Same old, same old. We give up an early goal (or two) and dig ourselves a huge hole. Again, had someone told me at half that the USA would come back and draw 2-2 then, yeah, I would have been thrilled. However, given the current circumstances pertaining to the "Phantom Call" as they're calling it, I have to think we should have won that game. I was extremely happy to see, in the second half, 11 lions and no lambs out there. Either way, here we go....*There are two "Man of the Match" awards this week. Its a little unorthodox but nonetheless fitting. Enjoy*Howard (6/10): Gave up two goals but besides that, not a whole lot to do. Did well to parry the few shots that did come in and was tidy in the air.Cherundolo (6.5/10): One of the USMNT's best players on the day. Was solid defensively and ventured up well in the second half. Needs to again avoid a yellow card against Algeria.Demerit (7.5/10): Had a rough first half, bud didn't we all? Defended like a lion and vastly improved in the second half and cleaned up where Gooch made a mess. And Gooch was messy.Onyewu (4/10): Really poor performance. Too slow, physically and mentally. It will never happen, but I would welcome the addition of Goodson against Algeria.Bocanegra (5/10): Still isn't the best defender, but it could be worse and we all know, it literally could be worse. He's a decent leader but needs to add more going forward. Dempsey can't go it alone.Dempsey (6.0/10): Decent game, but not his best. Did more defensive work than most will probably give him credit for but just needs to impose himself on the game more throughout.Bradley (7.5/10): I'm starting to come around on little Bradley. He was very active against the Slovenians and the finish was top rate. Again, needs to work on his distribution and thats about it.Torres(4.5/10): Not a good outing for Torres. He wasn't as bad as some will have you believe, but he was trying to do too much on his own. But, he's still young and look for him to play a major role for the States in the years to come. Just don't look for him to play a major role in South Africa.Donovan (7.5/10, Man of the Match [TIE]): Vintage Landycakes. Didn't have a great (or decent) first half but immediately took the game into his own hands and sent a bomb past the Slovenian GK following the break. Extremely active in the final interval and will need to emulate this performance on Wednesday.Altidore (5.5/10): Drew some good fouls but besides that didn't show me enough in the first 70 minutes of action. Did well to knock down LD's ball for Bradley but needs to be more active. Altidore's dedication (specifically with respect to training) has come under some scrutiny in the past few months and I can't help but see that showing through in his play. Simply put, he needs to man up.Findley (4.5/10): Another sub-par performance for Findley. Unlucky to get the yellow card but didn't really perform. Lacks the quality to play the killer final ball. Will miss the last group game, but however this thing shakes out, I hope we see Findley in USMNT Camps for years to come because he DOES have potential. Look for Buddle to get the nod.SubstitutesEdu (6/10): An improvement, however much it pains me. Added that urgency in play that we needed. He did give up possession quite a few times which will have to be remedied against the Algerians, but nonetheless, an improvement. Also clearly unlucky to not have "scored" the winner in the greatest comeback in USMNT history.Feilhaber (5.5/10): Decent, needs to be better in possession and distribution if he wants to play a big role in South Africa, but overall he was decent.Gomez (5.5/10): Saw limited time but did well, especially pulling the centerback away from the ball which Bradley finished.CoachBob Bradley (7.5/10, Man of the Match [TIE]): I have to give kudos to Bob on this one. Not only did he make a ballsy move in starting Torres (which I encourage) but had the stones to make real moves in the second half. Replace a mid with a mid and a forward with a mid, moving Dempsey up top. Tactically sound. But the real move came around the 75th minute when he replaced Gooch with Gomez, going with 3 at the back and 3 up top. He realized what needed to be done and did it. I know it sounds strange, but a lot of coaches find that increasingly hard to do. Job well done.WELL, that's about all I've got for you. Everyone needs to rise up for the Algeria game on Wednesday (8:30 am central time, ESPN). If we win, we are in. This IS the most important game in USMNT history and do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Look back shortly after the game on Wednesday for video footage of Mine and Dr. Bob's reactions to the game. COME ON YOU YANKS!!!

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