USA Vs. Argentina, Full Time: Juan Agudelo's Strike Salvages Tie For Stars And Stripes

The United States weathered a relentless onslaught of Argentina chances in the second half, played an inspired second half and pulled out a 1-1 tie on Saturday in front of nearly 79,000 people at New Meadowlands Stadium. The equalizing strike came off the foot of none other than Juan Agudelo, who has now scored in two of his three USMNT appearances and drawn a penalty in the other.

Agudelo's equalizer came in the 59th minute after the 18-year-old found himself in the right place at the right time. Carlos Bocanegra was able to get a solid header on a Landon Donovan free kick and Agudelo was there to clean up the rebound. Agudelo had entered the match at the start of the second half as a substitute for Jermaine Jones.

Almost as important as Agudelo's goal was the play of Timothy Chandler, who entered the match along with Agudelo to start the second half. Chandler helped the U.S. do a much better job of building up pressure and provided some quality service from his right back position.

The first half was an entirely different story as Argentina dominated possession and scoring chances. In many ways, the U.S. had to feel lucky to go into halftime down just 1-0 on Esteban Cambiosso's goal. Lionel Messi ran through the U.S. midfield and defense with ease and U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard was really the only reason the score was not much more lopsided.

Juan Agudelo continued his magical run with the United States, scoring the equalizer in the 59th minute to make the score 1-1. The 18-year-old has now played three games in Red, White And Blue, scoring twice and drawing a penalty in the his other appearance. He entered today's game as a second-half substitute and has never played more than a half in any of his three appearances.

This goal was not necessarily a thing of beauty, but he showed a goal-scorer's instinct by being in the right place at the right time. The play started when Jozy Altidore earned the U.S. a free kick from about 40 yards out. Landon Donovan's delivery found the head of Carlos Bocanegra and while the initial shot was stopped, Agudelo was there to clean it up.

The goal came against the run of play as Argentina has continued to dominate possession and chances in the second half. Tim Howard has come up with several big saves, most recently on a close-range shot from Lionel Messi from a tight angle near the touchline.

It looks like Bob Bradley will roll the dice a bit and install two young players in the second half. Juan Agudelo is starting the second half against Argentina in place of Jermaine Jones. That would seem to imply that the U.S. will go with more of a 4-4-2 set up. Timothy Chandler will also be making his debut for the U.S., entering for Jonathan Spector at right back. 

While Agudelo, just 18, is already making his third appearance for the U.S., Chandler has never even been in camp with the team until now. Chandler is German, but has an American father. He has been playing in the Bundesliga for FC Nuremberg. His selection to the U.S. team was a bit of a surprise to just about anyone who follows the team.

In the early going of the second half, Argentina has continued to apply considerable pressure, but so far the score remains 1-0 in the 52nd minute. The U.S. has also created a couple of decent chances of their own, most notably Maurice Edu just missing an attempt near post.

Argentina finally did something with their domination of the first half, with Esteban Cambiosso cleaning up a loose ball that had come out into the six-yard box after an impressive run by Lionel Messi in the 41st minute. Up until the score, the United States had done a decent job of hanging in there despite Argentina controlling possession and at times seeming to toy with their opponents.

On the goal, Messi took the ball to the touchline and cut it back through Carlos Bocanegra's legs. Tim Howard was able to stop the initial shot, but the rebound came back out to Cambiosso who scored the goal from point-blank range.

For the most part, the U.S. has been restricted to counter-strike opportunities and has been unable to mount any sustained pressure. Messi has made several impressive runs through the U.S. defense and only the goalkeeping of Howard has kept the score as close as it is at halftime. Argentina has outshot the U.S. 8-2, and put four of their shots on target.

Here is Argentina’s lineup for this evening’s friendly against the USA, as announced on Friday:

Argentina lineup (Projected 4-2-1-3) Andújar; Zanetti, Burdisso, Milito, Rojo; Banega, Mascherano, Cambiasso; Lavezzi, Messi, Di María.

That’s as intimidating an attack as any in international football, with Lavezzi likely the center forward, flanked on the wings by Lionel Messi and Ángel di María. Éver Banega should play as the most advanced of Argentina’s central midfield with Javier Mascherano and Esteban Cambiasso pairing as the holding midfielders.

The USA is strong on the wings with Dempsey and Donovan, but with the threat posed by Messi and di María it is anyone’s guess as to whether or not they’ll be able to stay consistently far forward enough to put much pressure on Argentina’s back line. If the USA shifts into a 4-3-2-1 or 4-5-1 type of shape in order to counteract Argentina’s advantage in quality up top this one could turn into something of a grinder.

We have no surprises from Bob Bradley, as he's fielded the exact lineup that those in the know have been telling the social media universe that the United States would be playing all week. Of course, though it's just a friendly match between the USA and Argentina, both sets of fans will ultimately be panicking about the things in the lineups that they don't like while calling for the heads of the managers. We'll have the Argentina lineup later, but for now, here's the USMNT.

