Player Ratings: Honduras (2) vs. U.S. (1) The United States men's national team opened the final round of regional World Cup qualifying in poor form Wednesday, losing to Honduras in San Pedro Sula. It was a difficult place to play, but the American team struggled to maintain possession and looked out of ideas when trying to string together an attack. It is beginning to be a repetitive theme since Jurgen Klinsmann was hired, but now the Americans find themselves in a difficult situation in World Cup qualifying. The U.S. struck first with a brilliant pass from Jermaine Jones and an equally impressive finish by Clint Dempsey. That, however, was the only bright spot for the Americans on a hot day in Honduras. The U.S. team was overrun in the midfield. When a team can only muster two shots on goal in a game, the problem is not the strikers. It is its possession game. Also, the plan that fullbacks Fabian Johnson and Timothy Chandler would provide some attack from wide positions was also ineffective because they found themselves on their heels and forced to defend most of the game. So as World Cup qualifying resumes next month, Klinsmann will have more questions than answers, which is not where he wanted to be at this point of his tenure. Final Score: Honduras 2, United States 1 The Ratings (on a scale of 1, diabolical; to 10, world class): Goalkeeper Tim Howard Neither of the Honduras goals was really the fault of Howard, who was the victim of sloppy defending. He had some nice saves in the first half that kept the Americans in the game longer than they deserved. Grade: 6.5 Defenders Timothy Chandler There was a lot of attention on Chandler heading into this game because he would now be cap-tied to the U.S. team. Chandler was largely ineffective in his first World Cup qualifier, was beaten on defense and was unable to get forward, which is his strength in the Bundesliga. Grade: 4 Geoff Cameron It was a subpar outing for Cameron, who was caught ball watching on more than one occasion. His chemistry with Omar Gonzalez left a lot to be desired. Omar Gonzalez It was a difficult place for Gonzalez to start his first competitive international game. That said, Gonzalez had a poor performance and his passing out of the back also left a lot to be desired. Grade: 3.5 Fabian Johnson Playing left back, Johnson had a difficult game and could have defended much better on the beautiful first goal for Honduras. Moving forward, he also struggled to make much of an impact and get the ball into the final third. Grade: 4.5 Midfielders Danny Williams It has been a rough start to 2013 for Danny Williams, who has lost his spot at Hoffenheim and is not earning many minutes at the club. He was rusty against Honduras and needs to be more assertive. Eddie Johnson There were a few times in the game where Johnson did well. In the first half, he had a play where he almost set up Jozy Altidore for a goal. But he should have scored on an open header off a Jones corner and was stripped of the ball too often. He tired easily before being subbed out. Michael Bradley While many of the American midfielders struggled, Bradley had a decent game and covered a lot of ground. He was in the middle of nearly every opportunity the U.S team had while also tracking back on defense. He tired but was asked to do too much. Grade: 6 Jermaine Jones It was a mixed performance for Jones, who sent in dangerous corner kicks and had a beauty of an assist on Clint Dempsey's first-half goal. That said, he was dispossessed too easily and was not able to help the Americans in the possession game. Grade: 5 Forwards Clint Dempsey The Tottenham forward gave the Americans a first-half lead thanks to an incredible finish off a beautiful pass from Jones. Still, he was starved for service and the midfield was generally unable to get him the ball in dangerous spaces. Dempsey worked hard and tracked back into the midfield to help. There are many reasons the Americans did not win, but Dempsey was not one of them. Grade: 5.5 Jozy Altidore It was another difficult spot for Altidore, who entered the game as the second-leading scorer in the Dutch Eredivisie. There were a lot of expectations on the young forward, but he simply was not in a position to succeed. He worked hard, but, like Dempsey, he was choked of service. He did not affect the game, but it is not quite fair to hold him too accountable. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann It is getting to be a broken record with a U.S. team that simply cannot come up with any ideas in the final third. He took the job 18 months ago promising an attractive attacking brand of soccer, but the team is showing no improvement in possession or execution. In this game, the U.S. had a midfield of Jones, Williams, Bradley and Eddie Johnson. Each one of these players is effective when used in the right way, but under Klinsmann it looks like a mess. The decision to bench Carlos Bocanegra, the team captain, and to use a central defense tandem that has never played together was a recipe for disaster. He has had plenty of time to correct all these issues and is responsible for the team's struggles against Honduras. Grade 2 Substitutes Maurice Edu Coming on for Danny Williams in the second half, he had little impact and was not an improvement in a midfield that was overrun. Rating: 4.5 Graham Zusi In the second half, Zusi was asked to be an offensive spark but that never happened. Sacha Kljestan It is tough to expect Kljestan to be an impact player offensively (normally he's a withdrawn midfielder with Anderlecht). He had a few moments and was the best of the three subs, but that still does not say a lot. Rating: 5