running. That said, he did help create two of the most dangerous US chances.
OPTA Chalkboard: Lack of movement despite possession edge
Jose Francisco Torres (5) - It wasn't a great night for the left midfielder, who again had trouble keeping the ball under pressure. Torres also misfired on a couple of prime crossing opportunities.
Clint Dempsey (6.5) - Deuce was exceptionally clean with the ball, but often gave himself a long way to travel to goal by dropping to help the midfield. Even so, he managed to go close twice.
Herculez Gomez (5) - The Santos Laguna forward battled hard, no doubt. The problem is he fanned out wide so routinely that his efforts were usually closer to the sideline than goal.
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann (4) - Resisting the temptation to bark at length about reverting to a 4-4-2 for Canada, we'll sum it up thusly: woof. Frankly, the team looked confused in attack, with no discernable blueprint for getting into the box. Sunday's production was definitely underwhelming.
Subs:
Oguchi Onyewu (6) - Just after entering, his insufficient clearance allowed Canada a distance crack at goal. After that, officer Gooch was ably on patrol.
Jozy Altidore (6) - Like Dempsey and Gomez, the AZ top gun spent too much time looking for work outside of the hot zone. Believe it or not, he makes the grade for no less than three fine defensive plays near the end.
Maurice Edu (6) - A fairly standard relief outing from the Rangers midfielder.
Chris Wondolowski (-) - By our count, he saw the ball once in 10 minutes and lost it. In this space, the first minor flub is free to late-game attackers.
Michael Parkhurst (5) - The late right back sub probably wouldn't have received a grade for 10 minutes until a Dwayne De Rosario undressing nearly proved fatal.
