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.
USA Vs. Argentina: Stars And Stripes Manage Tie Behind Juan Agudelo’s Score
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.
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