Forget the World Cup: The U.S. is getting waxed by CONCACAF.
The United States’ experimental lineup put forth very little to like in a 1-0 home loss to Costa Rica on Tuesday.
The Yanks were thoroughly out-played by Los Ticos, with very few clear-cut chances coming for the home side and Tim Howard under duress if not shots from the visitors.
[ MATCH RECAP: USMNT 0-1 Costa Rica ]
Who fared well? Not too many. Let’s dig into the sadness.
Starting XI
Tim Howard -- 7 -- He’s flat out better than Brad Guzan. Not saying we’re talking Confederations Cup if the plays Gold Cup -- or even Saturday -- but Tim Howard is your starting goalkeeper. Period. Shame he took a hiatus.
Tim Ream (Off 64') -- 8 -- Perhaps the most effective Yank in a bad team first half, the steady Fulham man again impressed for his country.
Michael Orozco -- 4 -- It would’ve been hard not to look like an upgrade over Matt Besler after Saturday night, but Orozco struggled despite a few good tackles and recoveries. Work on the goal was poor.
Geoff Cameron (Off HT) -- 6 -- Nothing outstanding, nothing poor. Steady GC stuff.
Brad Evans -- 7 -- Saved a pair of goals and accounted for himself really well. Not a guy to help possession on the night, but baby steps.
Brek Shea (Off 73') -- 5 -- Good free kick late in the first half, and was one of the few to play lively. If you can believe it, he -- gasp -- won a few free kicks himself with aggressive play.
Danny Williams -- 2 -- Looked rusty, giving the ball away in the middle of the pitch and having an all-around night to forget. Two might be generous.
Jermaine Jones (Off HT) -- 4 -- Screamed at Brad Evans at one point and picked up a yellow card at another, but mostly was average.
DeAndre Yedlin -- 5 -- Needs more playing time for club and country. Still a massive prospect but looks a bit out-of-control at times.
Gyasi Zardes (Off 73') -- 4 -- You need someone to give you the ball to play well with it. Zardes barely saw it. Still needs to up his game to be the instant starter Klinsmann seems to think he has in the Galaxy man.
Jozy Altidore (Off HT) -- 3 -- Really bad giveaway about 12 minutes in was his first true statement of the match. What happened to the guy who seemed to be putting it together ahead of World Cup 2014?
SUBS
Ventura Alvarado (On HT) -- 4 -- Beaten behind for the goal. Not a hero in distribution.
Bobby Wood (On HT) -- 7 -- Hey, a player with energy!
Mix Diskerud (On HT) -- 5 -- Possessed the ball more than the first half center mids, but that’s not saying much.
Jonathan Spector (On 64') -- 5 -- Nothing special on the night, but nothing horrific.
Andrew Wooten (On 73') -- N/A -- Congrats on the debut kid.
Lee Nguyen (On 73') -- N/A -- Works better as the focal point for a team, but does he have the quality to be an international focal point? At New England, it’s obvious.