USA 0, Argentina 0: The Day After

What a game.

For all the complaints and concerns and fears following the U.S. national team's losses to England and Spain, most of those were put to rest on Sunday night as the USA showed skill, heart, determination and definite potential in a 0-0 tie against Argentina, the No. 1 team in the world.

This was the U.S. team we have been waiting to see, a team that can stand up against the big boys of world soccer and match them. Yes, it would have been better if the Americans could have scored a goal, but they still showed more than enough to leave fans feeling optimistic about the progress they have made after friendlies against England, Spain and Argentina.

Here is my story on the match for ESPN.com.

I will offer a more detailed take on the match in a short while. For now I want to hear from you on what you thought of the match. Are you feeling better about where the U.S. national team is in terms of progress? What players stood out for you and how do you feel about the U.S. team as it heads toward World Cup qualifying.

Share your thoughts on last night's match, and on the U.S. national team, below.

Comments

[RA]

Yes, it's about time we saw a solid result.

Let's roll 'em out for Barbados:

-----------Howard--------
--Dolo--Gooch--Boca--Pearce
-----------Mastro--------
--Deuce------------DMB--
-----------Junior--------
---EJ-------------LD------

[CPTKevin]

What a game!!! Tim Howard was awesome. Gooch was unlucky. Congrats to LD on 100 caps. Crowd was enthusiastic. Both teams played well with chances to win. End result was justified. Now on to 2010 qualifying!!!

[EDB]

I think it was encouraging but I am still worried about the team. We did better with the build up, but i think we still send to many long balls and don't build up a good attack.

[Simona]

It was such an exciting game! I don't think I've recovered yet. It was amazing and Tim Howard is king.

[Eric]

Even though he got (a questionable) red card, I think Mastroeni may have re-established himself as a must-have in the center of defense.

Other than that...have to say I was massively impressed with Heath Pearce over the last 3 games. Wouldn't be surprised if he started garnering interest from other clubs.

As for our attack - while there were some good chances, we still were blanked for 270+ minutes, and that has to change. Eddie doesn't seem like being able to score against the big boys, and that's what we need.

I hope we can take it to Barbados hard in the first game - a repeat of 7-0 would be nice, and then send a B Squad, or even the Olympic team to the away leg.

[Tim Crawford]

Yeah, it was definitely a fantastic performance. The ref really killed this one with the ridiculous red though for Pablo. I think it's apparent that Freddy MUST play at this point. He has no fear of anyone and it's refreshing for an American side that is always looked down upon and disrespected. A midfield with him, Landon, and Deuce should be pretty fantastic if we can get Jozy or Cooper going up top.

[A.S.]

The atmosphere in the stadium was great - especially the last 10 minutes or so when the rain really started falling. It was a shame that some of the players were exhausted at that point. (The exhaustion was even more evident midway through the second half, when Argentina dominated possession and the US was hacking left and right, and the referee decided to take control of the game. But that's another story.)

What stood out to me was that the midfield played well. We had much more possession than I thought we'd have against a team that can dominate in that area. Mastroeni played excellently holding and was able to keep control in a way that the US really hadn't before. I thought Landon was rusty, which is a shame, because he really could have provided the finishing touch in several spots and gotten us the goal. Very nice night for US soccer.

[tedhill]

Has there been any explanation by either the refs or FIFA yet about the yellow and red cards Mastroeni received? Is there a chance that those can be rescinded?

As for the WCQ's, I'd imagine Johnson will be the forward, As much as I like Jozy, I wouldn't throw him into a crucial game like this without being match fit. I'd like to see the same lineup that played the first half against Spain, the 4-5-1, with Freddy Adu as the CAM. I would also like to add that Heath Pearce is improving and looks like an anchor at LB. That is good to see.

[Eric]

Also - first time I had really seen Califf play, and have to say I was impressed.

[Gabriel]

Honestly, I am itching for Altidore to have some time in Spain in hopes that he may fill the void up front left by McBride. It's painful to watch so many chances squandered by EJ. Howard is a beast, eh?

[KC]

I thought Pearce made progress from game to game and should have locked down the Left Back spot. Bornstein can back him up if/when he gets healthy. Califf was solid and should provide good depth behind Gooch & Bocanegra, didn't see enough of Demerit though to really make an impression.

I am worried about depth behind Dolo though, Hejduk is not an answer, for all his energy he gives the ball away entirely too much and is below average when it comes to winning tackles.

