POSTGAME REVIEW: USA v Argentina

By: Dave Martinez | June 9th, 2008

Wow. So thats what it feels like when nearly 79,000 rabid soccer fans are put under one roof? Amazing.

MAJOR props to Sams Army and ESC, which showed up this game in a major way – especially the final 15 minutes. Somehow, a section of 4,000 max outsang the almighty biceleste fans when it counted most.

I will be putting up a thread of strictly media (pics and videos) of the Argie game last night. But for now? Here is your post game review, done Offside style!

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MAN OF THE MATCH

You want some stand out play? Look no further than between the pipes! Tim Howard pulled off a Keller v. Brazil -esque performance against the top flight power in the world. This former Metro has proven that he is one of the best keepers in the world. Excellent job.

(honorable mention: Landon Donovan – PLEASE, talk to your woman. Come to an agreement and go to Europe! Rep the US worldwide Lando!)

TURNING POINT OF THE MATCH

The pace of the second half and the confidence the team exhibited was clearly based on that Goochy header that nearly made this game 1-0 US. They came out blazing against a tired and unaware Argentine squad straight out of the gates. That moment and confidence against the worlds best carried through the rest of the half.

WHAT THE !$&!* MOMENT OF THE MATCH

A red card? For dissent? Yea, nice way to almost ruin the perfect night, Referee Joel Aguilar Chicas. What a dope. And then he tries to make up for it with another lame red on Argentina when the game was practically done for. Nice. Real Nice. Jackass.

SPECIAL ED PLAYER OF THE MATCH

Please keep this in mind as your read the following; I am a Fulham fan, I rooted for EJ all year, and all I want is his growth to accelerate to the point we all know he should be at.

BUT.

Eddie Johnson, as our target forward, is not cutting the mustard. I had a small crowd of people surrounding me just laughing their asses off because I could NOT control myself – I HAD to predict his next move all game, and I was on point 95% of the time. “Pass it back EJ,” “Don’t shoot EJ!,” “Here comes a giveaway!” All. Night.

And did you guys catch EJ pacing in circles up top? Not moving towards the ball or pressuring ever? He has perfected the art of ball watching.

The only time I caught myself rooting for him was on that one run up the left hand side, where Pato stuffed his attempt. To which I yelled “YA! FIGURES!”

My father raised me on tough love – you dont do what your expected to, you get a spanking or worse. Well, thats my treatment of EJ – all I want is his success, and at each and every turn, you see why the frustration is there in the first place.

The US held Argentina to one lonely shot in the second half. Our defense stood tall, and our players really proved their worth. Here are my grades for the game (based on a 1-10 scale):

Tim Howard – 10 - The best performance of his career, and the best by a US goalkeeper since Keller v. Brazil.

Heath Pearce – 9 – I was so impressed not only by Pierce ice cold style of play, but his decision making and comfort against an intense Argie attack. Left back is his.

Oguchi Onyewu – 7 – I though the Gooch had a good game, and nearly sealed it for us with that majestic header!

Dan Califf – 6.5 – A quiet game, which usually means a good game for a centerback.

Steve Cherundolo – 6 – Played well, though he was turned inside out on about 2 occassions.

Pablo Mastroeni – 7 – Grit, determination, steady play and positioning – this is why El Maestro should always be lurking somewhere in our CDM. You forget his importance to the team when he is away, but by God, when he is there – you appreciate him. btw – no points off for that red. The ref should be publicly cained for that one.

Michael Bradley – 5 – Lost the ball way too much. Worst performance for him out of the big 3.

Clint Dempsey – 6.5 - Demps, like his boy EJ, is known to take some games off, or just become ghost on the field. Well, not tonight. Though more could have been done on his part, it was easily his best performance of the past 3 weeks.

DaMarcus Beasley – 7 – My friend, who hasnt seen Beasley live ever, left the game thinking he was Man of the Match. He has speed for days, and is probably, at best, working at 90%.

Landon Donovan – 8.5 – Again – I am PLEADING here – Landon, ask your woman for some kind of compromise here! I hate being repetitive, but you need to be repping the US worldwide. Excellent composure and leadership.

Eddie Johnson – 5.5 - I dont think I was the only one praying for an EJ goal. Bob Bradley started Johnson for these three important games, with the hopes, I believe, that he net at least one goal so that they may continue to field EJ as a forward option. But after three games of back passes, aimless pacing and ball watching, it may be time for Jozy and Cooper to get a look.

Substitutions:

Freddy Adu – 6.5 – I hate to use Reyna-ese to describe Adu, but man, that kid does all the little things right! Great touch on the ball, good awareness and excellent distribution to boot. Maybe a starting Adu would have helped produce a goal, but who knows.

Maurice Edu – 6.5 – Edu has some amazing composure. A great find for the USMNT.

Jay DeMerit – 6 – Anyone who can fill in for Gooch so well should get a high rating. He made a seamless transition.

Sacha Kljestan – 6 – Sasha looked good! A little more pitch time would have been nice, but he did his part to keep play fluid.

Eddie Lewis – 5 – Eddie always offers an excellent dimension in his play. And his ability to stabilize and cross was an excellent threat down the stretch.

Frankie Hejduk – 4 – Only because he was out there for like 2 seconds.