US 2-0 T&T player grades

USA 2-0 Trinidad & Tobago
They got a victory and did not surrender a goal, but the US still suffered from a lack of finishing against the depleted Trinidad & Tobago. The inexperienced side that took the pitch at the start had trouble settling till Landon Donovan was inserted at the start of the second. Overall, the team looked better on the night then they did Thursday, but much of that has to do with the easier challenge T&T presented. With the win, the US has earned a spot in the Quarterfinals.
Goals:
US: Brian Ching (1) 29', Eddie Johnson (1) 54'

Here are the grades for the US players:
Starting XI
Kasey Keller (GK) - Whenever he was called on, he made a save. Great job controlling his backline. A
Frank Simek (D) - Had a decent day in covering T&T's attack and was vital in taking a lot of balls forward. Needs to work on his passing. B
Jay DeMerit (D) - He knows how to force an attacker to miss a touch without causing the foul. Was not as much of a factor going forward, but held the backline tight. B+
Michael Parkhurst (D) - Got beat a couple times and disappeared at times. C+
Jonathan Spector (D) - He played his side very loose and it almost cost the US. C
Steve Ralston (M) - Good job placing balls into position and being the setup man. B
Benny Feilhaber (M) - Pushed the team forward and kept the ball in the attacking half. Even late in the first half, he had some legs on him. Guided much of the US attack. A
Ricardo Clark (M) - A so-so outing for Clark. Got his pocket picked a few times and needs to work on his placement of passes. B-
Justin Mapp (M) - He owned his side of the pitch. Great job racing behind T&T's defense and his centers were strong. A
Brian Ching (F) - Still having troubles finishing. His one strike was basically Mapp just bouncing the ball off him, however, he will go for just about any ball with little regard to the pain it might cause. B-
Eddie Johnson (F) - He actually looked at goal during this one and made some good runs (like the one with Donovan to get his goal). Still, he seems more apt to pass in the box then take the shot. B-

Subs
Landon Donovan (M) - Came in for Feihaber and upped what Benny was doing. Donovan was everywhere on the pitch. He took most of the pressure off the defense and supplied some good stuff to the offense. His skill on the second goal, including his smart tap over to Johnson for the finish, was near perfect. This is the leadership role one expects from Donovan. A+
Taylor Twellman (F) - Came in for Johnson. Taylor was trying to push harder but didn't get a lot of balls to prove his worth. B

I've been harsh on our defense over the last two games, but I must point out that the US is the only team in the Gold Cup that has yet to surrender a goal. This is because even when one guy makes a mistake, someone else is there to cover.

Here are the Gold Cup tables:
Group A

Team	Pts	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
Guadeloupe	4	2	1	0	1	3	2	+1
Canada	3	2	1	1	0	3	3	0
Haiti	2	2	0	0	2	2	2	0
Costa Rica	1	2	0	1	1	2	3	-1

Group B

Team	Pts	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
USA	6	2	2	0	0	3	0	+3
El Salvador	3	2	1	1	0	2	2	0
Guatemala	3	2	1	1	0	1	1	0
T&T	0	2	0	2	0	1	4	-3

Group C

Team	Pts	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD
Panama	4	2	1	0	1	5	4	+1
Honduras	3	2	1	1	0	4	4	0
Mexico	3	2	1	1	0	3	3	0
Cuba	1	2	0	1	1	3	4	-1

The top two teams from each group and the two best third place teams advance. At this moment these teams would advance.
Group A: Guadeloupe, Canada
Group B: USA, El Salvador
Group C: Panama, Honduras
Third place: C3 Mexico, B3 Guatemala
If this held, the US and Mexico would face either other next Saturday in the first quarterfinal in Boston.