by Greg Seltzer for Soccer365 
 
All in all, it was a good show for several pieces to the U.S. National Team's future in Colorado on Wednesday night. The youngish Yanks, on because passage to the hex had already been secured, topped Guatemala 2-0. The margin was rather polite.

For a large part of the night, the 'Nats booted it around at will, running off the ball as if it was a kamikaze mission. Both flanks were avenues of threat, and I can't recall ever seeing so many interior through balls to beat multiple defenders coming from a United States side.

Freddy Adu ran the fast break with aplomb and he had plenty of help. The phenom also netted his first senior U.S. goal to seal matters. Coach Bob Bradley will probably be impressed looking at the film - not only with the Monaco loan item, but with the entire neophyte group of starters.

Of course, I still have some concerns with the ability to play as well in this particular 4-4-2 system against greater opponents, but perhaps the displays put on by some of the young guns will give Bradley the idea to add some wildcard elements.

The beauty of Wednesday night's performance wasn't in the same old method, it was in the fresh new madness. And with that in mind, I will waive a slight chunk of my typical opponent degree-of-difficulty factoring in the grades.

Yes, the kids are alright. And just a bit excitable.

U.S. Player Ratings

Brad Guzan (6) - The Aston Villa keeper didn't have a great deal to do, but was professional as is customary.

John Thorrington (6) - An interesting line-up gambit by coach Bradley placed the wing attacker in the back, and he generally covered all the bases. We all knew he'd get forward to decent effect, but aside from a few blonde moments, he also defender reasonably well. Even better? The worst mistake he made was followed by him making a remarkable recovery to wipe out a dangerous Guatemala firing position.

Clarence Goodson (6) - The man Norwegians call "Clay" may have had the least to do, apart from Guzan. Nevertheless, he was able to show his ability to safely roam more freely than your average center back. He will be asked back.

Michael Parkhurst (6.5) - The Gentleman Rev oddly looked a bit off-stride in the early stages, but settled into a nice, calming display. What's more, he showed on more than one occasion that he can stroke accurate long diagonal that settles softly.

Jonathan Bornstein (7) - The Chivas USA left-sider was really only skinned once, perhaps in part because he spent most of the night giving the opponent's wing men a torrid time at the other end. Bornstein was a constant headache in Guatemala's end, often raiding with cavalier abandon. If he'd made good on his platter-served cross opportunities, this game could have gotten ugly. The second-best total USMNT game I've seen him play.

Ricardo Clark (7.5) - Perhaps the finest all-around game I've seen the Dynamo midfielder enjoy wearing a U.S. shirt. He was in flight, my friends, just dancing around the pitch. Of course, I'd still say this proves that Clark is a fantastic CONCACAF player - but for now I'm just going to stand and applaud. Oh, if only he'd controlled the final pass on that wicked combo with Adu...

Pablo Mastroeni (7) - The definition of veteran cool, the Maestro was conducting robberies all over the field. He moved the ball along crisply, and even threatened to score. And, he did it all without crushing anyone. What else could you possibly ask for?

Sacha Kljestan (6.5) - Time and again, Sacha carved lanes through the middle of the park. His one-touch work was splendid and he was robbed of a goal. I'm sure he'll be proud to have made a big play on the defensive end, as well. There are still things to be worked upon, but this was a pretty good game for the youngster.

Freddy Adu (7.5) - Freddinho had a night that may have fulfilled the idealistic notion stateside fans have held about his playmaking capacity for 6-7 years now. Let's hope Monaco boss Ricardo was watching because his team is currently missing exactly the kind of spark Adu provided repeatedly against Guatemala. Sure, he coughed the ball up a few times, but what table-setter doesn't? He had already shown a lot of verve by the time he deposited that sneaky free kick past a cheat-stepping keeper.

Kenny Cooper (6.5) - It took 20 minutes or so for Kenny to find his feet, but naturally, he also hadn't played a real game for longer than most of his teammates. By the end, though, the Euro-target was having fun out there. The goal was a hustle reward and he also crashed the post with a header on a suspect offside flag play. I also love the slashing runs and physicality. He, too, will be called back.

Josmer Altidore (7.5) - Guatemala defenders simply had no physical answer for Jozy, who very easily could have blown this game apart by himself. I could probably go on for paragraphs on his night alone, but let's focus on two special plays: the extremely shrewd pass to find Cooper for the opener and a stunningly delicate chest touch to pull down a long diagonal ball as if he was placing it on a tee. With some deadly finishing, this rating could have gone up to a "9". I don't believe I've ever given a single "9" in all of my 35-40 U.S. Player Ratings.

Coach Bob Bradley (6.5) - I'm not going to bother with my usual formation quibble over an essentially meaningless match. Besides, the boss took off the leashes, and that's good enough for me. Now, let's see raiding flankers and fast break offense against someone good.

Soccer365 reporter Greg Seltzer blogs daily over at No Short Corners.

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