Live Blog: USA vs. Argentina Pre-Game

7:20 p.m. - Ok that's it for this blog! Good luck to the teams and let's hope the U.S. can get a win!

7:18 p.m. - Less than a minute to go before the teams leave the field for one final speech in the locker room. That means its time for The Blog to go fulfill its other duty with U.S. Soccer - Bodyguard to Peter Nowak. Just kidding. We'll be walking Coach Nowak up to his customary position in the coaches' box. Up here he radios the bench with his thoughts on how he sees the game from up here....

7:17 p.m. - Wooo, Allee! That's the kind of comment that we'll always be happy to publish on the blog!

7:16 p.m. - Sun is out now, looks like the rain (knock on wood) is done. In the background of this stadium you can see the New Meadowlands being constructed...This is the U.S.' last game at Giants Stadium...

7:12 p.m. - To answer your question, Rene, Adu is not injured. He's out there on the field currently juggling with Mo Edu and Sacha Kljestan...

7:10 p.m. - Alright, Argentina is out on the field now. In case you didn't see it, they beat Mexico in their last game, 4-1... The fan's are chanting the name of Sergio "Kún" Agüero...

7:03 p.m. - The stadium is filling up quickly...Kasey Keller is going to be honored for his 100th cap during a pre-game ceremony on the field. That milestone was achieved in last year's Gold Cup semifinal against Canada...

7:01 p.m. - Thanks for the comment, Gabe. Still no sign of Argentina. Or their lineup...

6:56 p.m. - The U.S. team is out on the field now....The Blog's handheld camera is not conducive for player identification from 9 stories up...but take a shot anyways:


6:50 p.m. - Goalies are out now - Brad Guzan and Tim Howard are going through their pre-match routines. Howard used to play his club soccer here in this stadium with the Metrostars, while Guzan just played a game here on Thursday night... Meanwhile the U.S. fans have unfurled a massive "Don't Tread" banner...



6:48 p.m. - Its been drizzling a little leading up to the game, but the rain looks to have passed. The field is looking good too - the thick grass from yesterday has been trimmed and the pitch looks ready for a game... The temperature has cooled off a bit too (thankfully)

6:42 p.m. - Remember our futsal post yesterday? Well futsal lost to Guatemala yesterday, but rebounded in a big way today - beating Panama, 7-1. World Cup bound, baby! Well played Futsal tem.

6:40 p.m. - Giants Stadium has played host to some big soccer in its day. You'll remember last year the 5-4 MLS game between the Los Angeles Galaxy and New York Red Bulls. In 1994, the stadium played host to one of the World Cup semifinals too...



Goalies are getting ready to come on the field now...

6:35 p.m. -

Here's the USA's starters for the match against No. 1-ranked Argentina:

-----------------Howard---------------
Cherundolo, Califf, Onyewu, Pearce
Dempsey, Bradley, Mastroeni, Beasley
-----Johnson------Donovan (c)---------

Four changes to the team that lined up against Spain four days ago. Danny Califf slots into central defense replacing Carlos Bocanegra, while Pablo Mastroeni patrols the center of the park in place of Maurice Edu. DaMarcus Beasley gets his second start of the three-match set.

6:30 p.m. - 100 and counting...


6:25 p.m. - Argentina is out pacing around the field right now and the biggest cheer is reserved for, you guessed it, Leo Messi. The diminutive forward comes out and meets his teammates at midfield. The tiny band of traveling Argentina fans goes crazy.

6:21 p.m. - Alright we're setttled in here at the Press Box of Giants Stadium, a full nine stories from ground level - we've got a great view of the field here...People have started filing into the stadium and the drums are beating constantly. Fans are dancing in the stands - a real carnival atmosphere here right now...