by Greg Seltzer for Soccer365

The U.S. Men's National Team moved to the brink of Gold Cup group advancement with a largely comfortable victory over Honduras in Washington, and our grades reflect a passing effort - but not more.

That being said, there were some rough patches for everyone but keeper Troy Perkins and a couple of the displays were disappointing. While a few players started or re-ignited debates over whether they will force their way into Bob Bradley's World Cup 2010 roster, nobody grabbed the game by the horns until late sub Benny Feilhaber orchestrated the winner.

Ah yes, the winner... or should we say the culmination of Santino Quaranta's long walk back from hell. In his first Red, White & Blue appearance since February of 2006, the young man with well-documented personal struggles scored his first international goal in the stadium where he both made and restored his Major League Soccer name.

The comeback kid's scrappy outing seemed to inspire the Americans, who eagerly wanted to attack. Gradually grabbing control of the proceedings, they finally busted through with a quarter hour left and doubled just moments later.

The USMNT was never really in danger, but also were fortunate not have fallen behind. In the end, they rode the waves to find smooth waters. Perhaps it was less than some had hoped for against a weakened Honduras, but I will simply consider it a job done.

A quick reminder, as I like to do from time to time: my scale is based on an average of "6" and subs are rated relative to the amount of time played (meaning a 20-minute "7" mark is not meant to be seen as the equal of posting a 90-minute "7").

U.S PLAYER RATINGS

Troy Perkins (7) - Did what little he had to do with authority, including making himself big to force a wide breakway shot on the best Honduras chance all night. Perkins also distributed well and worked his entire area.

Steve Cherundolo (6.5) - Though it was not quite a star turn, it certainly was nice to see Stevie fit and frisky. He's one a few U.S. starters from Wednesday shaking off the rust of inactivity. While he may not be in peak form, Cherundolo still improved a good bit on his most recent USMNT showings. Yes, he had a few second half troubles down his wing, but for most of the night kept things calm and delivered a few of dangerous balls forward.

Michael Parkhurst (5) - If there was one member of the field back six really fighting it, we've arrived at him. On a different night, some of his errors may have proved costly and they were quite varied in nature. Am I the only one who thinks he looks more comfortable in a four-man backline as the left center back? Parkhurst never really looked at ease the whole night.

Chad Marshall (7) - Though generally very commanding in the air, he did misjudge one restart poorly and still seems rather susceptible to lobs over the top. Nit-picks aside, it was a very shrewd performance, complete with a decent passing game for the majority of the game. It will take a few more of these outings to call him a top World Cup squad contender, but he's definitely in the frame now.

Heath Pearce (6) - Like his opposite, the left back probably just needs some pitch time. He is clearly rusty, yet also clearly the USMNT's highest ceiling left back. No other choice to date owns flank real estate like Pearce. Could well have had an assist for the (head down) cross placed right on Adu's platter, but his delivery technique is still a bit off (leaning back), so some serves were poor. He also understandably looks a little unsure on the ball at times, but rarely lets it turn into a full-blown mistake.

Logan Pause (5.5) - Everyone seemed to expect more offense out of him, but that's not Pause's game; he's all traffic director. On that note, he did well, but he also had a few defensive troubles. Honduras were able to play over him at times, which can definitely bring on problems.

Kyle Beckerman (6) - The RSL man provides a lot of energy and was one of the better U.S. players in the first half. His influence waned a bit after the break, but it was a decent overall display. Like Pearce, he had a good assist pass negated by weak finishing. Despite a few blond defensive moments, Beckerman was generally stuck in, as is expected of him.

Santino Quaranta (7) - The resurrected local hero lit up RFK with a well-lashed winner. Apart from the goal, his performance was a mixed bag a shade above average. Quaranta also had a fine assist cross squandered, battled hard along the line and showed some nice touches to help the build. Of course, he also had some poor touches and decisions, and his defensive help work proved to be intermittent. All in all, I'm sure Santino will be pleased with his return to the USMNT, and he should be.

Robbie Rogers (7) - Though unable to produce end product, the Crew winger was much more consistent than his opposite. His decisions and forays on the ball seem more difficult to handle than in the past. With most other refs, he'd have drawn twice as many free kicks. Rogers probably should have taken the Quaranta cross with his head and wasn't overly involved in help defending down his wing (which may not be a terrible thing considering how he was rounded at the endline two minutes in). However, he repeatedly combined with Pearce in possession to tilt their wing heavily all night - which in and of itself I'd consider "preventative defense". Like Columbus teammate Marshall, a few more displays like this will bring him seriously into the World Cup squad conversation.

Freddy Adu (4.5) - I could well have bumped him a half point because nearly all of his restart serves were in the hot area, but in the end decided the run of play work simply was a letdown. Naturally with Adu, there will be moments of excellence, but he is clearly indecisive on the ball and missed a sitter from Pearce's inch-perfect cross. Like the wingbacks, some proper club playing time should do the trick. Still, it's disappointing when he gets a few chances to run free with options on the break and can't make anything happen.

Brian Ching (5.5) - Like a few others, he drifted out of the game from time to time. There was the usual amount of Ching battling, but it took one of his typical header crashes in the late going to pull this grade up near passing. He looked a little slow to decide what to do with Beckerman's through ball, costing the U.S. a chance to go on top early.

Coach Bob Bradley (6) - I initially was going to mark him at a "5.5" due to the unnecessary fielding of twin defensive midfielders against a Honduras B+ side, but eventually decided that the game was never really in danger, and insertions of Davies and Feilhaber worked wonders. With the 'Nats all but assured of a place in the quarterfinals and Adu gone to Benfica preseason camp, will we see a new set against Haiti? Perhaps one more attacking?

Subs:

Benny Feilhaber (8) - His insertion immediately changed the game. His dance and spin interplay essentially teed up the Quaranta goal and his quickly taken free kick facilitated the insurance tally. Feilhaber also physically worked out of trouble spots a few times, which can be a problem for him. I would assume that so long as he remains with the team, Benny starts against Haiti.

Charlie Davies (7) - Another sub with instant impact, Davies' speed and body work had Honduars on its heels. His obvious highlight was a strong two-touch layoff to Quaranta on the opener.

Kenny Cooper (6) - The FC Dallas man entered the game guns blazing. When Davies heads off to his new club, expect Cooper to compete for a startng role.

Soccer365 reporter Greg Seltzer blogs daily over at No Short Corners. Questions, comments, kudos or complaints? Email him at greg@noshortcorners.com.

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