Now this was better.
The difference between the U.S.’s 0-0 tie against Argentina and the two dreary losses in the past 10 days (to England and Spain) wasn’t just that the Yanks got a result in this one against the world’s top-ranked team.
The bigger change was this: the Americans went for it.
They went for it by going for broke and attacking during the 15 minutes they were down a man in the second half, not just pushing men behind the ball. They went for it by getting in the Argentines’ faces (see: Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Freddy Adu) instead of playing in fear (word from the England camp was that some U.S. players’ hands were shaking during pre-game handshakes at Wembley last week).
And they went for it by putting a nearly full-strength Argentine team on its heels during parts of Sunday’s game, performing better than arch-rival Mexico had in a 4-1 beat-down to the Albicelestes on Wednesday.
Oh, the U.S. had its issues, not least its continued inability to score goals. Oguchi Onyewu hit the crossbar with a header, but that was the closest the Americans got. Eddie Johnson put himself in some threatening positions in the past three games, but his nerve and his first touch continue to fail him once he gets into the penalty box.
Here are five other things we learned from Sunday’s night’s game:
• Freddy Adu needs to start against Barbados. It says here that Adu should have started against Argentina after being the U.S.’s most dangerous player against both Spain and (to a lesser extent) England. But Adu played well again against the Argentines after coming on in the 65th minute, pushing the offense forward and drawing several fouls, including a couple when he had no business doing so in one-on-two situations. It may seem crazy to some folks, but if Bob Bradley is going to continue to play two holding midfielders, I'd start Adu in the central midfield with Donovan on the right, Beasley on the left and Dempsey up top (at least until Jozy Altidore is healthy again).
• Tim Howard is in dynamite form. The U.S. goalkeeper made some marvelous saves, especially in the first half when Julio Cruz got in on goal and should have put Argentina on top. Granted, Howard got away with a clear penalty when he clattered into Sergio Agüero in the box (somehow drawing no whistle from the thoroughly overmatched ref, Joel Aguilar Chicas of El Salvador), but Howard was otherwise in control all night. If he keeps this up, Howard will save the U.S. points in World Cup qualifying.
• Concacaf referees are still a disaster. The missed penalty on Howard was bad enough, but Chicas’ red card for Pablo Mastroeni raised the bar for incompetence by a Concacaf zebra. It’s still unclear why Chicas gave Mastroeni a second yellow card in the 71st minute after a play in which Mastroeni didn’t even play a part. But television replays indicated that the referee simply confused Mastroeni for Maurice Edu, the player who’d actually committed the foul (and been shown yellow by Chicas just seconds earlier). How anyone could confuse Mastroeni for Edu is beyond me, but leave it to the man from Concacaf to make it happen. Absolutely disgraceful. Somewhere Peter Prendergast chuckles.
• Oguchi Onyewu is Mr. Plus/Minus. The positives and negatives of Onyewu were on display in a five-minute stretch of the second half. In the 47th minute, Onyewu crashed his header into the crossbar off a corner kick by Donovan, the closest U.S. chance on the night. But five minutes later Onyewu pulled his once-a-game boner by ranging way too far upfield, allowing Argentina to send a ball over his head on the play that eventually should have been the penalty against Howard. It was clear, though, too, that Onyewu got into the head of his mark, Argentina’s Cruz, with his physical play. (Side note: Argentina has a ton of amazing players, but I’ve never been that impressed by Cruz; it’s the same way I always felt about Claudio López when he used to get a ton of time for the national team a few years ago.)
• DaMarcus Beasley’s knee remains a concern. I know he’s just coming back from a long injury lay-off, but the old Beasley would have turned on the jets to beat Nicolas Burdisso to a ball in the U.S. attacking third in minute 42. Yet this Beasley just didn’t have that burst of speed in him.
Through-balls: I can’t think of any U.S. player who has a bigger difference of responsibilities between his positions at club and country than Michael Bradley. Why don’t we ever see the guy who scored 19 club goals last season doing anything remotely similar in a U.S. jersey? ... The old guys can still contribute: Mastroeni was pretty solid in holding midfield before his ejection, and Eddie Lewis continues to show some life in those old legs ... The U.S. still lost possession too easily, especially in the first half, when guys were too quick just to boot the ball downfield to no one ... Was it just me, or was it hard to tell the difference between the colors of the jerseys the teams were wearing? Maybe it was just the result of having to watch in blurry low-def, but one of the teams should have been in dark jerseys ... The U.S. outside backs (Steve Cherundolo and Heath Pearce) were more dangerous getting upfield in the attack than they had been in the previous two games ... Lionel Messi had some dangerous moments during his 45 minutes, but the U.S. defense did an O.K. job keeping him in check ... Too bad Altidore's dinged ankle kept him from getting any time before the Giants Stadium faithful before he heads off to Spain ... Dempsey was slightly better than he was in a bad outing against Spain, but he still hasn’t had a stand-out game for the U.S. in quite a while.
