Each Game a Little Better than the First

I think I saw Bob Bradley smile tonight. I'm serious.

Anyways - a 3-0-0 group stage for the USMNT with wins against Guatemala 1-0, Trinidad and Tobago 2-0, and El Salvador 4-0. The results from tomorrow's Group C match-ups will determine if the US takes on cinderellas Guadeloupe or the third place team from C.

BRIGHT SPOTS

1. Benny Feilhaber and Michael Bradley - a couple errant passes here and there certainly doesn't ruin the fact that their work ethic, composure (pretty good for two guys averaging 20 years of age), and vision were above par; once their technical and tactical abilities catch up somewhat and mix it in with some stiff competition from Rico Clark and a little down the road Dax McCarty or Sacha Kljestan and we have ourselves a decent midfield; it will be interesting to see the reactions to a Mexico, Costa Rica, or Canada.

2. Clint Dempsey - we need a tad more creativity in the line-up and somebody other than Deuce has step up and I'm not talking about Oguchi Onyewu's creativity (how many ways to get a red card); Duece also came back into the midfield and fought for the ball while showing a dare I say, veteran presence on the field

3. Damarcus Beasley - his play against El Salvador was sensational; DMB knew he was going to get chopped, hit, battered, and bruised but held steadfast and tucked the ball away twice (the first one looked like a mishit). Beasley has regained his form (could be cause he's looking actively for a club) and it was evident throughout the group stage

DARK SPOTS

1. Short Passing - the passing up until the third game (and even then there were some weird choices being made) was somewhat atrocious; I understand the squad has been still working on getting a feel for each other but a lot of the reason the USMNT had a bittersweet group stage was because execution was at a recent low; the 4-0 win vs. El Salvador was promising however

2. Oguchi Onyewu - he played better against El Salvador but overall, I think his stock took a tiny nose dive into the middle Premiership realm - instead of Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Liverpool looking at him, you can expect Onyewu to be courted again by Fulham, Bolton, Middlesbrough, the likes of an Osasuna or Real Zaragoza, or maybe even a Siena or Catania - he still has the quarterfinals and hopefully beyond to make his mark

3. Referees - again against El Salvador it seemed the game was under control - but Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago were iffy; and even this last game, El Salvador were taking pot shot after pot shot upon Damarcus Beasley and Clint Dempsey

Next Game: Quarterfinal vs. TBA - Saturday 6/16, 4:30pm, FSC