Player Ratings: U.S. (3), Guatemala (1) After allowing an early goal, the United States national team settled down and thoroughly dominated Guatemala, 3-1, to advance to next year's final Concacaf World Cup qualifying round. The U.S. team needed only a draw to advance, but a loss could have potentially sent the team to a stunning elimination. Five minutes into the game, that appeared a possibility when a defensive lapse allowed Guatemala's Carlos Ruiz to score the opening goal. After the early goal however, the U.S. team's experience began to take hold. The players did not panic and before long they found the equalizer through their captain, Carlos Bocanegra. Clint Dempsey, who was coming off a subpar performance against Antigua and Barbuda on Friday, added two goals before halftime to give the Americans a two-goal cushion. In the second half, the U.S. did not score but played smart soccer: the Americans pushed forward but were able to avoid sloppy turnovers and keep their defense intact. After taking the lead, the players clearly had confidence, and there was never any doubt who would win the match. U.S. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann still has work to do but at least this win will give the team momentum heading into next month's friendly against Russia. Match ratings (1-10 scale with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest): Tim Howard: So far in World Cup qualifying, Howard has played well and has made several game-changing saves. This game, however, was not his best. He looked indecisive on the Ruiz goal and could have done much better. There were a few times when he looked nervous, and in the second half he was unable to hang on to a Guatemalan shot that nearly cost the team. Steve Cherundolo: Cherundolo has aged like fine wine for the national team and Tuesday night was a great indication of why. Defensively, he was masterly in shutting down Guatemala on his side of the field. Offensively he was dangerous getting forward. In the first half, he made perhaps the best play of the night when his outstanding long pass found a streaking Eddie Johnson, who then found Dempsey for a goal. Rating: 7.5 Geoff Cameron: One of the big areas concern for the U.S. that Jurgen Klinsmann will have to address is in central defense. On the Guatemala goal, Cameron and Bocanegra were caught out of position as Ruiz was able move in alone against Howard. Cameron was probably the least culpable of the two but it is clear he was uneasy at the start of the game. In the second half he improved greatly. His passing is clearly an asset and in the second half he bailed out Howard after he failed to hang on to a shot. Rating 6.0 Carlos Bocanegra: When Guatemala scored it appeared that Bocanegra may have made a mistake that eliminated the Americans from the World Cup. Fortunately for him, he pulled the team even with a goal off a corner, but his first responsibility is to defend and he was not settled early in the match. Credit to him, he improved as the game moved on and his experience prevented him from getting rattled. There will be questions moving forward whether or not he still has the necessary speed to play central defense against more talented, more speedy opponents. Rating 5.5 Michael Parkhurst: Despite being the third choice left back behind Fabian Johnson and Edgar Castillo, Parkhurst had a good performance. Left back is not his natural position and it is difficult for him to be effective moving into the attack since he is naturally right-footed. But Parkhurst played a smart game and was never beaten defensively. Danny Williams: After an uneven game against Antigua and Barbuda, Williams put on a strong outing against Guatemala once again playing his natural position as a central defensive midfielder. He was a defensive force and was able to help the U.S. control possession. Klinsmann has a number of quality defensive midfielders but Williams is the best passer at this position. Graham Zusi: For the third straight game, Zusi has helped the U.S. win an important World Cup qualifier. Against Guatemala his passing was exceptional and he gave the team an attacking option out wide. He will be an important player for the team in next year's hexagonal. His one weakness is that he seems to tire too easily and has been one of the first players subbed out of games. Michael Bradley: The win over Guatemala served as yet another reminder that Bradley is the engine that makes the team run. He is exceptional on both sides of the ball and Guatemala had no one that could match his talent. His play to move past the defense on the third U.S. goal was brilliant. Eddie Johnson: After rescuing the U.S. on Friday against Antigua and Barbuda, Johnson again helped the team to another important win when he delivered a nice pass to assist on Dempsey's first goal. He was not actively involved the entire game and should have scored in the second half, when he was unable to control a pass from Gomez. Clint Dempsey: When the U.S. fell behind, Dempsey lifted his game and carried his team on his back. He assisted on Bocanegra's goal and scored two of his own. The U.S. needed him to play like a star player and he delivered. Rating: 8.0, Man of the Match. Herculez Gomez: Friday's game against Antigua and Barbuda was most likely the worst game Gomez has played for the national team. Klinsmann decided to stick with him, and he put on a much improved performance. With better finishing from his teammates, he could have had multiple assists. Substitutes Sacha Kljestan: When Kljestan entered the game, the outcome was all but decided, but he looked effective and helped the team control possession. Maurice Edu: Similar to Kljestan's substitution, the game was over by the time Edu entered. In his limited minutes, he looked improved from last month's appearances in the qualifiers against Jamaica. Joe Corona: Corona did not play enough to earn a rating but his appearance cap-tied him to the U.S. team. No Rating. Coaching Jurgen Klinsmann: It was a harder than expected road in World Cup qualifying, but against Guatemala the U.S. put on its best performance so far. The win won't silence the critics just yet, but at least the team was not playing down to the level of its competition. Zusi, Williams, and Cameron are new players that Klinsmann has introduced to the team and all are paying nice dividends. Klinsmann deserves credit for having a team prepared and confident enough to not panic after conceding an early goal.