Clark blasts the US to three points

Ricardo Clark knew his number was up when he saw Benny Feilhaber and Stuart Holden ready to check in to last nights game vs. Trinidad & Tobago. After a half of obscurity by the entire US team, Clark grabbed his chance by the scruff of the neck and drilled a nasty 30 yard drive past Clayton Ince. The US continued its recent trend of struggling to find itself in the opening 45 minutes, battling a Trinidad and Tobago side who were fighting for their qualifying lives. Tim Howard was forced to make several solid saves and the US even got help from the woodwork when Cornell Glen chipped over Howard's head. The usual stingy US defense was somewhat slack. Oguchi Onyewu, who hasn't seen any playing time thus far at AC Milan, seemed uneasy for periods in the game, and committed fouls that most thought he was past. Jay DeMerit was also absent with a groin strain, and Jonathan Bornstein, while better than his performance against El Salvador, was still shaky at best and didn't do himself any favors as far as nailing down the spot goes. Here are my player ratings for the match:

Tim Howard (8)- Howard was a wall that would not be overcome as he made several saves while the US tried to find itself and stopped a late Bornstein miscue to maintain the clean sheet.

Jonathan Spector (6.5)- Is it any wonder why when Carlos Edwards was on Spector's side of the field he disappeared? He didn't get forward as well as usual, but his defending was top class.

Oguchi Onyewu (6)- Lack of playing time at AC Milan made his return to action with the national team a bit more concerning than most would've liked. With the way AC Milan's starters are getting torched every week, one can only assume that Onyewu's chance will be coming soon.

Carlos Bocanegra (6.5)- Was a solid vocal leader and nothing got past him all game long. When Jay DeMerit returns from injury he'll prolly be deployed back out to the left.

Jonathan Bornstein (5)- Better than against El Salvador, but still shaky against Edwards and Tinto for the entirety of the match. Forced a late save from Howard after a miscue.

Clint Dempsey (5.5)- I'm not sure what Dempsey's problem is, but he was just off last night. He wandered around the field and never really threatened goal.

Ricardo Clark (7)- Like the rest of the US team in the first half (minus Tim Howard), Clark was invisible. But his 62nd minute cannon was desperately needed.

Michael Bradley (7)- An improved performance from Bradley this time around. His passing was good and made some solid defensive plays to stop T&T build-ups.

Landon Donovan (8)- Another typical LD performance. Hustled, attacked, led by example, and, got the game winning assist.

Charlie Davies (6.5)- Perhaps he was hampered by that left calf, but he still was a force up top for the US and forced a few chances through sheer heart and athleticism.

Jozy Altidore (6.5)- A decent performance from Jozy and nearly earned himself a 30 yard bomb of his own but Ince was up to the challenge.

Benny Feilhaber (6)- Relegated to a bench role for this match, Feilhaber came on and provided good possession and some attacking flair.

Brain Ching (5)- Didn't do anything but gave a little pressure on the T&T backline with fresh legs late.

Stuart Holden (6.5)- How many pin point crosses from Holden are US players going to foil. First Charlie Davies, then Jose Torres, and now Landon Donovan.

With the result the US can clinch a World Cup birth with a win in one of their next two games or two draws. The US plays next at Honduras on October 10 then finish against Costa Rica on the 14th in the nations capital. Edgar Castillo could have his first call up and Jermaine Jones could receive his international clearance. We can all hope right? See you then.