Just one more

For the optimists, it was a "workmanlike" performance. For the pessimists, "lackluster." Either way, the US did just enough to get a win. It's become a trademark of the Bob Bradley squads. They do not impress, but they somehow get results.

As expected, Bradley decided to sit Benny Feilhaber in lieu of the more defensive-minded Ricardo Clark. Yet, the US was no defensive juggernaut in the first half. For some reason, Trinidad had no difficulty penetrating the US's right wing. Spector, so good in the Confed Cup, could not contain Ipswich Town's Carlos Edwards. Jonathan Bornstein, awful in the previous game, was a shade better containing the left side. Trinidad, who matched the US shot-for-shot, had a golden opportunity after a throw-in on Spector's side. The US, evidently sleeping on the play, allowed T&T's Cornell Glen to break free one-on-one with Howard. From 18 yards out, Glen tried to chip it over Howard, but the shot nicked the bottom of the crossbar. The ball stayed out of the net and Bornstein cleared it out of danger. Howard also made a fine save from a sharp angle off a corner kick.

The fact that Trinidad almost scored is not terribly surprising. Yet, the glaring concern for Bradley (and US fans) is how easy these chances came for the opposition. Despite the presence of Clark, Trinidad still had plenty of room in the middle. Perhaps Michael Bradley is still woefully out of form. With the pairing of Clark and Bradley, I'm not totally sure what Bradley offers the team. The kid can dribble, and he tracks back regularly on defense. Yet, he's certainly no Feilhaber with distribution. He rarely has the vision of a Donovan to spearhead an attack. And, as a defender, he's getting murdered right now.

On the flip side, with Altidore and Davies at striker, the US is extremely exciting. Those two youngsters have quickly become among the best strikers in Concacaf. Donovan, in fine form, works well with these two. And the US had a number of decent chances of their own in the 1st. Bradley, Davies, and Dempsey all had solid shots from distance, but the first half ended 0-0, with Trinidad clearly the superior side.

In the 2nd half, the US allowed less space for Trinidad. It was a less exciting affair but also less maddening. I was thinking it was destined to be a 0-0 final, but a brilliant sequence of passes found Donovan alone on the left wing. He quickly fed Clark about 20 yards out. Clark took one dribble to his right and unleashed a wicked, knuckling shot on net. It beat the keeper for a 1-0 lead. The goal really opened up the US's attack. Trinidad kept pushing players forward, which allowed the US much more space to possess or spring the counter.

On defense, Onyewu definitely proved his worth. Trinidad kept playing long balls into the box, and Onyewu did not lose a single header. Trinidad has players of equal size, but Onyewu dominated them all. Trinidad did have a few opportunities, but they never came as close as that first half crossbar. The great chances actually came for the US. Donovan and Davies both had excellent opportunities to extend the lead, but their shots sailed over the goal.

The game ended 1-0, and, despite the loss, the Trinidad coach and players were magnanimous. It was so heartwarming to see an actual jersey exchange and a pleasant exchange between the T&T coach and Bradley. These two teams actually respect each other... why is that so difficult with the other teams in Concacaf?

The road win over T&T means the US needs just one win out of their last two games to guarantee a spot. Costa Rica is falling in the standings, so right now it's looking like the US, Mexico, and Honduras may be the favorites to advance.

Los Tigres
The less said, the better. After the season high-point of sweeping the strong Rays on the road, the Tigers reached the season low-point by getting swept by the last-place Royals. True to form, the Tigers maintain their maddening inconsistency. The massive holes in their lineup and bullpen remain concerns.

They've got a ton of games with the Twins and White Sox in the next three weeks. I honestly have no idea what to expect.