Forward is still a problem and as long as Eddie Johnson remains first choice or Wolff remains a viable option in Bradley's mind we are in trouble. Here's hoping Cooper & Altidore develop enough to be counted on soon.

[Geoff]

I agree with John Harkes in that against England the US looked scared and nervous and that maybe the occasion of playing at the new wembley got the better of them. Certainly Donovan and Altidiore might have helped them had they been healthy. Last night against one of the worlds best teams (not the best, Italy are still world champions) the occasion brought out the best of everybody. I also think its important at any level not to give your opposition any respect whatsoever. I know Messi and Aguero are two excellent young footballers but if you give them any respect, they already beat you. I think that was the problem in England, not so much in Spain. Everyone certainly showed up last night.

[KMD]

Received this via email:

Bob Bradley was quoted as saying:

"I'm told that after the foul Pablo picked up the ball and threw it to
Danny Califf, just to buy a little bit of time," Bradley said. "You never
know for sure but there is part of you that thinks the referee in that
moment didn't realize he had already given him a yellow card."

[Marc]

Landon showed more aggressiveness and his set pieces were better too. It may be a coincidence, but he has played much better since Beckham joined L.A. Others that played well include Howard, Pearce, Bradley, Beaseley, Edu and Adu.

Dempsey and Cherundolo continue to underwhelm.

[Q]

I missed the game. Anyone know where I can find a good video reel of Howard's saves and the rest of the game?

[papi grande]

howard was MOTM. cherundolo was average. i am not a fan of califf but he did suprisingly well. onyewu was up and down. pearce did himself proud and should be first choice at Left back. maestroeni played well and put himself back in the mix. i am a fan of michael bradley but he did not have a strong night. seemed a bit slow and the speed of play seemed to fast for him on this night. dempsey was below average and seems to be in a rut with the USMNT. beasley looked decent and it looks like he is making a good recovery with his knee. donovan played well, especially in being aggressive and running at argentina with speed with ball at his feet. johnson is struggling with his first touch and as a result of not working hard with strong runs off the ball, he is not much of a scoring threat at this time.

nothing novel in my next comment, but the best performance by the USMNT of the three friendlies.

barbados is toast. i like the idea of running up the score on them in leg1 and then sending the US olympic squad for the away leg.

that is all for now.

[Richie B]

Danny Califf played well enough to give him a start against Barbados. Bocanegra hasn't impressed me recently. Howard, Pearce, Beasley, Edu, Adu, Mastroeni and DeMerit in his limited time all looked good to me.

I thought Michael Bradley was terrible. He was continually losing possession, just standing there with the ball and not making the decisive pass, just slowly trotting forward and getting caught and losing the ball. Gooch wasn't too great. There was the time early in the game he tried catching Julio Cruz offside and missed by about 5 yards and was saved by Howard. Gooch just was off last night.

[Tom]

Fantastic experience. Nice to have our national anthem actually MEAN something when played before a sporting event.

U.S. fans were great the last 15-20 minutes when the rain was coming down.

Very impressed by how the US pulled it together and played very smart after Pablo sent off. Adu & Klestjan seemed to work together very well. Also
1--Howard MOTOM
2--Donovan's leadership
3--DeMerit

The bad:
1--EJ absolutely no threat
2--Defense--hey guys, maybe ARG will try a through ball down the left side AGAIN
3--Finishing

[NJ Guy STuck in DC]

Very well played. The score could have been 0-3 Argentina or 1-0 US. The fact that we kept it at a draw is good news, thanks to Timmy. We weren’t tentative which is a great improvement. My thoughts on players front to back

EJ is the joke about the Italian army tank. How many gears does an Italian tank have? 4 in reverse, and 1 in drive in case the enemy gets behind you. It’s tough to score goals that way. It’s time to sit him for who we’ve been clamoring for and it’s time to experiment with 2 strikers as well.

LD congrats on the 100 caps and it’s good to see someone who feels they belong there. Clint came to play and was the mid of old (pls do not consider him as a forward in the future though); DMB had energy and speed which is a win right there although I don’t think he played particularly well. MB better than before but I’m not sold on him over Edu; he was dispossessed a number of times b/c the Argies were so fast. Pablo played his best game until the red. Edu is not long for the MLS and he made some really nice passes to get people forward. Adu flat out needs to play no matter who our opponent is – he does need an enforcer behind him and he needs to play the ball quicker to avoid injury.

