I hate to say it, but the USA is just not ready for primetime. But I give them credit for trying.

Today’s 2-0 loss to England at Wembley showed how far the US still has to go both individually and as a team to being considered one of the top teams in the world. England is currently ranked #11 in the world to the USA’s #21. But the gulf between the two teams is bigger than that discrepancy would indicate.

England showed it was better than the US in all facets of the game. They held possession better. They were technically more sound both on and off the ball. They matched the US in areas the US may have had an advantage in initially: team speed and chemistry. England spread the US out in the midfield and had space to advance the ball into dangerous positions and force the US to foul, giving the Brits numerous free kick opportunities. They finally cased in during the 38th minute when David Beckham’s perfect cross on a set piece found John Terry’s head. Tim Howard had no chance.

On the second goal, England displayed it’s quick thinking and quick playing ability. An inch perfect pass split the US defense as Steven Gerrard made a nice run just on-side, and he finished by slotting it just past a helpless Brad Guzan into the side netting.

The US was just a step too slow, a bit too lackadaisical. For a team that’s been playing well collectively in Europe and with a strong competitive fire, the squad seemed out of sorts and a little intimidated by the stage at Wembley. I would have liked to see the US take the game to England more, even if they lost possession. The team looked tentative and like it was playing for a tie instead of the win. In those situations, you’ll almost always lose.

A few of the bright spots for the USA were actually the grizzled veterans of the team: Eddie Lewis made a couple nice runs and his calmness on the ball made the US more dangerous in the second half. Similarly, Frankie Hejduk played with his tireless work rate and was effective on the right hand side. Freddy Adu played with composure on the ball and actually maintained some much-needed possession for the US.

We learned also that Josh Wolff should go nowhere near a USA jersey again as he just ran around and did absolutely nothing positive. Eddie Johnson, although still having a bad first touch, had the closest chance at scoring with a wicked one-time shot that went wide. He needs better delivery but also needs to take defenders on more readily. The team really missed Landon Donovan who was out with a groin injury. Hopefully they’ll get him back for next week’s game against Spain or the following week vs. Argentina.

This was a game where the USA was clearly outclassed but to their blame, Sam’s Army did not play with any sense of purpose or passion. Hopefully, they can get it together soon because they’ve got some really tough matches coming up. Wins against the aforementioned top 10 teams are not expected, but better performances and the ability for Bob Bradley to experiment and learn who he can trust in qualifying will be made much more clear.