United States lineup (Projected 4-3-3): Howard; Spector, Demerit, Onyewu, Bocanegra; Jones, Bradley, Edu; Donovan, Dempsey, Altidore

Now, this might not be a 4-3-3 exactly, but it seems like the best guess for now. Of course, there are other possibilities, but what we've heard all week is that Jermaine Jones will be a defensive midfielder, Michael Bradley will be a box to box type of player, and Maurice Edu will be the furthest forward of the three in the center. Could this morph into three holders with Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey pinned back? Against Argentina, absolutely. The United States' biggest concern will be making sure that Altidore isn't completely isolated on his own up top.

The last time the United States and Argentina met, the second half was marked by a torrential downpour, only it didn't put a damper on the match. As the rain began to fall at Giants Stadium on June 8, 2008, the intensity on the field only increased and the sell out crowd was sent into a frenzy. The match finished as frantic as it was in the stands as the two teams finished scoreless, but not due to a lack of effort, activity or chances.

On Saturday, the U.S. and Argentina will square off again in New Jersey, this time right next door to the since demolished Giants Stadium at New Meadowlands Stadium. While they may be moving next door, the match will still be in the New Jersey swamp and it appears, in unkind weather. Unfortunately, the kind of weather in the forecast for Saturday isn't the cooing thunderstorm on a warm summer day like it was three years ago, but instead temperatures right around freezing.

There have been dustings of snow in the New York/New Jersey area in past days and while it looks like the wet and sticky stuff will stay away on Saturday, the cold will not. The forecast has the temperature at 34 degrees when the match kicks off at 7 pm EDT and only getting colder and the night wears on. The cold alone makes for an uncomfortable night, but that can be worked through. What makes the cold a real problem though, is the field.

New Meadowlands Stadium normally has an artificial turf field, but U.S. head coach Bob Bradley refuses to play on turf and most opposing teams insist on grass for matches. For these friendlies, natural grass is laid down and that will be the case on Saturday with grass aid over the New Meadowlands Stadium turf.

The problem with grass laid over turf is that it doesn't take root and isn't as stable as grass should be. There is a reason Bradley refuses to let the U.S. play on grass laid over turf for World Cup qualifiers. It's not of very high quality, with its seams and bumps and that is in good weather. Freezing temperatures and a dusting of know certainly will not help the field settle and smooth.

With Argentina having the ability to send Lionel Messi, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Angel di Maria and Javier Pastore all in the attack. Few teams can match their ability to knock the ball around and play attractive football, but a bumpy and uneven pitch with seams that hasn't settled will not do much to help their play.

A field of that condition a very real possibility with the weather and if the pitch does limit possession and attacking play, it will certainly favor the United States. The Yanks cannot play with the skill of Argentina, but they do have the strength and speed, which would pay off in a more physical match that could break out if the pitch doesn't allow for prettier play.

For all of the attention that the players may get on Saturday, it may be the field that has the biggest impact. Of course, just as was the case three years ago, it's doubtful that the weather affects the crowd much. The expected sell out crowd will still fill the stadium and provide all the buzz and energy, but they might not get a beautiful show on the field.

The question that has been asked most of the United States since Brian McBride's retirement from international soccer in 2006 is "who is going to be the U.S. striker?" That is usually followed by a reminder that no U.S. striker has scored in a World Cup since 2002, but striker is not at the top of the list of issues for Bob Bradley's side. 

For all the talk about the goals that the U.S. could have scored in the World Cup, they did score five goals in four matches, which is a respectable total. In the final round of World Cup qualification, the U.S. led all CONCACAF teams with 19 goals scored so they got their share of goals even without stellar striker play.

The biggest issue that the Yanks have had is keeping other teams from scoring. Their four World Cup matches yielded five goals and in the final round of World Cup qualifying the U.S. allowed more goals than either of the other top three teams. Against the top four teams in the final round of qualifying, the U.S. kept just one clean sheet and gave up at least two goals in four of those six matches against the confederation's three other upper echelon teams. The team's struggles to keep teams from scoring is most apparent when comparing their final round of qualifying for 2010, where they gave up 13 goals, to their final round of qualifying for 2006, where they gave up just six.

There was no doubt that the U.S. needed to improve their back line, but eight months after the last World Cup cycle ended with a 2-1 extra time loss to Ghana in the round of 16, they are still in the process of figuring out its defense. The issue is the the team has placed an emphasis on winning the Gold Cup and earning the spot in the 2013 Confederations Cup that comes with it. That Gold Cup is only two and half months away though and Bradley still hasn't sorted out his back line problems.

Oguchi Onyewu has finally gotten back on the field and is playing regularly for the first time since the spring of 2009. That layoff was a product of a transfer to AC Milan where he couldn't break into the team and a serious knee injury he is only just getting back to 100% from. Nonetheless, the hulking central defender appears to have a lock on the right-sided central defender role.

