Argentina/U.S. running blog

Hey, hey, folks, let's get to it, why don't we? Predictions, please. Get them logged in before kickoff. It's LD time, JP and Harkesey tell us. OK, that means he's going to play somewhere in there. It's also apparently very, very hot. Ok, that's it for the English announcers - anyone still watching them please post what else they say here. I've switched to Galavision.
Their announcers are excited about the return of LD.
The grass in Giants Stadium looks lumpy. Apparently traffic is so horrid that they've delayed the start of the match so more people can get inside to watch the game.
The announcers discussed how bummed LS must have been to miss the last two matches. Now they're commenting on the impressive Argentine (and Argentine-wanna-bes) turnout.
Now they talk about the contract pressure on certain stars to play - Messi, for one. hey, there's Sunil, shaking hands with all the players.
Kasey Keller is on the field, looking a bit miserable that he's not in uniform. Kasey always loved big games and he can cuss in Spanish, too. Kasey gets a watch from Sunil.
52 - Counter catches the U.S. badly, Tim Howard out, Aguero sold that foul, but didn't get it, though the replay showed Timmay clipped him. Karma for the call LD didn't get? This would have been a PK, though.
54 - LD cross gets cut off. Suddenly the game is faster and more open for both sides.
Argentine anthem is bouncy.
Sam's Army has the flag out. EJ is singing. So is my mom, who I didn't think was much of a soccer fan. Let's see if she sees the match out.
Cooper was apparently just a backup in case any of the regular players got hurt.
Basile looks stressed, or just hot. Bob is in his usual catbird seat on the back of the bench.
Kickoff!
1 - Donovan gets whistled for a foul and he's got the weirdest, "Who, me?" look on his face.
4 - Kun Aguero is in the box, but it doesn't result in a shot.
5 - Now it does. Kun in the box, shoots twice. Howard stops both.
6 - LD overshoots Bease with a pass. He's rusty.
(Mom: Who's the goalkeeper? He's good)
7 - Cruz in the box, Howard stops other shot.
8 - Corner for Argentina, leads to a low cross in front of the goal, but is knocked out for a goal kick.
9 - LD to Bease on the wing, who crosses, Heinze clears, Dempsey has it but his cros misses everyone and Argentina regain the ball for another counter.
11 - EJ Offside. Shot of BB looking intense.
12 - "everything is at the rhythm that Argentina desires"
14 - The U.S. on a little attack. 'Dolo's cross is too far, goes out.
15 - Abbondanzieri looks hot and unhappy. "Dolo in the box with Cruz, who grabs his shirt to gain advantage - ref catches it and whistles play dead.
16 - Califf with a foul. Yikes. Dangerous chance for Argentina. Wall needs to be reset. Dempsey protesting.
17 - Heinze connects! It's over the bar.
18 - Dempsey on the counter, dribbles well, draws foul. LD sets up. More shoving in the wall. Ref goes for card. Niko Burriso.
LD serves ball in, EJ pops up for a header, right to Abbondanzierri.
19 - Corner for the U.S. LD sets up. Nice service, but Abbo punches it out. Outside U.S. shot way over bar. Might be trying too hard to recreate Benny's Mexico shot there.
21 - Califf up for a header, Kun too, but Kun goes down for a good while. They hit heads, or Califf hit with a little forearm, too.
23 - Bradley loses the ball just as the announcers are talking about how he deserves to play.
24 - The announcers also give LD credit for the U.S.'s improved play, just as he gets called for a foul on Heinze.
25 - Messi earns a corner for Argentina. Howard catches the ball.
28 - Kun in the box! He's ahead of the defense, and Timmay comes out against him, makes a save by knocking the ball way with his knee.
29 - Califf gives up another foul on Cruz, right at the arc. This is really dangerous.
30 - Messi takes it, puts the ball high. It doesn't bend down for him.
31 - Argentina are looking more deliberate in the attack. Dempsey cuts a ball forward and is fouled.
32 - Dempsey with a shot. It's outside, but it pegs an Argentine defender and nearly sneaks in far post on the deflection. U.S. corner.
33- LD puts it into the arms of Abbo.
35 - Pablo gets called for a foul - A shot of the U.S. bench shows three players chewing their fingernails. Pearce on a counter dares to take a shot - it's a solid hit and on frame. Abbo catches it, but that made him work just a little.
36 - Maxi pays it back and then some, testing Howard on the other end, but Timmay is up for it.
37 - Bradley has the ball near the arc, gets fouled but still comes up with the ball, and the ref waves play on - advantage. Perhaps, but a FK there would have been a threat. Argentina regains possession soon after the play-on call.
39 - LD is arguing the ref's call not to mark a foul on him, but to go back to an earlier play, where Fernando Gago is down on the field.
