Tami Chappell/Reuters

Coming off a dramatic, tension-filled tie against fourth-ranked Argentina on Saturday, expectations were soaring as the U.S. national team prepared to face a solid-yet-beatable Paraguay squad Tuesday night in Nashville.

Would the Americans build on a strong second-half performance against the Argentines? Would Juan Agudelo earn his first start? Would Timmy Chandler improve upon his impressive debut?

Despite multiple layers of intrigue, the game did not leave up to its advance billing. Paraguay won, 1-0, on a sloppy goal off a corner kick in the 18th minute, but the result mattered less than the overall performance of the United States team. It was a disappointing effort by the Americans, and a dull game.

Despite a slippery pitch, the U.S. dominated possession for long stretches and forced Paraguay to bunker down into a defensive shell. But even with so much time on the ball, the Americans struggled to find the cutting edge and incisive moves necessary to get on the scoreboard.

Here’s a look at how the U.S. squad performed.



Starters

Marcus Hahnemann: Hahnemann didn’t have much to do aside from picking Oscar Cardozo’s point-blank shot out of the back of the net in the 18th minute. Hahnemann did block a few long-range shots but otherwise had an uneventful day at the office. Rating: 6

Timmy Chandler: Fast, aggressive, and blessed with great crossing ability, Chandler was again wonderful at right back. In the space of two games he has established himself as a serious candidate for a starting position for the Concacaf Gold Cup and beyond. The only open question about the German-born Chandler (who celebrated his 21st birthday Tuesday): Can he play left back too? Because the U.S. desperately needs help on the left. Rating: 7.5

Jay DeMerit: If Omar Gonzalez or Clarence Goodson were healthy enough to play last night, there is almost no chance that DeMerit would have suited up against Paraguay. Because of those injuries, however, DeMerit did play and was partially responsible for giving up Paraguay’s goal. (In typical DeMerit fashion, he gambled on a defensive maneuver and was flat on his back when Oscar Cardozo scored off a corner kick.) Worse, the plucky DeMerit had to leave the field in the 42nd minute with a groin injury — most likely the result of receiving too much playing time in two matches spaced just three days apart after having almost none for six months. Rating: 4.5

Tim Ream: Ream’s innocuous first touch of the match appeared to shock midfielder Michael Bradley. Why? Because it was a smoothly delivered ball out of the back that placed Bradley into an offensive position with multiple options in front of him. It was precisely the sort of pass a central defender is supposed to make, and also the sort of pass United States defenders rarely deliver. It was a simple pass and a joy to behold. Never mind that Ream, like DeMerit, was on the ground when Paraguay scored its goal – his remarkable composure and link-up ability will pay dividends for the U.S. in the months and years ahead. Rating: 6.5

Jonathan Bornstein: Bornstein takes a lot of heat both for being a Bob Bradley favorite and for losing his cool in crucial moments. He redeemed himself somewhat in last summer’s World Cup, but Bornstein took a huge leap backward last night. Starting at left back against Paraguay, he botched easy crosses, he panicked on the ball and he demonstrated woeful technique. It was a nightmare performance that will keep U.S. supporters up at night wondering if there is an American anywhere capable of playing left back. Rating: 3

Clint Dempsey: Dempsey displayed many of his best attributes throughout last night’s match: playing with skill, aggression and feistiness. He also revealed some of his weaknesses: trying to do too much, attempting too many long-range shots and holding the ball longer than necessary. (Dempsey’s penchant for holding on to the ball is one of the reasons he is among the most-fouled players in the English Premier League.) As he has done successfully in the past, Dempsey started out on the left wing and moved to striker, but he flubbed his one good scoring chance and never really seemed like a serious threat. Rating: 5.5

Maurice Edu: The Glasgow Rangers midfielder accomplished very little during his 45 minutes on the field. Invisible for long stretches, he never linked up with the attackers and always seemed to be chasing the action. Edu’s lackluster performances in the last two games represent a huge missed opportunity. Rating: 4

Michael Bradley: The haters love to give Bradley a hard time, but he was solid again last night. Bradley consistently looked good on the ball and linked up with attackers as well as anybody on the field. His blistering shot in the 86th minute should have salvaged a tie for the U.S., but Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar sprawled to his right and made a world-class save to preserve the victory. Rating: 6.5

Landon Donovan: It’s great that Donovan enjoyed a relaxing M.L.S. off-season, walking his dogs on the beach in Southern California and tweeting his innermost thoughts and feelings to his 300,000-plus followers. The trouble is, Donovan didn’t seem particularly rested last night. Instead, the man wearing the captain’s armband seemed rusty. Tentative. Out of sorts. His free kicks were mostly off target, undoing multiple opportunities. And he was uncharacteristically sloppy on both sides of the field. Perhaps it was for the best that Donovan turned down his opportunity to play in the English Premier League this past winter. Maybe he needed the break. But last night he played less like an E.P.L. star and more like an M.L.S. roster filler. Rating: 5

Jozy Altidore: Altidore didn’t seem to want the ball against Paraguay. Admittedly, he didn’t receive great service from his midfielders, but even when the ball came his way he either abdicated responsibility and dished the ball off or squandered his chances. A discouraging performance. Rating: 4.5

Juan Agudelo: The 18-year-old Agudelo tried to be overly fancy early in the game, giving the ball away too easily in his first start for the national team. These sorts of mistakes are entirely forgivable, however, because Agudelo also asked for the ball, made clever runs, dished to the right teammate at the right times and did everything a striker is supposed to do. He also made a nifty move in the 47th minute that probably deserved a penalty, but the referee swallowed his whistle. Agudelo didn’t score, but he is the real deal. Rating: 6.5



Substitutes

Carlos Bocanegra: Bocanegra replaced DeMerit in the 42nd minute and did a capable job in central defense. Though dreadful at left back against Argentina on Saturday, he seemed much more comfortable playing closer to goal last night. Rating: 6

Jermaine Jones: Jones came on for Maurice Edu at halftime and played a solid-yet-unremarkable 45 minutes in central midfield. He helped start a few good counterattacks, and his 93rd-minute laser would have tied the game if Villar had not parried the strike away. Rating: 5

David Yelldell: The German-born goalkeeper made his U.S. national team debut, coming on for Hahnemann at the start of the second half. If he was suffering from jitters it wasn’t evident, largely because he had so little to do. Rating: 5.

Eric Lichaj: Lichaj came on at the one-hour mark and immediately established himself as a sturdy defender and an offensive threat. Lichaj slotted in at right back, pushing Chandler into a right midfield position, and took it upon himself to make great runs and deliver good crosses. He even made some long throws that unsettled the Paraguay defense. Why in the world did Bornstein get the start instead of Lichaj? Rating: 7

Sacha Kljestan: Came on in the 77th minute. Rating: Incomplete

Jonathan Spector: Came on in the 80th minute. Rating: Incomplete

What do you think of our ratings? The Americans’ next scheduled game is an exhibition on the eve of the Gold Cup, against Spain in Foxborough, Mass., on June 4. Which players do you expect to see when the Americans reconvene?

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.