Where Bradley has the most work to do is on the left side of his defense. At this point, there are essentially three players competing for the two spots on the left and Bradley will have to figure out which two to go with at this summer's Gold Cup. While the first few Gold Cup matches shouldn't challenge the U.S. defense too much, the later matches will and Saturday's friendly against Argentina could shed some light on Bradley's thought process going into the summer.

Tim Ream is the new, young option at center back and the left-footed player is the best distributing option out of any of the U.S. defenders. His ability to play with the ball at his feet carries more weight than it ordinarily would because the U.S. is trying to change to a five-man midfield with an emphasis on more possession. Better distribution out of the back is essential to more possession and Ream despite not being a top level defender, he has shown better than expected defending in his two caps thus far. It has to be mentioned that those two caps came without most of the best U.S. players on the roster though and against sub-par competition so Ream's play on Saturday, if he plays, will go a long ways to determining if his defending will be up to snuff for the summer.

While Ream is an option as a left-sided central defender, Jonathan Bornstein is an option as a left back. Often derided for his boneheaded mistakes that have led to goals for the opposition, it is easy to forget that Bornstein most recently played well in his two World Cup starts against Algeria and then Ghana. With good speed and strength, Bornstein has the ability to defend well and even showed he is capable of doing an outstanding defensive job when he all but shut down Lionel Messi when the U.S. played Argentina in 2008, but he's lacked consistency. What remains to be seen is how Bornstein handles a return to left back after being moved to the midfield since transferring to Tigres this January.

The final left-sided option can play either of the spots in question and is almost guaranteed to start considering he is the captain. Carlos Bocanegra has 85 caps to his name, some at central defender and some at left back. Undoubtedly better in the center, Bocanegra could be forced to left back because Ream plays so well. It is also possible that he could be forced to left back because the team has no other semi-competent option at the position, as has been the case recently.

Because Bocanegra is a near lock to start this summer, the question is whether Ream or Bornstein can earn the other starting spot. After Saturday's friendly against Argentina and Tuesday's friendly against Paraguay, the U.S. will likely have just one more match before the start of the Gold Cup in early June. That final match will likely be used as a tune up, meaning that Saturday could be the start of a two-match tryout between the two for the final spot.

For all the questions on the left side of the U.S. defense, there is another question on the right side. Onyewu might have the right-sided central defender spot in the bag, but the right back role is still up for grabs. Steve Cherundolo is aging, but may have played his finest soccer at last summer's World Cup. He would undoubtedly the preferred option at the position, but the 32-year-old is regularly fighting injuries, as is he right now resulting in his being taken off of the roster.

With Cherundolo out for this weekend and his availability for the summer not assured because of his tendency to get injured, Bradley must find another suitable option at the position. Jonathan Spector is the longest tenured national teamer of the three options Bradley has, but he hasn't been playing well or regularly for 18 months. In the summer of 2009, Spector hit his high point with the U.S., bypassing Cherundolo on the depth chart and playing the tremendous cross from deep that Clint Dempsey headed home against Egypt to secure a spot in the Confederations Cup knock out stage. Ever since though, Spector has turned in poor performances for the national team and even worse ones for his club, West Ham, except for a short stretch where he played well as a midfielder.

Because of Spector's steep decline the U.S. needed another younger option at right back to be next in line after Cherundolo and they turned to Eric Lichaj. Young and physically capable, lichaj was making headway with Aston Villa at the same time he was making headway with the U.S. Lichaj made his international debut in October and did well then he began to earn time with the Villa first team. His high point came when he started against Tottenham Hotspur and did a fantastic job marking Gareth Bale, but he followed that up with a nightmare performance against Manchester City, after which manager Gerard Houllier singled out a specific poor play where he gave away a penalty. Ever since, Lichaj has not seen the field for Villa and was reported to have played terrible for the reserves before being loaned out. In fact, Lichaj was not even on the initial roster for the friendlies, but was called in when Cherundolo was injured.

The final option for Bradley is the new guy, Timothy Chandler. At 20-years-old, Chandler only recently made his first time debut with Nuremberg of the German Bundesliga, playing both right midfield and right back. Chandler is German-born, with a German mother and American father, who has never played on the senior international level. Versatile and adept at getting forward, Chandler has been playing only right back in training with the U.S. With Bradley lacking another good option at right back, Chandler has an opportunity to jump up the U.S. depth chart to feature this summer in the Gold Cup despite not even being on the U.S. radar a mere six months ago.

Scoring goals is far more sexy than keeping them out and attackers always get the most praise. The U.S. most certainly needs improved striker play and with a young phenom like Juan Agudelo on the roster, most will be looking at what the U.S. does up front this Saturday when the Yanks square off against Argentina, but it is the action at the back that is most important.