Player ratings:
Howard: 8. All kidding aside: he did position himself well, and made some excellent reaction saves.
Johnson: 4.5. Showed some life going forward, but his defense was spotty. He was also slow to step forward a few times but got away with it.Bocanegra: 6. Still our most consistent defender.Goodson: 6. I’m sure I’m not the only person who wanted Cameron to get in the game, but Goodson showed that he deserved his spot in the lineup. Cherundolo: 7. The Mayor has played with Hannover for 14 years. That is incredible. If he was a baseball player he’d be one of those guys that doesn’t get a ton of attention until all of a sudden he has 3,000 hits.Shea: 4. I want to believe in him as a national team regular, but right now he’s big on potential, short on performance.
Bradley: 8. Massive, massive game. It wasn’t nepotism, folks; he’s just that good.
Edu: 5. Great at winning balls, terrible at distributing them. I still strongly prefer Jermain Jones. Or better yet: a healthy Stuart Holden.Williams: 5. Very strange game. He had a weak first half with some terrible passing, but he got stronger as the game went on.
Dempsey: 8.5. I’m a Fulham fan, so I watch him a lot: he is in a torrid run of form. Last year was his breakthrough year, and he is better than last year.
Altidore: 8. Great game. Worked hard, held the ball well, and set up the goal.
Kljestan: 3.5. Just about his only contribution was to let his man get behind him a few times.Spector: 6.5. Had several key blocks. He can be my wing man any time. Boyd: 6. Wasn’t on for long, but looked like a prototypical target striker. Encouraging.
