I can't sit here and tell you that the U.S. men played particularly great this afternoon in Russia. Russia dominated for large portions of the international friendly and Tim Howard (6 saves) was forced to make his usual assortment of incredible saves. However, if you are a U.S. fan, you can't complain with the result: a 2-2 tie at Kuban Stadium in Krasnodar, Russia after rallying twice.
The last game in 2012 for the U.S. men was a particularly memorable one since it looked certain they would go down 2-1. That is until substitute Mix Diskerud (in his 3rd career game) scored in the 93rd minute when his shot was deflected by a Russian defender into the goal. Did I mention that it was his first international goal? Talk about wonderful timing.
In a way, all four goals were rather crazy. Russia got on the board first in the 9th minute as U.S. defender Danny Williams gave the ball away on a free kick in his own end. Russia's Fedor Smolov went in on a rush and blasted it by Howard.
The Americans didn't show much of an attack in the first half and rightfully trailed 1-0 at the break. Slowly, they turned things up a bit in the second half and were eventually rewarded in the 77th minute as Michael Bradley scored an incredible goal (his 11th for the U.S.). Substitute Juan Agudelo headed it back to Bradley, who volleyed it out of the air, off the post and in.
Carlos Bocanegra limped off in the first half with an injury and that reared its ugly head as the man who replaced him-Clarence Goodson-was called for a foul that resulted in a penalty kick. Roman Shirokov calmly converted it in the 84th minute and it looked like that would be it. The U.S.' winless streak vs. Russia (0-2-2) would continue.
Complaints of the U.S. not having some of their top players like Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan should be tempered with the fact that Russia likewise was without many of its best guys. Still, this was a team that's currently ranked ninth in the world and hadn't allowed a goal so far in World Cup qualifying. Any time you can earn a win or tie in Europe, against a quality opponent, you have to be content.
Jurgen Klinsmann's team finished with 9-2-3 record in 2012 and a .750 winning percentage which ties for best mark in national team history. Think of it this way: they won in Italy and Mexico while gaining a tie in Russia. We get caught up in the sluggish World Cup qualifiers but it's hard to argue with those results. They get back in action on February 6, 2013 when they resume 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying with a match in Honduras as the hexagonal begins.
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