BY PATRICK MacDONALD
Staff Writer

The U.S. opened the Hex with a 2-1 loss to Honduras down in San Pedro Sula.

While many will look at this as cause for alarm, the match was hardly a guaranteed win in such a hostile environment. A young backline showed it’s age and the team struggled mightily.

There were a actually a few positives in the midst of all the negatives, but for now, here’s a look at how each individual player did:

Tim Howard GK – 6
Made a number of nice saves to keep this from being a disaster. Didn’t have a chance on the first goal. Was left hanging by his centerback tandem on the second.

Tim Chandler RB – 3
Not the competitive debut anyone wanted to see from the youngster. Was routinely beaten on the right and faded offensively.

Omar Gonzalez CB – 5
Was having a real nice match showing a ton of promise. Then on the second goal, for whatever reason, he stopped playing and watched Bengtson clean up the tap in.

Geoff Cameron CB – 4
Cameron was the “veteran” centerback in this match and he looked extraordinarily shaky. Took a bad angle on the preventable second goal.

Fabian Johnson LB – 5
Definitely showed his offensive prowess, but was a bit too sloppy on the ball defensively.

Danny Williams CM- 5
Iffy performance by the youngster. Tracked back fairly well, but didn’t offer much going forward or in possession.

Jermaine Jones RM – 6.5
Solid if uneven performance. His beautiful assist on Dempsey’s goal makes up for many other shaky aspects of his game.

Michael Bradley CM – 3.5
Weak game from the normally sturdy midfielder. His free kicks were lacking and his shots from the top of the box left much to be desired. A sloppy, unnecessary clearance towards the endline led to the first goal. His absence shows just how important he is.

Eddie Johnson LM – 6.5
Solid match at an unfamiliar position for Johnson. He sent in a number of dangerous crosses that could have completely changed this match if finished.

Jozy Altidore F – 6
A tenacious match by the young forward. He may not have gotten on the scoresheet, but he helped set up the lone goal and showed a ton of heart with his pace.

Clint Dempsey F – 7
A real cool finish on the lone goal. Was one of the few players willing to take a chance and shoot. At moments looked ready to put this team on his shoulders and carry them to victory.

Substitutes:

Maurice Edu CM – 5
Had little to any effect on the match.

Sacha Kljestan LM – 4
Did not provide any of the offensive thrust that Johnson provided. Fumbled a number of would be dangerous opportunities in the offensive zone.

Graham Zusi RM – 4
Should have added more to the attack as he’s a far more natural right midfielder than Jermaine Jones, but along with the rest of the subs, the attack just fizzled when he came on.