Feel free to post your comments below ...
Cintia Dicker
Cheney Larschied
Back in Time: July 3
Manny Being Manny
Comments (50) Add A Comment
Landon Donovan looked good after coming back from injury. Suprised he lasted the full 90. Crowd was great. Sound was overwhelming at times. Freddy Adu, right now, seems to be our most dangerous player. He plays without fear and doesn't care if it is 1 on 2. Would like to see him play a full 90 also.
Boyee
Hurst , TX
Total Comments (4)
Grant -- Thank you as always for your thorough analysis. I would add just two things: First, one major difference between this U.S. side and the U.S. side that laid eggs versus England and Spain is Landon Donovan. He appears to be the only U.S. player (notwithstanding the spark from Adu) that can bring a real attack. The other thing I would add is that the U.S. lacks the ability to finish. Every time they put together a nice attack it ends with a poorly taken shot (notice the number of deflected shots) or a poor service into the box. Surely this game brings reason for optimism, but until the U.S. can score against quality competition, they will remain a second class team.
ToddH1
Orem , UT
Total Comments (1)
Exellent match. The US played great tonight and looked just as good as their competion. Tim Howard was just incredible and the hoped for, nil-nil draw was just what the US was pressing for. 0-0 in a Friendly against Argenina. Congratulation to Bob Bradley and a fine US performance.
GoldenThread
Morris , MN
Total Comments (378)
Since we have an abundance of quality attacking midfielders/second strikers (Adu, Donovan, Dempsey) along with a dearth of quality pure stirkers, I suggest Bradley try a 4-3-2-1. We could partner Adu and Donovan behind Altidore, with Beasley, Bradley, and someone else in the midfield.
tbearup3
Chicago , IL
Total Comments (21)
The teams were a bit difficult to tell apart from a distance but I think it was the crappy non-HD picture. Between the networks and the cable companies, its a joke that every sporting event on the major networks isn't in HD. It is 2008! So get ESPN Classic in HD (when showing live events of course) and strike a deal with the cable companies to get it on the air.
manik56
Columbia, SC
Total Comments (3)
I've been clamoring for Adu's inclusion in the starting 11 going back to 2006. It's clear for anyone with eyes to see he's our most talented player and the only player on our roster capable of taking on defenders. If Adu doesn't start vs Barbados, Bradley should be fired!
Michael Bradley is vastly over-rated. I don't know how he scored 19 goals in Hollad...I know alot of those goals were on scramble and loose balls. He simply provides NOTHING to the US side offensively. He's also a redcard waiting to happen with all his reckless challenges.
Heath Pearce is improving and may have won that left back spot. I was impressed with his defense tonight.
Beasley shouldn't be on the field. He's a shadow of his former self.
Cherundolo was just ok...he was beaten many times down the left flank by Cruz and others. He gives too much respect and space.
Here's what I would start vs Barbados:
Howard
Cherundolo
Onyewu
Bocanegra
Pearce
Edu
Dempsey
Adu
Donovan
Dempsey
Johnson...Sigh...
Moses87
San Antonio, TX
Total Comments (14)
Is there any chance McBride is going to come back? Johnson actually had one of his better performances but long term I just don't see him as the player for the U.S. upfront. I'd rather see Nate Jaqua for instance. Johnson's speed is crucial though. Maybe Altidore will be enough when he's ready.
imarker
San Francisco , CA
Total Comments (1)
Michael Bradley and Eddie Johnson are completely useless! Put ANYONE in their spots and it will be an improvement!
johnny6
Durham , NC
Total Comments (34)
" Eddie Johnson... his first touch continue to fail him once he gets into the penalty box."
First touch in the box? Try first touch anywhere on the field... during the match against Spain I was sure he was wearing ping pong paddles for shoes.
Biddlebugs
Total Comments (1)
i was at the game tonight and i've never been more impressed by a u.s. crowd. wonderful energy. in terms of the squad, the effort was tremendous (off the back of the past 2 performances)...i'm incredibly disappointed that freddy adu didn't get the start after his clearly superior vision and effort was displayed against spain. beasley was better but possesses nowhere near the creative skill-set that is required at this level. bradley was tremendous, again. as noted, he deserves more oppontunities up front. onyewu is frustrating but our only chance to outphysical teams and get in their heads. and i can't believe i'm saying it....but my god, landon donovan is what sets this team apart. if we could see adu and donovan up front, which would allow the altidores, johnsons and dempseys to FINALLY make plays....this team has the potential to shock somebody. oh, and by the way...tim howard is a frickin genius. go good guys.
