As far as the United States national team is concerned, Wednesday night’s Gold Cup rematch against Panama was full of surprises.

For starters, Landon Donovan began the game on the sidelines for the second game in a row — and this time nobody could point to jetlag or wedding obligations as the reason for the benching.

Equally shocking, the United States defense didn’t give up any easy chances in the first few minutes — a significant departure from recent trends.

And then something truly shocking happened: Freddy Adu entered the action in the 66th minute. Yes, that Freddy Adu. What’s more, Adu’s creativity and composure turned the tide of the game, helping the U.S. to a 1-0 semifinal victory and earning them the right to face off against Mexico in Saturday’s Gold Cup Final in Pasadena, Calif.

Here’s a look at how individual players performed on a night when the embattled U.S. coach, Bob Bradley, made all of the right moves.

The Ratings (on a scale of 1, diabolical; to 10, world class):



Tim Howard: The U.S. goalkeeper didn’t have much to do, but his magnificent fingertip save in the 70th minute off Armando Cooper changed the course of the game. In other words, it was a typical performance for Howard, who continues to be a difference maker. Rating: 7

Eric Lichaj: The left back-in-training continues to show progress with every match. Assertive with the ball at his feet and never shy about initiating contact when defending, Lichaj was a constant two-way threat against Panama. His impressive speed forced defenders to give him space, and also enabled him to take risks because he has the pace to track back and cover for his own mistakes. Combine all of that with top-quality man-marking skills and a long throw that is developing into a real weapon, and all of a sudden the U.S. has a real asset at left back — a position it has struggled to fill for years. Rating: 7.5

Carlos Bocanegra: Bob Bradley takes a lot of criticism for being set in his ways, but in the case of Bocanegra, the coach deserves credit for shifting the U.S. captain from left back to central defense. Struggling on the outside of the back line early in the tournament, Bocanegra is now a force to be reckoned with in the middle. Bocanegra has always had a nose for the ball, but against Panama he nodded away so many crosses it was hard to keep count. His cool demeanor and organizational sense helped prevent Panama from mounting any serious threats until well into the second half. Rating: 7.5

Clarence Goodson: Aside from a half-hearted clearance in the 84th minute, Goodson didn’t have a bad touch — or make a wrong decision — the entire game. He was that good. And his emerging simpatico with Bocanegra bodes well for Saturday’s Gold Cup final rematch with Mexico. Rating: 8

Steve Cherundolo: The Hannover veteran nearly put the U.S. ahead in the 25th minute when he found Juan Agudelo making a near-post run. Unfortunately for the Americans, Agudelo’s header hit the upright and the game remained scoreless for nearly another hour. That moment aside, Cherundolo held serve on his side of the field, but it wasn’t one of his more dynamic performances. Rating: 6.5

Sacha Kljestan: Coming off a strong showing against Jamaica in the quarterfinals, Kljestan earned his semifinals starting spot and established high expectations along the way. But he took a step back against Panama. Kljestan demonstrated a worrisome lack of imagination with the ball at his feet and short-circuited multiple sequences in a tepid, passive performance. Bradley wisely substituted Kljestan off at halftime. Rating: 4

Michael Bradley: Invisible for long stretches again, Bradley played a mostly defensive role throughout the match, deferring to his more dynamic midfield partner, Jermaine Jones. Bradley had a chance to put his mark on the game when Freddy Adu set him in on goal with a clear scoring chance, but Bradley elected not to take a shot from 10 yards and missed out on a golden opportunity to put the game away. Offensive reluctance aside, it was a safe, sober performance that helped the U.S. secure the shutout. Rating: 6

Jermaine Jones: After making two extremely aggressive tackles in the early stages, Jones seemed destined to notch his third yellow card of the tournament and miss out on the final. To his credit, Jones policed himself throughout the rest of the match and remains eligible against Mexico. But which midfielder will show up against El Tri? The one who shows keen vision and the ability to send pinpoint passes 50 yards downfield? Or the one with the mind-boggling tendency to give away balls far too easily? Rating: 5.5.

Alejandro Bedoya: If Bedoya is on the field, opposing defenses should be on perpetual tornado watch. The winger always brings a swirling, over-the-top energy level to the game, and the semifinal against Panama was no exception. Although it’s great to see him chase down balls and go into every confrontation as if his life depended on it, Bedoya demonstrated an iffy first touch and lacked composure on the ball. Rating: 5

Clint Dempsey: Last Tuesday against Guadeloupe, Dempsey unleashed eight shots on goal. On Sunday versus Jamaica, he added another seven. Wednesday night’s two-shot effort was comparatively quiet for Dempsey, but he delivered when it counted. Dempsey’s sliding stab of a 76th-minute cross from Landon Donovan was the only tally of the game, and it was another beauty from the pugnacious Texan. He now leads the U.S. with three Gold Cup goals, and he continues to be the sort of threat that forces defenses to keep an eye on him at all times. Rating: 7

Juan Agudelo: Agudelo could have been the hero, but his 25th-minute header off a Steve Cherundolo cross hit the upright and stayed out of the goal. Perhaps frustrated by that brush with greatness, Agudelo tried a bit too hard to do a bit too much over the next 40 minutes. Rather than making the easy pass to get out of trouble, he tried to force his way past defenders, which either resulted in easy giveaways or in Agudelo’s getting called for fouls. Rating: 4.5

The Substitutes

Landon Donovan: Donovan started the game on the bench, came on at intermission and didn’t do much of anything during his first half-hour. But his smart counterattacking run and brilliant cross to Dempsey in the 76th minute created the only goal. Is Donovan, the U.S’s all-time leading scorer and iconic winger, now a super-sub? It’s hard to say for sure, but the strategy certainly worked on Wednesday. Rating: 7



Freddy Adu: The American squad dominated possession for long stretches against Panama, but — stop me if you’ve heard this one before — lacked imagination and failed to create opportunities in the final third. When Adu came on for Agudelo in the 66th minute, that all changed. The 22-year-old Adu immediately delivered a quality corner kick that put Panama under pressure. His great release pass to Donovan in the 76th minute set up Dempsey’s winning goal. And then, in the 87th minute, Adu slipped down the right wing and made a great cutback pass to Bradley that should have doubled the U.S. lead. Adu created goal-scoring opportunities in a game that had few, and even though he played less than a half hour, he was one of the most influential players of the match. Rating: 8

Corner kick: Excited to see the U.S. overcome adversity and make it to the final against Mexico? Impressed with Bob Bradley’s roster decisions? Share your thoughts in the comments.

John Godfrey obsessively tracks the progress of far-flung American soccer players and is a regular contributor to the Goal blog. Follow him on Twitter: @jhGodfrey.