The end of "In Bruce we Trust"

It's too bad that it had to end this way. This was a young, talented US team that didn't have to implode quite so spectacularly. Everything about Arena's approach to this game and this tournament has been different. The phrase, "Dance with the one that brung you" comes to mind. Let's look at the questions that are going to be asked:

1) Why would Arena think that McBride could operate as a lone striker? He's never done it before with this team (though he does with Fulham on occassion).
2) Even if McBride could function effectively as a lone striker, why would you want him to need to? You've got EJ and a very hot Brian Ching on the bench... EJ played roughly 60 minutes of the US's 270+... That's shocking for a guy that has all of the physical tools to succeed at this level (and who was our ONLY dangerous player against the Czechs).
3) What's the deal with O'Brien? Did he pick up a knock in training? He seemed fine for the 45 minutes against the Czechs... so why not play him against Italy or Ghana?
4) Why stick with Beasley? Beasley had 11 good minutes in this cup. Ten against Italy and 1 great play against Ghana. Other than that, he looked pretty horrendous. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
5) Why are our set pieces so horrendous? Donovan played a couple directly out of bounds and what's the deal with Landon and Beasley both standing over the ball on corner kicks? That's not even good for a short corner...
6) Why weren't we attempting more long range shots? Particularly in light of the new ball and an inexperienced, partially injured goal keeper, I would have thought we'd try more shots from 30 yards out.
7) Did we really need to play Bocanegra, Beasley AND Lewis all at the same time? How much left sided firepower do we need?

I think all of those are questions that will get asked of Arena in the post match press conference... and frankly, I think he'd better answer all of them. I'm not a big arm-chair QB kinda guy but that performance was almost as bad as against the Czechs.

As for the player's performances.

Keller: Again, had a game in which he couldn't have been expected to do better. Made one good save and took a great angle against the Ghanan player on their goal (which forced that Ghanan player to make a great, curling shot for the score). Guessed wrong on the PK but that's how those go. B

Onyewu: Looked good for most of the game. His long balls out of the back seemed to always have a bit too much "Oomph" on them. The PK was ridiculous and Onyewu should feel fairly agrieved. B-

Conrad: For a guy that hasn't played with the team much he sure came through big in this game. Broke up some key plays and shots and generally looked solid in defense. A-

Cherundulo: I like Cherundulo and he did well. Over the course of 3 games, I would have expected him to have better crossing, but that's really my only complaint. Looked solid against Ghana but probably could have done more to help the offense. B

Bocanegra: Looked good for large stretches of the game. Was one of our only offensive threats (which is sad) with a couple of good crosses, passes and a shot and a header. People are going to villify him for the 2nd goal but that's a difficult ball to play and I'm not going to fault a guy for a "skill" mistake. B

Beasley: Had two decent plays in this game but generally, continued to perform poorly. There was a good USA counter attack that he slowed down tremendously and turned a 5 on 6 into a 5 on 8. For a guy who's talent is speed, he sure hides it well. The steal and cross to Dempsey was fantastic, however. B-

Reyna: Invisible for parts of the game (although his last 15 minutes in he was injured). Stayed on the ball an inexcusably long time when it was stolen from him. Captain America will likely retire from the national team after this tournament and I'm glad, because it's time for him to move on. I like Reyna but he's just not what the team needs. C

Donovan: Another dissappointing night for Donovan. He shows absolutely NO instinct for goal. There was a play late in the second half where he beat his man down the side and had a HUGE window to cut inside and goto goal with but he decided to bring the ball more central. C-

Dempsey: The only dangerous player on the field for long stretches of the game. His goal was fan-frickin-tastic (if you're not a soccer player, you probably can't appreciate how difficult that shot was but take my word for it... that was a VERY difficult shot). I would really have liked to see what he could have done playing "in the hole" behind McBride and EJ... A

Lewis: Had good moments and bad moments but a generally solid game. His cross for McBride almost created a 2nd goal in the 2nd half and he looked good on that side. B+

McBride: I will never, ever fault McBride's work ethic. The guy is a beast and he works harder than any 3 US players. I watched for long stretches of the game and didn't see good service to him AT ALL. The long passes were generally too long for him to get to. The crosses were generally to other players or other spaces. His header off the post was tragically unlucky as he had the goal keeper completely beat. B+

Olsen: Olsen was CLEARLY out of his depth, skill wise, in this game. However, he hussled and was tenacious and inventive. He was one of only a couple players (Bocanegra being the other one) that took a shot from 18 yards or further. He did get "Lucy'd" by the Ghanans in almost comical fashion but he actually brought something new to the field. Maybe the beard confused the Africans? B- (for technique) A- (for effort and desire).

Johnson: Came on late in the 2nd half when his strike partner was already tired. His insertion also caused the USA to shift to a 3-5-2 that threatened to unbalance the team until Bocanegra, Onyewu and Conrad worked things out. He looked "solid" but never really great. Didn't get into the flow of the game and only had a couple opportunities to beat Ghana with speed. B-

Convey: Came on late for Eddie Lewis. He showed some immediate impact down the left wing but his crosses aren't quite up to snuff yet. I wish that he'd tried to cut inside more but that wasn't his role. B-

I'm just at a loss for words right now and a bit sick to my stomach. I'm curious what Arena says afterward... stay tuned.