Argentina's class ultimately shines through

MARACAIBO, Venezuela -- After 10 minutes against Copa America favorite Argentina, a 1-0 lead had the United States dreaming of a shocking upset. After an hour, a more-than-credible draw was still a possibility. At which point, Argentina's high-octane offense ran over the U.S. en route to a 4-1 victory.

AP

Carlos Tevez, right, was one of several Argentines who torched the U.S. defense.

It's a score line that in some ways is a bit harsh on the Americans, whose compact and organized defense frustrated the Albiceleste for a good portion of the game. But around the hour mark, there were two telling moments which encapsulated the match and showed the gulf in quality between the two sides.

Needing a spark, Argentine coach Alfio Basile turned to Pablo Aimar, a creative midfielder with a considerable pedigree at both the club and international levels. And who did U.S. coach Bob Bradley bring on in response five minutes later? Eddie Gaven, who has been coming off the bench for the Columbus Crew for much of the past two months.

What made the move even more of a head-scratcher was that Ben Olsen was sacrificed. I was on record prior to the match as saying that Olsen's impact would be minimal, but he proved me wrong. Olsen was perhaps the Americans' best player, and his energy and defense allowed Marvell Wynne, making his international debut at right back, to settle into the match.

"I thought [Olsen] put in a great effort defensively," Bradley said. "I thought some fresh legs would not only allow us to continue what we were doing but give us more in attack. There was a point there where I thought [Argentina] was also getting tired, and I thought a little bit of energy would pay off."

While Bradley has enjoyed some considerable success with his substitutions during his tenure, this particular move backfired, and the impact was almost immediate. Olsen had helped lock down the right side, but after he left the game it became a freeway. Lionel Messi waltzed past Gaven in the buildup to Hernan Crespo's game-winner in the 64th minute, and Wynne was left alone to mark two players prior to Aimar's clincher 13 minutes later. While Bradley's desire for more energy is understandable, he would have been better served by inserting a player like Sacha Kljestan, who has more of a two-way mentality.

Given the way Argentina owned the ball, one could argue that an avalanche of goals was inevitable. Fatigue was bound to set in at some point, especially on a hot and muggy night in Maracaibo, and one could see the toll it took on several players. This was especially true in the U.S. midfield, which faded badly in the second half, continuing a trend from the Gold Cup that saw the Americans finish games poorly. In that tournament, the U.S. was not punished for this tendency, but on this night they found out the hard way how a good team treats such charity.

Of course, part of how a team kills off games is by keeping possession, and this American team showed that it is still light years behind a side like Argentina in this regard. The Albiceleste's movement off the ball not only allowed them to excel in this area but also showed the ability to kick their attacking tempo up a few notches when needed, using one-touch passes to create and exploit openings. This difference was especially evident when the U.S. fell behind, as they rarely threatened the Argentine goal. Instead, the U.S. was left to engage in a damage-limitation exercise.

"At times, we did not do a good enough job of holding ball," Bradley said of his team's offensive struggles. "We resorted to trying to beat their defense with one pass, and I think we needed to move better off the ball."

Bradley now finds himself needing to repair his team's psyche for the first time at the international level, and he'll need to do so because up next is a Paraguay team that flattened Colombia in the evening's first match 5-0.

"We understand that the first round is three games," Bradley said. "So it's critical that we pull ourselves together."

If they can do that, perhaps their dream will last 90 minutes, instead of just 10.

Player Ratings (scale of 1-10)

Kasey Keller, 4 -- Delivered a world-class save to deny Juan Sebastian Veron in the first half, but looked like he could have been quicker to react on the first goal. It also appeared that Crespo's second tally almost went through Keller, although the shot was well-hit. His immediate task now is to help Bradley rally his young troops in time for the Paraguay match.

Jonathan Bornstein, 5 -- His best game defensively in a while, but was unable to make his usual impact in the attacking end. Held his own in his duels with Messi, but a mental lapse saw him fail to rotate over to Crespo in time to stop the game-winning goal.

Jimmy Conrad, 5 -- A decent performance, although he might have stepped to Messi too soon on Crespo's second goal. But overall, Conrad looked fairly composed in the back and definitely looks to be back in the mix for a starting spot the next time the full side convenes.

Jay DeMerit, 6 -- For those who would like to see DeMerit in the middle instead of Oguchi Onyewu, you now have more ammunition. It might seem strange to give a center back such a grade on a night when four goals were conceded, especially since DeMerit kept Tevez onside for the last one. But for the most part, DeMerit delivered a commendable performance.

Marvell Wynne, 4 -- His speed is clearly his biggest asset, but there are times when it's a curse, and he doesn't think to pressure opponents as quickly as he should. Case in point was in the buildup to Aimar's goal, in which he allowed Gabriel Heinze too much time and space for a pinpoint cross.

Justin Mapp, 5 -- Had some bright moments in the first half and showed his solid one-versus-one instincts. But there were times when Mapp also didn't see enough of the ball, something that has plagued him during his time with the Chicago Fire. Given his game-changing ability, Mapp should still be on the field against Paraguay.

Benny Feilhaber, 4 -- His moment of brilliance in the seventh minute sprang Eddie Johnson on a breakaway that won the U.S. a penalty. But Feilhaber wilted significantly in the second half, often dribbling too much with the ball as opposed to releasing it quickly.

Ricardo Clark, 3 -- Covered plenty of ground but was culpable on two of the goals. He failed to stay with Crespo on the first and didn't track Aimar on the third. Clark is one of those players who needs to ratchet up his speed of play.

Ben Olsen, 6 -- Showed his experience, and his tenacity helped keep Argentina at bay while he was on the field. Olsen was one of the few players who did not look out of place.

Eddie Johnson, 4 -- He deserves praise for his early run and conversion of the penalty, but on a night when his opponents were unaware of his pace, he seemed oddly reluctant to really run at Argentina's back line. His spacing with Twellman also left much to be desired; the two seemed to be on separate islands, rather than playing off one another.

Taylor Twellman, 3 -- On a night when the U.S. needed stellar hold-up play, they didn't get it from Twellman. Part of this is due to a lack of midfield support; there were a couple of occasions when his knockdowns went unclaimed. Still, while he threw his body around better in the second half, he had little impact.

Subs:

Eddie Gaven, 2 -- Until he develops some sense of defensive responsibility and adds more bite to his game, he will be a liability at the international level. Simply put, Gaven's performance did nothing to silence those critics who think he shouldn't be on the team in the first place.

Kyle Beckerman, Herculez Gomez, NR -- Both came on after the game was already lost.

Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPNsoccernet. He can be reached at eljefe1@yahoo.com.