Ramsey Report: El Salvador Win Could Feel Like A Loss To Some

The disappointing start to the USA’s 2010 campaign looked like it was about to get even worse. Halfway through the second match of the year, the USA looked as though scoring was not part of the agenda, and just after break El Salvador struck and put the Red White and Blue on the back foot again.

Even a positive response from Bob Bradley’s squad- who did dominate the majority of the game- did little to squash the feelings of disappointment. Despite coming from behind to earn a win in stoppage time, the US National team left plenty of questions up in the air.

On a night when players should’ve been eager to showcase their talents, the challenge went largely unmet. Of the players who came into the night with hopes of solidifying a spot on the World Cup roster few, if any, made a positive impression, and some may have even played their way out of contention.

For starters, the front line battle is still no clearer than it was after the Honduras match. Robbie Findley and Conor Casey both had moments where they looked like competent strikers, but both also had largely disappointing nights. In Casey’s case, he was caught offside on several occasions and Findley never found the flow of the game.

In fact, Brain Ching had the best night of the four strikers after coming on at the half, but it was nothing more than the average Brain Ching outing. He worked hard and finished one chance with a solid header.

In the midfield no single player stood out in a positive light. Robbie Rogers - who probably had the most to gain from a good showing - had a night to forget. His defining moment was a chance from close range that was blown high and wide, but his decisions throughout the night were poor. Sacha Kljestan - another player who would seem to at least be in the running for a place with the World Cup squad - was largely forgettable until his goal in the dieing minutes, and Brad Davis was forced off with injury at the half after doing little to impress in the first 45.

Eddie Gaven did show well after entering the match, but he played like a player with nothing to lose. Maybe that's the point; he had very little riding ont he match.

Perhaps the only players on the pitch Wednesday night who substantially helped their World Cup dreams were defenders Clarence Goodson and Heath Pearce. Goodson was solid throughout. His positioning, tackling, and poise on the ball were spot on and the sole non-MLS player on the team deserves credit for a match well played. Pearce showed a bit of class going forward. His run and cross to set up Ching for the equalizer was quality and it’s safe to say that this match was one of Pearce’s best in the national team shirt even if he went largely untested as a defender.

Beyond that, the match against El Salvador was one to forget. It was sloppy, and even with a dominant win, the play was far from impressive.

Sadly for many of the players on the pitch, this was their final chance to make an impression on Bradley and his staff. With the schedule of CONCACAF opponents out of the way, the USA will travel to Holland next week to take on one of the most talented sides in the world and it’s safe to say that very few of the players from Wednesday night’s win over El Salvador will be on the plane.

With the European contingent ready to make their impact, the best most of the players from Wednesday’s match can do is sit and wait, hoping that they did enough to warrant another look. Unfortunately for many of them, that won’t be the case.

The players who faced El Salvador may have won the night, but it will probably feel more like a loss to many of them.

Now all US fans can do is wait for Bradley to announce his roster for next week’s match. The El Salvador match left the door wide open for players like Stuart Holden, Freddy Adu, and Eddie Johnson to make their case and sadly, the bar has not been set very high.

Allen Ramsey is an associate editor for Goal.com USA. Ramsey Report runs every Thursday on Goal.com.