The September international window was a bit all over the place for the U.S. team, though it did finish on an upbeat note. A poor first-half performance Saturday against South Korea condemned the Americans to a 2-0 defeat, but the team rebounded Tuesday against Japan as attackers Folarin Balogun and Alex Zendejas made the most of their rare starts, contributing a goal each in a 2-0 victory. A change in formation -- let's call it a 3-4-3, with the presumed wingers taking up positions in the pockets underneath the center forward -- provided increased defensive stability, though there is still room for improvement.

Such performances, combined with injuries and some players changing clubs, mean there has been movement in the second edition of ESPN's USMNT World Cup Big Board. There's

See Full Page