In scenes reminiscent of the '94 World Cup, the 78,682 fans in attendance generated a fantastic atmosphere despite the intense heat and witnessed an entertaining game that featured US goalkeeper Tim Howard, a prominent figure in the first half, making a string of solid saves. Landon Donovan, meanwhile, won his one hundredth cap and in doing so became the fourth youngest player in history to achieve the century plateau. For US manager Bob Bradley it was a very positive result following two straight defeats in Europe and as he noted after, "I think we're getting stronger. We are understanding what it takes to play in the big games we feel very good about getting a result tonight."
Giants Stadium has long been a prominent and celebrated venue for soccer in the US. The crowd for the Argentina friendly was the highest ever attendance for the US National Team. It was also the fourth largest crowd ever at the stadium, which was a vital venue for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, with the East Rutherford, New Jersey venue hosting group games as well as a quarterfinal and a semifinal. In attendance last night was the Governor of New Jersey, John Corzine, who praised the new Giants Stadium project and expressed steadfast support for a potential bid by the US for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. CONCACAF General Secretary and FIFA Executive Committee Member Chuck Blazer remarked, "By then Giants Stadium will have been completely rebuilt and the new stadium would surely be the jewel in the crown of a US World Cup bid." Both of New Jersey's United States Senators, Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez were in attendance as well to show their support for international football at Giants Stadium.
For the US team, the result represented a very positive end to a three game / twelve day stretch that has encompassed three of the best teams in the world. While the results against England (0:2) and Spain (0:1) were not as positive as might have been hoped for, a draw with the number one side in the world is a hugely positive result that will send the Stars and Stripes into Sunday's World Cup Qualifying game with Barbados in high spirits.
