United States vs. Argentina: American Player Rankings

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: March 27, 2011

commentComment        

In usual American fashion, the men's national team came from behind in what turned out to be a more competitive match than the first forty-five minutes foreshadowed for the second half.

The Argentinian side dominated the first half, and truly there wasn't a single U.S. player that stood out.

But how could any when the formation and strategy was exactly what Argentina would want:  Drop deep, absorb pressure, let Messi and Co. run at us, hope for a counter-attack with a lone striker.

Could the South Americans ask for anything better?

They learned one lesson from the first half: the United States can organize itself (and thank goodness, since its an international team); it can let in only one goal when playing its traditional "shell defense"; and yes, Argentina is very good.

That's is a great lesson to learn if the goal of the match is to only lose by one goal. Unfortunately, that's rarely the case at the international level.

Still, the American side redeemed itself in the second half.

Bob Bradley changed the formation to a more conventional 4-4-2 (something this writer expected as it is the best formation for this U.S squad), and the United States pressed its attack which is really the only option against a side as strong and inventive on the ball as Argentina.

The change led to a set piece (still the best chance for the U.S. to score a goal), and Juan Agudelo scored a second chance rebound (Charlie Davies-esque). A decent defensive effort and wonderful goalkeeping by Tim Howard earned the U.S. a tie for a great second half effort. 

Here are my player rankings:

Tim Howard—9: Performances like this game are why so many American fans consider Howard one of the best goal keepers in the world. His display was as good as any and the type necessary to win a tournament. He made no mistakes and could do nothing on the goal. A great performanc...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!