On Wednesday we beat Honduras 2-0. Adu started...and looked not good. He was dispossessed multiple times and did not impress with his passing. Against Grenada and Honduras, he did not look like the player I'd seen against Argentina, Spain, and at the u20 WC. Disappointing. He's done with the Gold Cup, bc he's heading back to Benfica for preseason. Freddy -- gotta knock that rust off, guy. Please don't waste all that potential.

The rest of our starting team -- the "B" team -- looked "eh," except (again) for Robbie Rogers, who's fast and dynamic. One other thing: Kyle Beckerman put in a workmanlike, MLS-style effort, which is not the slightest bit of evidence that he deserves an "A" team roster spot. Yet a bunch of folks at Ives think he's terrific. I just don't see it.

The good news is that when Feilhaber and Davies came on, we immediately looked better -- and scored two goals. Feilhaber in particular was a class above everyone else on the pitch. If that guy could just stay healthy and get regular playing time at a solid club, that'd be fantastic for the USMNT.

UFC 100 this weekend!

FF

Remember the brilliant fellow who said that Gooch has looked excellent in defense lately? Apparently, AC Milan (!) thinks so, because they just signed him. Pretty cool.

FF

US 4, Grenada 0. Grenada looked like a college team. Not a good one.

Adu had a middling game; he looked rusty (particularly his long ball touch); this was probably the worst I've seen him play in a Nats game. That said -- he was three inches away from ending with two goals, and even today was approximately 100 times better than Kljestan, Beasley, or Casey. He should still continue to start throughout the Gold Cup. The more familiar he gets with his teammates, the better he'll play.

Rogers looked very good, but it was difficult to know if that will translate against legit sides. I think it will (he played very well in the u20 WC in 07, for example). Let's give him a lot of minutes.

Beckerman and Pause may be nice guys, and they did well today, but there's no way they'll be any good against quality international sides. (Beckerman, for example, was a disaster at the Copa two years ago.) Given how slow their play is, they'd need to be a lot more technically skilled than they are.

FF