The US played heavily favored Argentina to a well-deserved 1-1 draw at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Saturday. Much as in the two teams' previous meeting in 2008, it was a tale of two halves. The Albiceleste dominated the first 45 while the US fought back and produced an even second half.
US PLAYER RATINGS:
Tim Howard (8.5) – Howard stretched to get a touch to nearly everything and was one clearance shy of what would have been a legendary shutout. Forget the goal; he made a huge save on that, too. Howard was so good, he made two monster stops that won't go into official record – one incorrectly given as a goal kick and another nullified by the offside flag.
Jonathan Spector (4) – It was only 45 minutes, but the West Ham man who’s been in a struggle for playing time showed his rust. He did a good job of forcing play wide, but his crossing was below par and he was exposed for quickness on the goal.
Jay DeMerit (6) – Letting the rebound squirt by on the goal got punished, but such things happen in a scrum of that nature. The Vancouver captain also had a couple of nervy moments on the ball, but his 90-minute commitment, impeccable positioning and penchant for saving tackles – including one on his own second-half giveaway – pulls his grade up.
Oguchi Onyewu (5) – Gooch was turned early and often in a brutal first 45, and his distribution throughout left much to be desired. The big man picked his game up in the second half and was dominant in the air, but he has a ways to go until he’s at the top of his game.
[inlinenode:332185]Carlos Bocanegra (5.5) – Like the rest of the defenders, Bocanegra had several iffy moments facing down the likes of Lionel Messi, Ángel di María and Ezequiel Lavezzi. But he did a good job of providing an outlet, getting up the flank occasionally and, as always, making himself known on set-pieces. It was his header that provided the rebound for Juan Agudelo to slam home.
Michael Bradley (5.5) - It was an up-down-up night for Bradley, who predictably ran and ran through it all. He struggled stringing passes together in the first half, but was a key cog in the dangerous US counterattack in the second. Never involved much offensively.
Jermaine Jones (4) – He certainly came to scrap and showed early that he could try to provide some ideas from midfield, but mostly Jones played too direct and looked out of his element playing alongside two similar players in Bradley and Maurice Edu. He also spent a good chunk of his 45 minutes jawing at the ref.
Maurice Edu (6) – After the removal of Jones, the always harassing Edu showed why he wins so much Scottish silver. He ran tirelessly on both sides of the ball and while his final touch repeatedly let him down, his work shutting off Argentina counters and filling passing lanes was admirable.
Landon Donovan (6) – The LA Galaxy star went missing for long stretches of the first half, reduced to chasing the game in Bradley’s 4-2-3-1. Once the US switched to the 4-4-2, Donovan kept driving forward no matter how many times he didn't get a call or found himself frustrated on the ground. His dangerous free kick helped make the goal, and with just minutes left he tracked back 75 yards to help shut down a Messi foray in the box.
Clint Dempsey (6) – Combining a hard nose and skill as always, Deuce's night was a mixed bag. He threw the first US jab with an early shot, then capitulated when presented with a late winning chance to fire on goal. There were a couple bad decisions in attack and a couple of strong defensive plays in his end.
Jozy Altidore (6) – Left on an island in the first half, Jozy was reduced to going 1-on-3 or trying to hold the ball up amidst swarming Argentine defenders. In the second he responded with a fine all-purpose half, spraying passes around, commanding air and bringing other attackers into the play. He also took quite a beating to win fouls and dished out a few nasty shoulders himself.
[inlinenode:332182]Subs:
Juan Agudelo (6.5) – Obviously, his ability to get to the right place at the right time and apply the right touch is exciting. You also don't often see a kid his age dribbling heads up and attacking fearlessly against Argentina. You do often see them overplay hands in possession from time to time, and he did that as well.
Timothy Chandler (7) – How long do you think it was before people starting asking for Chandler shirts outside the stadium? Stateside fans got to see why this youngster is excelling in the Bundesliga at two positions. His bouncy stride is hard to read, he knows when to get forward and his ability to cross at pace is scary.
Coach Bob Bradley (7) – This grade could have been higher had he not again tried wedging three two-way midfielders into where only two should go, but it’s an experiment that needed trying. He solved the problem at halftime, switching back to an old favorite formation that paid dividends. It’s also worth taking notice of how well his team scraps for each other, communicates and rarely loses its shape. And, of course, how well they come back from a goal down.
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