Making the grade: US at the Gold Cup

The Gold Cup is over and the US men’s national team fell short in its quest for a third title in four tournaments. As much as the result feels like a disappointment, there were still some positives.

You have Freddy Adu’s emergence, Eric Lichaj’s transition to left back and Alejandro Bedoya’s surprising run. Truth is, as a whole, more players can come away from this Gold Cup feeling good about their tournaments than there are players who will leave having truly disappointed.

Here is a look at how all of the US team's key players performed at the 2011 Gold Cup - our tournament player grades:

Started the tournament strongly with a stellar outing against Canada, then went on to add shutouts in three of the next four matches. A subpar performance in the final kept him from earning a higher grade.

One of the best American players at the Gold Cup, his importance to the defense was made glaringly obvious once he was injured in the final. Cherundolo locked down all comers and finished as one of the best defenders in the tournament.

Impressed enough in training camp to lock down starting centerback spot all tournament, and aside from a subpar group stage effort against Panama (and shaky showing against Mexico), Goodson looked like a player who could keep the job for the long haul.

Steady at left back before moving to centerback and providing a vital veteran presence in the middle. Like the rest of the defense, he could have done better in the final, but still showed why he’s an important part of the U.S. defense.

Took the left back job early in the tournament and made it his own, showing an ability to get forward as well as the speed to cover defensively despite it not being his natural position. Struggled badly in the final, but still had a good first tournament for the national team.

Came up with some big moments and solid performances, but his efforts in the final matches were below his normally high standard. He delivered some timely assists in the group stage and scored the opening goal against Mexico, but Bradley was unable to truly impose himself in the tournament’s biggest matches.

When at his best, Jones as a thoroughly dominant force in midfield, but when he wasn’t, he too often was left chasing the game and having little effect. He was subpar in the group stage loss against Panama and awful in the final against Mexico, but he still showed more than enough to remain a national team fixture.

The US team’s best and most reliable player, Dempsey came up big on several occasions and proved to be the Americans' best attacking threat. His versatility allowed Bob Bradley to try different formations, and Dempsey was effective wherever he was played. Falls short of a perfect grade due to a quiet effort in the final.

After initially not being selected to the team, Bedoya came in as an injury replacement and provided some much-needed energy to the US midfield. He showed good speed and timing to get into US attacks, also showing a good engine that covered tons of ground.

Expected to be one of the US team’s leaders, Donovan left plenty to be desired this Gold Cup. At times he lacked energy, and at times he just disappeared. He did step up in the final with a clutch goal, but promptly disappeared for the rest of the final.

Never really could get going and finished the tournament without a goal. He did come close in the semifinal with a shot off the crossbar, but aside from some good flashes, Agudelo probably showed the effects of not getting much playing time on the club level.

There were plenty of questions about Altidore coming into the tournament, but he responded with two goals and some strong performances before being lost for the tournament with a hamstring injury early in the quarterfinal win against Jamaica.

Only played in two games, but his efforts in the semifinal and final were truly impressive, providing the US one of its few bright spots in the final. He was sharp on the ball, moved well, and played with confidence. We haven’t seen the last of him.

Showed that he’s ready to be a part of the national team pool again with some good substitute appearances, though he came up short in a rather lackluster effort as a starter in the semifinals. Overall, Kljestan had a tournament to build on.

One of the more disappointing aspects of this Gold Cup was the fact that Edu didn’t get to play more. He was sharp in his substitute’s appearances but was forced to stay on the bench in favor of Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones.

Had a promising start in the opening match against Canada, but promptly had a forgettable outing against Panama and found himself on the bench for the rest of the tournament. He remains one of the better young centerbacks in the pool, but he will need to sharpen his defending to challenge for national team minutes.

Will be remembered for one of the more shocking misses in recent memory, but what the Gold Cup showed us was that while Wondolowski is a smart player who can put himself in good spots, the speed of play on the international level may be too much for him.

Only played one game, but that appearance will go down as one of the worst in national team history. It’s a shame that he was put into that position considering his lack of playing time (both in the Gold Cup and on the club level), but he answered the call and failed.

Some might say he deserves an F for some of his bigger blunders, like playing Bornstein, and making some of the lineup decisions he made, but Bradley also showed an ability to make good in-game changes (the final notwithstanding) and he also wasn’t afraid to try new things. His inclusion of Freddy Adu helped his grade, but the Bornstein Blunder kept him from scoring higher.

Ives Galarcep is a senior writer for FOXSoccer.com covering Major League Soccer and the U.S. national team.