Pearce has been a great surprise and has nailed down the spot. Not a Califf fan but very solid and the best game I’ve seen him play. Gooch was unlucky not to get a goal although he was caught in no-man’s land ruing the Arg maelstrom of interpassing a few times. Demerit - didn’t have much to judge him on but I like how he plays the simple ball out of pressure and to feet (and forward sometimes!). Chreundolo is good but his style doesn’t fit the US formation much – our formations favor stay at home defenders and hoofers and he seems to be left out on an island a lot b/c he likes supporting play and to get forward.

Timmy was a 5 or a 10 depending on what grading system is used. Phenomenal.

[Aguinaga]

My head is absolutely pounding right now. My co-workers are like ??? b/c a high pitched rasp has now replaced my voice. And my body aches from the dehydration, the jumping, & the fallingx2 off the chair I was standing on for the last ~15 minutes of the game once the thunderstorm started. What an incredible, amazing, magical game to witness as a USA soccer supporter...!

[Art]

That was an exciting game to watch! Yes, you're right, it would've been better if the USA had scored a goal. But it was great to see them finally match another team's intensity and just go for broke at times. Congrats to Donovan on his 100th cap and I was impressed with how the midfield started to finally hold some possession to bring up other players and try to work it in. Mastroeni still has some gas in that tank, and it was a shame to see him sent off after that ref's weird call. Adu should get the start against Barbados. His charging upfield was really impressive. Even though the attack was snuffed out by the Argentine defense, seeing Beasley started to show flashes of his speed was encouraging. Obviously the man of the match honors goes to Howard, even though he probably got a away with a non-penalty call. Overall, an enjoyable match to watch!

[Reid]

I was impressed by pearce, after a couple times of over the top passes he settled and played it out of the back. If we can get our back 4 to play it out more consistently. You can blame the last 2 games on midfield distribution, but when the back 4 just boot it there isnt much they can do.
Love it how all those Pablo bashers are "surpised" by his performance.
Loved the game, fans, support and pace (cosidering the heat). Just wish Bob would grow the balls to put cooper in.... this is what friendlies are for.
Out of everthing though I was most impressed with US fan support at the stadium

[CO_Soccer_FAN]

In my view, Tim Howard was the player of the game last night. The game could have easily been over for the USMNT by the end of the first half if it wasn't for our super goalie.

Instead T.H. energized his whole team (and the fans) by making those quality goal-saving saves in the first half. The game turned out to be a big mental victory for the U.S. especially after what Argentina did to Mexico a few days before.

Kudos to the US Soccer Federation for scheduling these friendlies and trying to take the USMNT to the next level. We started slow 10 days ago but ended strong. Go USA!

[Aguinaga]

ps
1. For better or worse, Donovan is this team's flotation device. Especially without Adu out there and with the EJ fetish BB has, we have no other point of attack.
2. DMB played like a man absolutely possessed last night. WoW.
3. For all our combative play, Timmy played inspired and saved our asses. Agree with what someone said earlier, could've easily been 3-0 Argentina on 3 lovely Messi assists.

[Adam M.]

1) E.J. simply does not have a nose for the goal or a touch worthy of a striker role at the international level. Raw speed is nice, but can be found elsewhere. He would make a good late-game sub, perhaps, when defenses are tired, but I can't see him starting. And Dempsey seems a little lost himself right now.

2) Adu should be starting. I'd like to see him sit up in the middle just behind Altidore and Dempsey. Adu, Donovan, and Beasely all know how to make runs from the midfield, which is what we lacked against England because Beasely was stuck on the wing, Adu didn't get enough time, and Donovan didn't play.

3) Bradley, I think, has yet to prove his role. Mastro was very good last night, and Kljestan seems to know how to move the ball around as well. Bradley simply makes too many mistakes, including a penchant for getting cards, and has yet to display his club level scoring touch. He seems more suited for a defensive sub role now.

4) The central defense needs to sit back more. There is no excuse for the string of break-aways we've seen in the last three games.

5) Tim Howard is brilliant.

6) For all the knocks he gets, L.D. is the absolute make-or-break player for the U.S.

7) Yes, the U.S. looked better. But Argentina was missing Tevez and Riquelme, only played Messi for a half, and if Cruz had lifted the ball off the ground, it would have been 3-0 at halftime. Given the subpar performances against England and Spain, and no goals in three games, I wouldn't be too excited by a 0-0 result in a Giants Stadium friendly.

