March 26, 2011 – The US Men’s National Team came from behind to earn an impressive 1-1 draw against a rampant Argentinean team in front of a sellout crowd at the New Meadowlands Stadium. Although just a friendly, both managers approached the game seriously, putting out strong sides. While the visitors dominated the first half, taking a deserved lead in the 42nd minute, the Americans matched the two-time World Champions in the second interval, drawing even through a goal from teenage substitute Juan Agudelo.
Coach Bob Bradley deployed a line up that closely resembled his World Cup team from last summer. The only notable changes were Jonathan Spector, who filled in for the injured Steve Cherundolo at right back, and Jermaine Jones, who took up a holding, central, midfield position as the US decided to play a 4-5-1 formation against the formidable Argentine attack.
Early possession was dominated by the visitors but Clint Dempsey managed to intercept a pass in the forth minute. The Fulham midfielder then drove into the area and got off a shot that forced a decent save from Mariano Andujar. After that it was all Argentina for the next half hour as the US defense was stretched to its limit.
US goalkeeper Tim Howard had to be in top form to keep the visitors off the scoreboard. In the 23rd minute, he sprang off his line to smother the ball at the feet of the dangerous Lionel Messi. The Barcelona star blazed a shot across the face of goal five minutes later. More Argentine possession followed and Maurice Edu went into the referee’s notebook in the 35th minute for a hard foul on Messi.
A couple of minutes later, the US managed just their second shot on target as Landon Donovan drove toward goal before setting up Dempsey. Clint’s first effort was blocked but he collected the rebound and sent a curling effort toward the far post that was well saved by Andujar. Dempsey wasn’t done as he raced all the way back to snuff out a dangerous run by Messi at the top of the US penalty area.
A minute later it was Messi again who dribbled right down the heart of the host’s defense before unleashing a high, hard shot. Howard knocked the ball down and was able to collect at the second time of asking.
Three minutes before halftime Argentina’s pressure finally paid off. Again it was Messi driving into the box on the left before setting up a teammate with a cutback pass. Howard was able to block the first shot with his legs but Esteban Cambiasso followed up and blasted the ball into the roof of the net. The US was on the ropes at this point but they managed to make it to halftime without conceding another goal.
Coach Bradley made two changes at halftime, bringing on Agudelo for Jones and Timmy Chandler for Spector. The visitors picked up where they’d left off as Angel Di Maria curled a shot over the bar in the 47th minute. Not long after, Howard bravely came off his line to again claim the ball at Messi’s feet.
Chandler got down the right wing and put in a decent cross before fouling Javier Mascherano as he retreated to his defensive position. The Mexican referee saw fit to book the young fullback for the foul even though it was his first of the match. Four minutes later Chandler got forward again to cross the ball to Jozy Altidore, who headed on to Maurice Edu. The Rangers midfielder pulled his shot wide of the far post when he really should have hit the target.
Just before the hour mark the US was level. Altidore was fouled by Mascherano 40 yards out. Donovan put in a lovely free kick that was headed on goal by team captain Carlos Bocanegra. Andujar was able to parry the ball but not hold it. Agudelo, who was making the far post run, lifted his shot over the fallen keeper to even the match and send the crowd into a frenzy.
Argentina responded to the setback and again it was Messi who orchestrated their attack. The mercurial midfielder earned a free kick after being brought down by Michael Bradley 25 yards from goal. Messi took it himself but curled the ball just over the bar. In the 65th minute the visitors won a corner that Bradley initially headed clear before Howard was able to collect.
Unlike the first half, it was not on-way traffic and the US created a chance of their own two minutes later. Altidore sent in an excellent cross that Agudelo shot on goal. The ball was deflected out for a corner that was taken by Donovan. Bocanegra again got a head to it but Agudelo failed to connect with the flick on.
The game was getting chippy at this point and Altidore was the unlucky recipient of a particularly hard foul. Jay DeMerit nearly gifted a goal to the South Americans with a bad giveaway but he did well to race back and make a vital tackle on Di Maria. Moments later Chandler put in another good cross that Agudelo headed over.