41 - LD can't believe the ref missed his foul. Pearce shields the ball in the box, gets fouled. Timmay takes the kick.
43 - Dempsey crosses into the box and EJ nearly gets there, but the ball hits off his battling defender and goes to goal, where Abbo gets it.
44 - Dempsey with the ball on his foot, hits a horrid forward pass. Uck.
45 - Cruz beats the defensive line of the U.S. - is alone on goal. Timmay! He saves it, but Messi gets it right back in the box for another attack. Gets a corner. Argentina takes it short, but the U.S. knocks the ball out.
Halftime whistle. The draw is deserved by Tim Howard nearly single-handedly. It's like he's channeling Kasey versuc Brazil way back in the Gold Cup. But on the field itself, the U.S. does look better. LD had a legit gripe about that foul, but the U.S. needs to create more chances.
(Mom gave up on the game, mostly. She's cooking and occasionally peeking in.)
The announcers are beating up on Julio Cruz for not putting away his chances.
Hey, lookey there. Bradley is not playing 90 minutes. Edu is on for him. Good move, though Bradley did fine during his time on the field.
47 - I've switched to the English coverage. Pearce crosses in, Dempsey flicks to LD, whose shot is deflected out for a corner.
48 - Crossbar! LD serves it to Gooch and his header is off the bar. The U.S. gets another chance, but the shot is deflected.
50 - Off the counter following an Arg FK, LD gets fouled.
52 - Aguero in the box on a counter got clipped by Howard but no call. Karma for the missed foul on LD? This would have been for a PK.
56 - LD nearly successful in splitting two defenders.
57 - Cruz earns FK near top of arc at a slight angle. Service slightly overhit, the U.S. clears.
59 - Gooch in a duel with Cruz, wins out in the box.
60 - Mastro long for Bease - misses. Then mastro gets a foul that seems rather pointless - and gets him a yellow.
61 - A Gooch foul results in another Arg FK. Adu is coming on for Clint Dempsey. Jay DeMerit for Onyewu.
63 - LD pushes ball wide - cross gets blocked - Argentina reclaims possession. They keep it for a while, circling the U.S. goal, but can't get a shot.
64 - Cruz comes out for Lopez.
65 - Adu earns a midfield foul. Another U.S. attack builds up, but Argentina eventually clears.
67 - EJ behind the defense, alone on goal, he passes the ball back - to Adu - but it's way behind him.
68 - EJ is down. He's limping off. Abbo caught him just as he passed the ball.
69 - Kljestan comes on for EJ.
70 - Edu gets a card and gives up a FK. This one is further out, but give Argentina options.
71 - Red Card! Mastro, but the replay shows nothing. The announcers think it might be a mistake. Weird. I don't get it.
74 - LD tries to argue, but the decision is made. The U.S. is playing a man down. Kljestan comes in for EJ.
75 - Announcers can't figure it out. "That should never happen." Harkes says.
76 - Who the hell confuses Mo Edu for Pablo? The U.S. resist another Arg FK.
77- Jose Aguilar Chicas - his name may live in infamy.
78 - The U.S. are now stuck in their own half - in the immediate vicinity of the goal. Eddie Lewis in for Heath Pearce, who did quite well.
79 - Do you hear the U.S. fans sing? Singing the song of angry fans.
80 - Adu draws a foul. The FK reaches LD in the box, but he's shielded from the ball as soon as he takes a touch.
81 - Cross into the box cleared by 'Dolo, out for corner. It's taken short, and 'Dolo draws the foul from Aguero to get a goal kick.
83 - LD and Sach work the give and go, LD hits Lewis, who hits a cross, cleared for a deep throw. Freddy works on the side, gets a FK on the side of the box. LD sends in the kick. Arg clears it - U.S. corner.
85 - LD serves it in - cleared - another corner. LD sets up. cleared, ball out to Freddy, whose shot is high. It's raining hard now. The sound is affected.
86 - Mascherano fouls LD hard - LD got to the ball quicker than one would expect out of game shape and the ball was gone and masch hit LD instead of the ball.
87 - That was Mascherano's second - the sides are equal now.
88 - Ever Vanega on for Aguero. Adu on a long run, give and go with Sach, but then gets dispossessed deep.
90 - Freddy dancing with the ball in the rain. Five minutes of stoppage time. Frankie Hejduk comes in for Beas.
90+ LD on the run! Gets the ball wide to Kljestan, who cuts back in the box for a shot which is deflected for a corner. LD serves it in, but Argentina clears.
Argentina circles the U.S. goal again. LD starts a counter - gets the ball to Freddy, who gets tackled from behind, but there's no card. Ref probably just wants to go home and dry out.
Long FK finds Abbo.
It's pouring rain and the fans are chanting "USA!" as the U.S. closes out the draw. Pretty exciting for a scoreless match.