8) Javier Mascherano -- there is no one better at what he does.

[sublicon]

Dude, when is Ching gonna get another call up? Seriously. The psychic connection between him and Dempsey is too priceless for them not to start up top together.

Eddie needs to take a seat until he shows he's worth a damn, maybe when he gets some starts for Fulham. He has not proven he is worthy, and Bradley can't let him keep skating along on his KC performance last season and whatever he's apparently doing in training. He can't seem to replicate it on the field.

[Brant]

I think "Cherundolo" became a new all-purpose verb. Not because of anything the player did; just because it sounds cool.

And to those people complaining that the Argies beat up our back line, what was the last back line they *didn't* blow thru?
Ask Mexico about it...

Our boys did well, but I'd like to see that kind of game on European soil. (And the Italy game only sort-of counts, as it was played in Kaiserslautern, home to one of the largest US communities overseas, and the stadium was probably 50% pro-US or more...)

[muscfiorentina]

Great Atmosphere, Great Match. Ives enjoyed you ESPN Article,But sitting behind Howard's Goal in the second half everyone I was with (about 15 people) felt that Demeritt Rated about a 2 and should never be put in game that matters.

[HomeyBoehme]

It was a great match.

My main concern after this whole 3-game series is our striking department. If you can't score goals against top teams, you will not advance out of the 2nd round in the World Cup. Hope Jozy gets the experience he needs at Villereal (Huelva or whatever). Could Eddie Johnson develop into...wait, no...I'm not even going there. Eddie Johnson cannot raise his game. If you look at the game yesterday, you saw plenty of players raise their game to a different level: Deuce, Howard, Pearce, etc. I'm sure the Fulham people saw all three friendlies and came to the same conclusion: NOT GOOD ENOUGH! I predict EJ gets loaned to a championship team.

[Brant]

And I just read your piece on ESPN with the player grades. I just gotta ask - what does Howard have to do to get a 10? Cure cancer?

[Hincha Tim]

What I thought was most impressive and a major development was that the USMNT was willing to go toe to toe with the Argies and not just try to bunkerdown and hold on. They toook it to them and for stretches of the game gave as good or better than what they got. It's the willingness of US players to go at opposing defenses one and one, trying to create. The only exception to this was EJ. Bradley has to put a forward in (Josey? Cooper?) who has the guts and the confidence to go at the goal. It says everything about EJ that when he was breaking in on the Argie goal he sent a pathetic pass to noone instead of trying to score. I loved that the young guns, Sasha, Freddy, Maurice (and the old guns too) did not back down. Every match they play like this against a quality opponent adds to the confidence. This is no minior step in the development of US Soccer. When the USMNT has players who are williing and able to beat their defender 1 v 1, and keep the ball under pressure (still have to work on that one) we will be able to hang with the big boys consistently.

[Jonathan]

Ives you gave Adu, the same rating as you gave Johnson??? WTF?? Comeo n, one player inhibitated our attac all night, the other player lights a fire in it and you also were to lax in your rating of MB, he was pretty much terrible the entire game, horrible first touches in the midfield,k gave the ball away on 3 clear occasions, and was a wonder argentina didn't turn them into straight goals..

[Chris]

I will say, from being at the game, that you get ten times more tactical observation over watching on TV. I was able to see stuff that just don't show because the camera's are mainly focused on the ball. The biggest thing you could note was the off-the-ball movement and speed of thought. Argentina's movement was great, the US, offensively was static, not surprising. I also gained a new-found respect for Eddie Johnson. Even though he has spurned his chances (which frustrates me and everyone I'm sure), he was always lined up and making good runs. It was the just the speed of thought for those delivering the pass was a little slow. Also, he was working well as a target forward to win the 50/50 balls that came up, but no US players were filling the space for the balls he headed back into the void for them and they were eventually claimed by the Argentines. The only change I noticed in this was when Adu came on, he was reading the game correctly and filling that space. I thought Bradley should have filling that space when he was on the field, but was having trouble effectively getting upfield.

Mastro also impressed me, as did Heath, and Heath actually took smart chances to go forward and worked well with Beas to share the defensive load. Beas also was great defensively and Timmy had a blinder, so overall I think there was a lot of positive things to take away from that game. Hopefully we've done enought to go punch for punch with the world power that is Barbados.

[kpugs]

I don't really have any complaints. If I had to find one I'd wonder why we can't play like this on the road.