The action was end to end at this point and the tackles were flying in all over the pitch. Donovan was booked in the 79th minute for a foul on Javier Mascherano. Bocanegra was also cautioned during stoppage time. In the dying seconds of the game, Oguchi Onyewu gave away a free kick 40 yards out but neither that set piece nor the resulting corner produced a goal and the match came to an end.
So despite being on the back foot throughout the first half, the US recovered to take something from the game in the second half. The field conditions were poor and this helped the hosts to cope with Argentina’s pace. However, I think it’s fair to say that the Yanks demonstrated again that they now have the ability to compete with the best teams in the world on a fairly consistent basis.
Player Ratings for the US players (scored 1-10):
Tim Howard, goalkeeper (9): Playing Argentina in his home state seems to bring out the best in Howard. This is the second time he’s had an outstanding match at the Meadowlands against the South American giants. While there was nothing he could do about the goal, Tim was courageous coming off his line to smother the ball at the feet of the Argentine attackers. He made numerous fine saves and kept the US in the game when under siege in the first half (man of the match).
Oguchi Onyewu, central defender (7): He’s getting back to his best after recovering from a serious knee injury. Surely playing regularly at FC Twente has helped a lot. He coped well with the pace and skill of the Argentine attack despite being under tremendous pressure, especially in the first half.
Jay DeMerit, central defender (7): The old campaigner showed that he can still do a job, even against a team as quick and skillful as Argentina. He cleaned up his own mess on the give away in the second half and provided hard-nosed defending throughout. I’ll be interested to see what will happen with Jay’s roll in the National Team now that he’s entering the twilight of his career.
Carlos Bocanegra, left fullback (8): Not only did the captain keep Argentina pretty much in check on the left but he got forward on set pieces to get his head on the ball. The 30-something defender looks like he wants to play in one more World Cup.
Jonathan Spector, right fullback (6): While the visitor’s goal did develop in his area and he had a torrid time with Messi and company, I thought he defended as well as I’ve ever seen. I felt he was a bit unlucky to be substituted at halftime. Perhaps the fact that he never got forward was the rationale for the change.
Maurice Edu, central midfielder (7): Worked hard and got in several important tackles. He should have hit the target when he had a shooting opportunity in the area but overall he gave a solid performance. Playing regularly in the SPL has done wonders for him.
Jermaine Jones, central midfielder (5): There was a lot of hype around this player when he became a US citizen but I’m still not sure what all the fuss was about. I still haven’t seen him do anything spectacular for club or country and I’m not sure how well he fits in with the National Team. After a rather lackluster first half, he was the sensible choice to be sacrificed for another striker.
Michael Bradley, central midfielder (7): A true box to box performance. Bradley was involved at both ends of the field throughout the evening.
Landon Donovan, left midfielder (6): I only remember him getting forward on a few occasions and his free kicks were generally below par. However, he did work hard on the defensive end. He looked like what he is; a player getting back into the swing of things after a lengthy off-season.
Clint Dempsey, right midfielder (7): Although he faded during the second interval, Clint was pretty much the only offensive threat for the US in the first half. He usually plays well against strong competition and tonight was no exception. I was especially pleased to see him race back from one penalty area to the other to snuff out a counterattack by Messi.
Jozy Altidore, striker (6): Isolated in the first half, Jozy came to life when Agudelo partnered with him during the second 45 minutes. His passing was good and he won several free kicks but he never really looked like scoring and that’s a concern.
Substitutes:
Timmy Chandler, right fullback (8): While I might argue that Spector played well enough to stay on for the second half, I can’t deny that Chandler was a big improvement. He got forward early and often with good crosses and did well enough defensively.
Juan Agudelo, striker (8): He was brought on to score and that’s what he did. Coach Bradley couldn’t have asked for more from the 18-year-old striker, who played with great poise and confidence. Although still very young, there’s hope that Juan could be the attacking partner that Altidore has been missing since Charlie Davis was injured in a car crash back in 2009.
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