The winners and losers are examined from the USA's come-from-behind draw.




JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- With 45,573 watching at Ellis Park, the United States Men's National Team battled Slovenia to a 2-2 draw. The Eastern European side tallied twice in the first half before the plucky Stars and Stripes staged a ferocious comeback. Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley scored for the Americans. The outcome of the match leaves the U.S. with two points, while Slovenia sits atop Group C on four.

Winners


Landon Donovan

The U.S.'s best field player was their most dangerous attacker on the night. His goal rivals Clint Dempsey's blast against Ghana in the 2006 World Cup for the hardest shot taken by an American. He proved his reputation as one of the fittest players on the squad with a tireless performance in which he played defense, midfield, and led the Red, White, and Blue onslaught. Donovan will rue a missed opportunity in the first half when he nearly scored. (On the replay, it looked as though using his left foot might have been the better option.) He worked a handful of wonderful passes to his forwards, but Jozy Altidore and especially Robbie Findley failed to meet his high standard. If there was a weakness, it was Donovan's set pieces, which repeatedly failed to clear the first wave of defenders.


Michael Bradley

The Friday afternoon fixture was vintage Bradley. He provided the U.S. with their first half-chance, springing Robbie Findley with an excellent pass in the fourth minute. The midfielder struggled with his distribution as he and Jose Torres appeared out of sorts, and the pair didn't do enough on Valter Birsa's first goal, but Bradley was all over the pitch. He scored the tying goal in classic fashion, finding the ball and putting it in the back of the net. Bradley doesn't play the prettiest soccer, but he's gritty and effective: an embodiment of the American side.

Steve Cherundolo

The right back posted another strong performance for the U.S. Cherundolo held the flank, containing Andraz Kirm for 90 minutes and drawing a caution on him after alertly stepping up to pick off a pass. Hannover 96's captain found himself in the attack, taking a chance at a long-range shot in the 41st minute. Cherundolo expertly tracked back to deny Milivoje Novakovic after Donovan missed the defender with a pass. Before the World Cup began, there was a question whether Cherundolo or Jonathan Spector would start out wide. That's been answered emphatically in the first two matches here in South Africa.

Losers

Jose Torres

The young Mexican-American earned his first start of the World Cup because Bob Bradley hoped the midfielder would use his creativity and touch to open up Slovenia's defense. The strategy backfired. Torres failed to create any chances for the Americans, as he and Bradley were out of sync. He consistently ran back on defense, but he picked up too many fouls while doing so. Birsa's strike came because he wasn't closed down. Would Ricardo Clark have been there? Torres did have a nice free kick that forced a save by Samir Handanovic, but Maurice Edu replaced the ineffective midfielder at the half.


Robbie Findley

The striker played a disappointing 45 minutes. As he did against England, Findley's trademark speed troubled Slovenia's back four, but his touch abandoned him. The most egregious error occurred when the Real Salt Lake forward failed to pick out a wide-open Landon Donovan at the far post in the 39th minute. He chose instead to attempt a slotted pass to Jozy Altidore that failed to find its target. Throughout the match, Findley just couldn't get going. The attacker picked up his second yellow card of the tournament and will miss the match against Algeria.

Oguchi Onyewu

The central defender had a strong showing against the Three Lions, but couldn't repeat his performance in Johannesburg. He could have done better on both of Slovenia's goals. On the first, Onyewu didn't close down Valter Birsa fast enough -- although the midfield failed to do so as well. On the second tally, Onyewu tried to play Zlatan Ljubijankic offside but didn't step up fast enough. The A.C. Milan defender continues to recover after tearing his patellar tendon in October, and while he insists he's 100 percent, tonight's performance would suggest otherwise. Herculez Gomez ended Onyewu's night in the 80th minute.