[David Martinez]

I am still euphoric about the game. Best game ive ever attended. Working on my own write up of the experience as I type this! ;)

Lando needs to look at European options. He looked awesome out there.

And Howard - wow.

I cant say much more. I am just so super happy. I cant wait.

[Rene]

I'm from LA, but spending my summer in DC and I made the drive up to Giants Stadium to see this game...and it was the EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME! It was a 0-0 draw, but I was happy with the performance from the team (although a little disappointed Adu wasn't in from the start) and the atmosphere was just electric. There's always room for improvement, but there were lots of positives from this game.

[TheCoreSpeaks]

I will never forget those last 15 minutes... the crowd grew so much and finally it felt like we were all in it together.

Thought Heath Pearce had a very strong game as did landy...

@Tim Crawford - Myself and I think quite a few others are with you on Freddy... he makes the USA feel threatening and really is just fun to watch.

[Tolik]

I have a love/hate with Mastroeni. He is good for a card every match, usually for an unnecessary roughness (i.e. stupid moment). But his tenacity and energy in that position is essential. He gives guys in-front of him that extra second of breathing time that allows them to be better in the creative part of the game.

Challenge to you guys: is there anybody who can do what Mastroeni does? I like Edu, but he is not as selfless as Mastroeni.

[groovester]

It was great to see some of the American players getting into the faces of the Argentines. Sharp contrast to the whimpering seen in the England game. Dempsey looked like he got his hard-ass edge back a little last night. Adu did some pushing and shoving too.

[rc]

3 Games - 0 Goals. Yes, the defense got better, and the offense created some quality chances, but the bottom line is aside from 3 or 4 really good chances in the past week, the offense is non-existent.

[Mig22]

Since the striker situation has been covered rather comprehensively :), I'll talk about the defense. Wow, I thought Califf was a horror show out there. It demonstrated to me that Bocanegra is a much better organizing force than I thought. Gooch still wanders around and gets lost too much.

Heath Pearce was nearly perfect last night. He came forward, shot the ball well, and managed to not get burned all night (barely). I really didn't see him put a foot wrong and his ball distribution did improve as the game progressed.

Now, the real problem was Cherundolo (our newest verb...or adjective). Where exactly was he supposed to be playing? Someone above rightly mentioned we need a bit more of a stay-at-home defender. That's true unless the player performs like Pearce last night...fantastic outing.

Regards,

[Elmer]

I had a whole long comment written and then my computer freaked out and I lost it. Howard was awesome, but we need to score. EJ should be more of a winger, his speed is good, but he just doesn't know how to put them in the net enough to be a striker. What was up with the red card on Mastro?

[Brandinho]

The match was amazing, I never thought I could have so much fun at a 0-0 draw. It was an awesome first US MNT match for me.

The man of the match was definitely Timmy Howard.

Other US players who stood out:

Clint Dempsey- Dempsey stood out in a bad way. Several times I saw Maxi Rodriguez make him look ridiculous; he had a few good touches but really had no business being on the field yesterday.

Landon Donovan- Good showing, he can play with these guys.

Freddy Adu- Had a rough start but once he got his feet he was inspirational. He wasn't afraid to get into the face of a world class player in Zanetti. And those stepovers late in the game was as gutsy as you can get.

Great showing overall though, if we can take one thing from these friendlies its that we got better each time.

[Mighty]

I love last night Game...... It was crazy i went to the game and i just saw a flow of Argentine's Jersey all over the place... i tough to my self great US comes to play home and we do not have enough fans to show them love!!!...

But from the start till the finish of the game.... We never stop Chanting US.. US US...
it was crazy.... i love the experience.

To me... i finally experience a US home Game!!!!!

And finally our players showed Heart!.... Just like us the Fans did!

[usnavysrchief]

Looked like a great place to be last night as far as atmosphere is concerned. My take from watching match:

Howard - saved our Butts, Great game.

Pearce - cemented his place at LB. Arge did not make a noticible succesful move down his side all match.!!!!!!!

Donovan - came to play and showed me his is maturing. Too bad he was not available for Eng/Spain.

Gooch/Califf - Playing against some of best quickest players in the world and it showed several times. Gooch played better than Califf but overall about a 5 of 10.

Demerit - Outstanding while he was in. All over the field and made an impact. Needs to be partnered with Gooch over Boca. He is just a better athlete and hasd a definite mean streak. Laughed my butt off when sent 3 Argies flying ona set piece corner. Heinze didn't know what hit him. After that set piece the Argies started to lose their cool.

