USMNT just got smoked 3-1 by Costa Rica (in CR). The CR field is garbage -- like concrete -- so playing there is extremely difficult for visitors. CR hasn't lost there in years. The field is outrageous. But...we looked terrible, and it wasn't all the field. Disorganized, slow, stone-footed: feeble.

We need better ball-handlers. I used to think Michael Bradley grossly overrated because I didn't like his ball-handling, but he's gotten much much better after playing in Germany. He was our best first half player. Dempsey's a good ball handler but he went missing, as he is wont to do. Young Torres had the jitters in the first few minutes but then settled down and was our best player after Bradley in the first half. Torres can keep or pass the ball under pressure; players like Beasley and Mastroeni cannot. The latter were both awful, although not quite as bad as Marvell Wynne. Wow.

I still don't understand why Adu doesn't get more playing time: he's an excellent ball handler, and he creates. (Go back and watch his appearances in the friendlies last summer against Argentina and Spain, or the summer before in the U-20 World Cup.) Freddy came in late in the second half, and only got a few touches, but the kid's got real skill. It doesn't matter that he rides the bench at Monaco; let him play, Bob, please. At least Bradley started Altidore, who played well.

Bradley, watching a different match than I, subbed out Torres (!) for Kliestan, who's never impressed me. I just don't get the fascination with big dudes with questionable touch. That's most of our starting team. I don't think Bradley's a good coach. I think we're going to get our asses handed to us in the Confederations Cup. Against this US performance, Spain would have beaten us 10-0.

FF