chas1929
New York , NY
Total Comments (2)
i was at the game tonight and i've never been more impressed by a u.s. crowd. wonderful energy. in terms of the squad, the effort was tremendous (off the back of the past 2 performances)...i'm incredibly disappointed that freddy adu didn't get the start after his clearly superior vision and effort was displayed against spain. beasley was better but possesses nowhere near the creative skill-set that is required at this level. bradley was tremendous, again. as noted, he deserves more oppontunities up front. onyewu is frustrating but our only chance to outphysical teams and get in their heads. and i can't believe i'm saying it....but my god, landon donovan is what sets this team apart. if we could see adu and donovan up front, which would allow the altidores, johnsons and dempseys to FINALLY make plays....this team has the potential to shock somebody. oh, and by the way...tim howard is a frickin genius. go good guys.
chas1929
New York , NY
Total Comments (2)
I was at the game!! You hit it right on the money, i came out of the game thinking two things:: 1. Tim Howard is out of his mind 2. Why wasn't one of the teams wearing their alternate kits?
Ronaldinho's Dog
Falls Church, VA
Total Comments (329)
I'm argentine and I think the US is getting there when it comes to soccer but still they are far away from ever winning a world cup, don't forget the game was in the US... if it was in argentina, the result would probably be different. I still remember the empty seats on the american stadiums in the past and now it felt like the watching the superbowl. 70.000 people, completely full, really amazing. Hope you guys kick the crap out of mexico. Keep traveling and playing in other countries, it was very good to go to europe for those matches, you are doing the right thing.
FedericoS
Temple , TX
Total Comments (6)
So you are (were) Tino Palace?
mattd
Ada , OH
Total Comments (6)
Great game this evening (I think). What I could see through the low-def fuzz looked like the US stringing together technical passes as if they were a global soccer power. And fielding a full-strength team means Argentina really can't make too many excuses for the draw. I agree with most of what's said above, though you can count me firmly in the no-thanks-Onyewu camp...other than being able to scream Gootch, I can't see an upside. Hopefully by Barbados COACH Bradley takes off his family glasses and realizes PLAYER Bradley doesn't contribute much...I've see too many minutes of Michael, thanks.
My only gripe is completely outside the game: if 90+K people packed Giant Stadium to watch this, why couldn't ESP-Freakin-N plant this on HD? As Grant said, I couldn't tell the bloody diff between the two sides most of the match.
roverfish
Tucson , AZ
Total Comments (1)
yes the US played well, but no messi and maxi rod. in the second half was big. the real difference compared to the two losses is that argentina used subs who were completely untested and young in the second half. that would be like spain subing torres and XAVI at half time, or lampard and crouch. the outcome may have been different. i am so sick of landon donovan, he had one great chance to make a couple of dribbles right at goal and put one in, but he passed it off and lost posession. very reminiscent of the '06 world cup. we just arent a goal scoring team and really boring to watch, except for adu. argentina didn't take us seriously at all, brazil lost two days before, even with a loss they would still be #1. stop praising a completely mediocre team.
cdbiankers
Overland Park, KS
Total Comments (33)
i will say howard was a bloody mad man, true props for him!
cdbiankers
Overland Park, KS
Total Comments (33)
Yeah great result, but isn't it a little worrying against top class opposition Us has failed to score in 3 games, now if our first goals are against Barbados what does that say the US in world Football truth is to compete when we get to south Africa not just get there, we have to find a striker who can score goals at the top level
Steavenn360
Deltona , FL
Total Comments (4)
"DaMarcus Beasley???s knee remains a concern. I know he???s just coming back from a long injuury lay-off, but the old Beasley would have turned on the jets to beat Nicolas Burdisso to a ball in the U.S. attacking third in minute 42. Yet this Beasley just didn???t have that burst of speed in him."
No... he has that burst of speed... but people need to learn a valuable lesson. He's among the worst players the US has, and ranks among the worst in the world. He ONLY has speed, no ball skills, no shooting touch, terrible passing... and when you play on the international level, your speed is negated because everyone around you, *especially* the Argentinians, are just as fast. It's a negated skill, and he shouldn't be on the team, not on the field or even on the bench.
BuffaloTF
Total Comments (1669)
Mike Bradley is playing a completely different position than what he plays for his club, so I can't really fault the guy. Edu and Masteroni both play defensive mid for their clubs and I think you saw the difference in how they kept shape in the second half... asides that idiotic red card.
I would say they did well on this three game stretch, aside from the Wembley debacle. I think that atmosphere might have been intimidating and there was a bit too much star gazing.
It was also nice to see a very much pro-American crowd showing up.
HelloHello.
Total Comments (1205)
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