I was absolutely delighted with today's 2-1 Gold Cup victory. Assorted thoughts good and bad:

1. Ricardo Clark impressed me enormously. His insertion into the game changed the complexion of the game noticeably. He's quick, athletic, and has good ball skills. I'd like to see him start routinely. I'm glad he's going to Copa America.

2. Tim Howard played exceptionally well. Almost as good as Oswaldo Sanchez, who kept Mexico in the game from bell to bell.

3. I can't remember a more impressive USMNT goal than Feilhaber's. Ever.

4. Why does Twellman play for the USMNT? What does he add?

5. Gooch is a yellow card waiting to happen, and he's not effective against speedier, craftier forwards. I don't know whether they're mental or physical, but he's got problems. I don't care how imposing he looks -- this guy is not the future of the USMNT defense.

6. Why is our finishing so poor? We create chances, then fizzle.

7. After this, Copa America will be a big letdown. Essentially, we're sending our B team, against serious competition. The conventional wisdom is that we're going to get slaughtered, and to be perfectly honest, that's a possibility. But I also think the U.S. plays better as the underdog, like against Portugal in 2002 and Italy in 2006. Bradley's sending a young, fast team; pace and youth mean a lot in international tournaments. We're not going to win the Copa America, but I think we'll see some very tough, competitive play from the USMNT.

FF