Another (overdue) look at the USMNT

Photo: Mark Leffingwell/REUTERS

Sometimes it is actually more fun to write about things this way. Take more than a few hours, or days, to digest it all. Then sit down and see if the thoughts and feelings are the same.

Costa Rica in Colorado:

What a mess. Most of the game, I went back and forth between thinking ‘Wow, this is embarrassing that they’re gonna keep playing this game’ and ‘Wow, this is awesome that they’re gonna keep playing this game’. I think the latter had more to do with the jumbo beers at Los Aztecas.

In the end, Dempsey finds the back of the net before the snow truly piles up and Guzan does plenty to get the win. Forget about every other piece of everything that was debated about the American lineup heading into this game. The conditions after about the 20^th minute all but demand that you throw the game film in the trash.

We needed three points, we got three points.

Mexico at Azteca:

The one game in the Hex you just hope isn’t cringe-worthy, and it turned out all right! Let’s give the US team credit for halting their fair share of El Tri attacks and thank the hosts for not being in their best form (three played, three draws). I thought it could be the perfect scenario for the Mexicans to quiet their critics and leap to the top of the table with five points. Turns out, Guzan, and probably most importantly, Besler, were very good. I thought Besler was great, actually, and deserved Man of the Match distinction.

While I understand Beasley’s inclusion in the lineup, boy did they target him and boy did he look like a hot mess over the last ten minutes.

After it is all said and done, you take a point home with you. And look at this! We’re sitting on four points, one off the top of the table – and yet just two ahead of the bottom. Not a single team has more than one win after three games.

June is going to be a slugfest. Down to Jamaica, where the rebuilt Reggae Boys might be down and out after Mexico exacts their revenge. Then Panama and Honduras come stateside.

Maybe, just maybe, Klinsmann’s understanding of his roster is best displayed during a stretch like this when he doesn’t have his top choices available in the back. Based on this notion, I’ll be curious to see what he does with Landon Donovan.

Until work slows down enough to type again…