Czechs capitalized on USA mistakes.

EAST HARTFORD - In a pre-World Cup international friendly that mattered more for the performances on the pitch than the final score, the United States Men's National Team fell 4-2 to the Czech Republic in front of 36,218 at Rentschler Field.

American manager Bob Bradley, who will announce the 23-man roster for South Africa Wednesday afternoon, used the fixture as a final evaluation of players on the bubble. He started an unlikely group while leaving Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Landon Donovan, and a few other regulars out of the game-day team entirely.

FIRST HALF

Oguchi Onyewu returned to the Stars and Stripes for the first time since rupturing his patellar tendon against Costa Rica in October. He made his physical presence felt almost immediately, winning a ball in the air while delivering a crunching -- and legal -- challenge to the Czech attacker. He looked okay throughout the match before coming off in the middle of the second half, but will need to improve for the team to find success in South Africa.

Both squads looked content to battle nerves and feel each other out in the early stages of the match as neither asserted itself.

In the 13th minute, the European side had a mini-break down the left side, but Onyewu did well to slow the play and DaMarcus Beasley -- a fringe guy playing for his World Cup life -- tracked back expertly and collected a lose ball.

The U.S. drew first blood four minutes later. Beasley was dragged down in the left channel and Stuart Holden served a dangerous ball into the box. Petr Cech tried to punch the ball away but arrived late. Maurice Edu poked the free ball into the net for his first international goal.

The Czech team should have drawn level in the 26th minute but Martin Fenin missed the net on a lovely layoff from an overlapping Ondrej Kusnir.

Jonathan Bornstein was the victim of Kusnir again in the 30th. The AC Sparta Prague tapped the ball one way and ran around the Chivas USA defender the other. The left back pulled the attacker down, leading to a dangerous crossing chance. Brad Guzan just tipped the ensuing free kick away from the head of Jan Rajnoch.

Rajnoch saw yellow four minutes later after taking down Steve Cherundolo. He made amends, clearing Torres' 30-yard free kick out of the box.

Beasley scrapped to earn a corner in the 40th minute but Cech was up to the task this time, coming out to grab Holden's corner.

The Czech Republic equalized two minutes from half when Jaroslav Plasil delivered a free kick to the far post. Tomas Sivok outjumped Onyewu and the ball flew back across the goal-face and tucked itself inside the left post.
 

SECOND HALF

Bradley made five substitutions to start the half: Herculez Gomez for Buddle, Brian Ching for Johnson, Sacha Kljestan for Torres, Heath Pearce for Bornstein, and Robbie

Rogers for Beasley. In almost every case, the new introduction was in direct competition with the player they replaced.

Gomez had the first half chance of the 45 but his cross to a streaking Ching was deflected through a defender's legs and eventually cleared over the touchline. Rogers' corner was cleared harmlessly away.

David Lafata scored in the 56th minute, but saw his effort called back after the linesman deemed the Czechs offside.

The European squad took the lead for real just 120 second later. Lafata beat Cherundolo on a cutback and hit a low curling cross into the box. Polak was first to the ball, beating Pearce who was trailing on the play. Guzan had no chance.

Robbie Rogers displayed his shooting range, forcing Cech into a diving save with a blast from 30 yards out. The effort was probably going wide, but the Columbus Crew midfielder showed he can be dangerous with his right foot as well as his left.

Gomez should have equalized in the 64th, but hit an open shot from just outside the 18-yard box directly at Cech. Ching showed a little flair on the play, springing the Pachuca striker with a deft backheel off Edu's centering pass.

Seconds later, Gomez found his goal. Clarence Goodson chased down Holden's corner and headed the ball back across the net where the Mexican League's leading scorer stood all alone. He easily headed it into the back of the net.

Immediately following the goal, Onyewu came off for Bedoya. Edu dropped into the A.C. Milan defender's spot, while Holden drifted into the center of midfield.

The U.S. earned a corner in the 76th minute after a wonderful flick-on from Rogers led to a Gomez partial break. He had Ching and Kljestan running with him but chose instead to shoot from 25 yards away. The Czech defense deflected the ball out and Cech punched away Rogers' cross.

The away side took a 3-2 lead in the 78th minute. Kusnir put a ball to Sionko who eluded a lunching slide tackle from Pearce and crossed the ball into the box. Tomas Necid's shot was blocked, but it bounced straight to Fenin who didn't miss from around the penalty spot.

The Americans earned a free kick in the 84th from outside the box on the right side of the field but Holden's effort curled too close to Cech, who gobbled the ball up.

Three minutes later, another deadball effort from the Bolton Wanderer midfielder failed to clear the first line of defense.

The Czechs added an injury-time goal. Edu misjudged a ball over the top and Necid was the recipient. He raced goalward and scored to Guzan's right.