USMNT vs. Denmark: Final score 2-3, Americans let Nicklas Bendtner score hat trick

The United States lost to Denmark, 3-2. That would be a perfectly reasonable result except for two things:

1. They conceded two goals late to blow another lead.
2. NICKLAS BENDTNER SCORED A HAT TRICK.

Yes, the Americans were winning 2-1. And then it all fell apart, which isn't entirely surprised, but somehow they managed to lose it to Nicklas Bendtner. They lost it to a man who takes his pants off and rubs his crotch on taxis. A man who got fined for his underwear. A man who has started one Bundesliga match in the last six months.

Things started off brightly for the U.S. as Jozy Altidore put them in front after 19 minutes. Timothy Chandler hit a nice, long diagonal ball that Altidore got to at the back post. The striker then shrugged off a defender and blasted the ball into the back of the net.

That lead only lasted 14 minutes because the U.S. defense was in shambles. In truth, the Americans had been outplayed since the start of the match and the defense was terrible so when Denmark got level, it was only fair. The left side of the U.S. defense was torched and they allowed Bendtner to get wide open right in front of a goal so when the ball came to him, he had a simple tap-in to make it 1-1.

The U.S. continued to hang on to the level scoreline and were lucky to do so. The defense kept conceding chances and the midfield wasn't much better, but somehow they scored again just after the hour mark. Once again, it was a long ball to Altidore that did it, as Michael Bradley dropped the ball on a dime and Altidore squared for Aron Johannsson to knock into a wide open net for the 2-1 win.

The Americans, who had gotten beaten in nearly every second half since the World Cup, just had to hold on for a win that would do them wonders after months of poor performances. Instead, they fell apart late again as Bendtner scored twice on a horrendous U.S. defense and the Americans lost yet again.

Denmark deserved to win. They were better all match long, which is concerning for the U.S. More concerning is their tendency to capitulate at the end of matches, which they have done in almost every match since last summer. It's something they have to sort out, and they have just four months until the Gold Cup to do so.