Adu/Edu - Cemented places in our team. Adu needs to start and if BB plays Mike Bradley as an Attacking Mid then he can play Edu at DM.

Mastro played alright but is just to ill tempered to play at this level ina astarting role. Good player to have around when we have a lead late to stop play. But even then he could foul things up by getting into card problems!!!

Mike Bradley - Played good and showed that when he is allowed to go forward he can be very effective. Mastro allows him to do that and so would Edu is BB played them together.

Beasley - Effective game.

Johnson - Played hard I felt but because I saw the game on TV I did not get to see how he was moving off the ball. He certainly CANNOT finish and has a horrible first touch. We So badly need a striker pair that can effective.

Dempsey - Should not be on the pitch. Looked and played Tired except after he got pissed off. Then he became more effective.

Adu is the lincpin for our teams future. If he plays it affects the rest of the teams assignments. Where does BB put players like Dempsey/Donovan/Beasley/Bradley/Edu when Adu starts and everybody is healthy?

Here is my starting 11 for Barbados. Not going to happen but I believe it will bethe most effective team we can put on the field.

HOWARD

DOLO GOOCH DEMERIT PEARCE

EDU

DONOVAN BRADLEY BEASLEY

ADU

COOPER? ALTIDORE? JOHSON(UGH)? ETC...

Bench:
BOCA, DEMPSEY, LEWIS, MASTRO, HEDJUK(WHERE IS SIMEK?), GUZAN.

BB could actuall play Dempsey up top instead of one of our Strikers and we could still be effective.

[NJ Guy in DC]

Thanks to you guys who went to the game making the comments on certain players positioning and movement off the ball - definitely missed a lot on tv. Looked like an awesome match to be a part of - I'm jealous.

[Dan]

Yesterdays USA team was a totally different team than the ones who played vs England and Spain. First off they had Landy (who knows how the first two games could have been if he didnt get hurt) and we had Tim Howard who was out of this world. And even greater to see was in the second half as Argentina was struggling to create scoring opprotunities at the rate they did in the first half, the USA midfield and attackers gained so much confidence in attacking the argie defense, and they almost looked hungry to go up against big time players. Its great to see that. I also thought DMB was fantastic in the first half, running all over, which is amazing considering he was out for so long. The fans were amazing as well for the whole game and it was so much fun to be behind the USA goal cheering our boys on. Although i wanted a goal, i was still very happy leaving the stadium, and not even the phantom red card on Pablo could damper my spirit. And mascherano got a red too so it evened things out. All in all the USA team improved greatly and i look forward to them dismantling barbados next week, in SOCal. Estados Unidos Clap Clap, Clap Clap, Clap!!!

[Marshall]

Probably would have taken some of the shine off if the ref had (correctly, it appeared from replay) called the foul on Tim Howard, which would have included at least a yellow and maybe more.

It was great to see us attack, which we did even more with Adu in. Too bad we didn't seem to be attacking together late, but that's part of what you get for being down a man.

For me: Adu has to play. Would love to see Altidore or Kenny Cooper in, though Bradley will have a hard time dropping in someone who didn't get to play in this round of friendlies, but we can always hope. I agree with the comment above that EJ looks like a good late sub but not a starting threat because his touch is letting him down too much.

- Marshall

[Michael F.]

Adu needs to start.

EJ needs to never play again. He can't turn, he can't beat you one-on-one, he can't score. NEXT!

Howard is world-class magic.

Beas is back.

Donovan is back.

Dolo is a rock.

Califf impressed.

Onyewu is all we have at his spot. But he's not great.

Pearce is solid.

Dempsey needs to get better.

PREDICTION: USA 3 / Barbados 0

[sean]

I think Donovan and Howard had particularly strong outings. They are, without a doubt, the two best players we have, right? Pablo continues to worry me with his affinity for bookings.

Looking ahead to WCQ, I think the most interesting roster question is who grabs the 4th/5th midfield spot. Donovan is a lock at CAM/Forward, and Beasley/Dempsey/Bradley are also penciled in to my lineup.

If Bob Bradley considers running Altidore up front with Johnson then the midfield is picked. But if he chooses either to have a lone forward, the last midfield spot can be filled with Adu/Pablo/Edu/Lewis.

Adu has been the most impressive this cycle, but might be too attacking oriented to start alongside Dempsey, Beasley, Donovan, and Bradley.