USA/Honduras Match Player Rater

Tim Howard - 7
Jonathan Spector - 6
Oguchi Onyewu - 5
Carlos Bocanegra - 6
Jonathan Bornstein - 5
Clint Dempsey - 5
Ricardo Clark - 7
Pablo Mastroeni - 4
Landon Donovan - 5
Connor Casey - 5
Jozy Altidore - 5

Benny Feilhaber - 6
Jay Demerit - 5
DaMarcus Beasley - 5

Squad Avg - 5.4

Man of the Match: Ricardo Clark

Though I wouldn't say there was a single player who stood head and shoulders above those around him, there were certainly a few deserving candidates. Tim Howard made good decisions when it came time to come off his line and was the vocal leader of the defense all night. His influence only increased after taking the captain's armband when Carlos Bocanegra left in the 71st minute with leg issues. Bocanegra himself made a strong push for MOTM honors with a fearless goal worthy of captain status. When Landon Donovan sent a corner service to the back post in the 68th minute and midfielder Clint Dempsey made a strong effort to head it back in front of net to keep the play alive, Carlos threw himself headfirst, down low into the land of boots to put the ball in the back of the net for what would be the winning goal.

However, Clark gets the nod here for showing the quality that it will take for someone to take that empty position in central midfield for their own. Defensively, Clark blanketed Honduran playmaker and fellow MLS vet Amado Guevara, putting a noticeable handicap on the offense of Los Catrachos. A true box-to-box effort, Clark showed up on both ends of the pitch getting into the attack as well as making a vital goal line clearance and a potentially goal saving tackle lat in the game to preserve the 2-1 lead. If he can continue this sort of effort against the stiff competition the team will face in the upcoming Confederations Cup next week, Clark may well find himself playing heavy minutes next summer when the World Cup rolls around.