Yeah, alrighty then Mr Hudson. We all see ya now. This is what we’ve been waiting for from the kiwi footy side this whole time and it may have taken a few false hopes and stutters to get here but we’ve now got an All Whites team that seems to be kinda sorta capable of competing with some top quality teams.

It was an unlucky loss to Mexico and now a spirited draw against America – a good thing we got some reward for the performances too because it ain’t enough to look like you can battle, you also need to know how to get that late equaliser/winner when you need it. So much of that can come down to belief and composure and those are benefits of experience. This was some experience. Sweet as, see what can happen when we actually play games during international breaks?

The worry that these two perennial World Cup knockout artists would be too much for us was dampened by the fact that neither took us seriously enough to put out their top teams. No worries here, the Yanks get a slight lesson in hubris while we avoid a potential thumping… although the way that Winston Reid played against them here you almost got the feeling that we could foot it with anyone. Which isn’t true, but it’s nice to dream now and then.

Winston wore the armband again, Michael Boxall next to him with Andy Durante pleasingly starting on the other side in place of Themi Tzimopoulos. Liam Graham held his right wing back spot while Kip Colvey came in for Deklan Wynne. Odd one that, as Wynne outplayed Graham vs Mexico and Colvey is a natural right back. Eh, there’s always something to pick on if you want to. In the midfield it was the same trio of Rojas, Wee Mac and Lewis with Monty Patterson coming in for Kosta to play off of Woody up front. Again, a little odd to see Kosta benched but it was a clever call from Hudson as we’ll come back to. With Jake Gleeson injured (which was deemed important enough for NZF to run an article clarifying so), Stefan Marinovic was under no threat to his starting spot with the gloves on.

Taking a peek at the American side, it wasn’t at all a top strength XI but that’s the point of this game – very much a friendly to the US Men’s National Team (yuck). They’re looking to build a squad behind the older dudes that they’ve relied upon for ages and there are some seriously decent American footy players on the emergence these days. This was their chance.

For example, it’s unlikely that any of the defenders on show here for the USA except probably for DeAndre Yedlin (who was named on the wing here – doing a reverse Fenton) would make their starting XI for a big-time World Cup qualifier (Geoff Cameron at Stoke ain’t here to name just one) but there’s a bit more depth in American defenders than you’d think. Likewise Jurgen Klinsmann is trying to move forward from Brad Guzan and Tim Howard, his long-time goalies, and to find a little depth at that position. Hence William Yarbrough got the nod for the first half and David Bingham played the second.

Perry Kitchen (some of the names in this team, honestly) plays for Hearts in Scotland and has been on the fringes for a little while. Michael Bradley is a veteran midfielder who offers a little more class though he never quite became the icon that they thought he would for a while there – which is a common theme among USA footy talent. Bradley’s daddy is Bob Bradley, new manager of Swansea City. It’s not all that exciting, though Sunderland’s Lynden Gooch was on the bench and eventually came onto make his debut. Sacha Kljestan is a fella in hot form for NY Red Bulls this season.

Julian Green, by the way, was the man of the match against Cuba the other day. The 21 year old (who plays for Bayern Munich, albeit not that often) scored one and assisted another in the 2-0 victory. He was always gonna be a fella with a point to prove and fella that’d be difficult to contain. Jozy Altidore, on the other hand, is a big bugger who is stunningly still only 26 though he’s nearing 100 caps for his country. Doesn’t score many goals though – in fact he scored one in 42 Premier League appearances for Sunderland while he was there and 2 in 70 games if you count his spell at Hull as well. Makes Emile Heskey look like Sergio Aguero, he does.

A few hours before this game, one of his coaches at Leeds, former England striker James Beattie, said that he though Chris Wood ought to be “destroying teams at this level” in a YEP article full of nice quotes about the striker. Within seconds of kickoff, he was already showing why. Holding off dudes, dominating in the air, slamming a shot towards goal which drew a decent save (the best he’d make all half) from Yarbrough all inside 55 seconds. It looked like Python was gonna score on the follow-up but he fluffed it and then was flagged offside anyway.

That’d prove a common theme in the early stages here. The All Whites wouldn’t come as close to scoring as that again for a long while but they certainly competed. They were physical in the challenge, more than the Americans for sure – who were way too slow on the ball – and Woody was straight up bullying his men when given the chance. It was good stuff. Though just as happened against Mexico at the same time, roughly 20-25 minutes into things the Americans started to get in control and the kiwi high press lost its sharpness. Presumably they got tired and the Yanks got smarter. Unfortunately they went and bloody scored straight away, again just like Mexico did. Chrissakes.

Two fellas made mistakes here and it cost us. Graham was too easily beaten as Green cuts onto his left, allowing the Bayern lad room to shoot, and then Mari simply doesn’t pick it up. That’s a save he makes 10 times outta 10 if he’s reading that properly. Dunno what the situation was but the ball whooshed inside the near post and that’s an ugly one to concede.

Reminder: Green was the man of the match a few days ago in Cuba. He’s a genuine player and a dude that can do silly things to many an international defender. That bloke is gonna be a regular for this American team in the years to come. He might even earn his first minutes of the season for Bayern now if Carlo Ancelotti gets the memo.

But then in yet another mirroring of the last game, the All Whites reacted well to going behind. There was a time when this team couldn’t string three passes together yet here it happened on the regular. A little lack of sharpness keeping them from cutting through the defences though they were able to get the ball into that attacking third plenty and when they put a little pressure on Yarbrough between the sticks, well let’s just say he might not be the favourite to inherit the gloves after this. Very sloppy.

Patterson was fun to watch, running around Woody as a second striker with a licence to cover as much grass as possible. A few times he needed to be closer to Woody to take advantage of the Leeds striker’s immense capabilities for hold-up play but this was a new role for him. Kosta looked good in the same role last time, that’s promising. We already knew that we’d be screwed if Woody or Reid weren’t there but it’s cool to see we’ve got options around them. The Python could sure work on some of that shooting though, that’d be handy. Only 19 though, don’t forget.

Ah yes and the depth around Winston. Tommy Smith is probably more likely than not to return to the fold in the future based on recent comments but Andy Durante is already there and he was as assured as you’d hope in his first start in ages. Less aggressive than Themi in the same role, though far more in control and less likely to be caught out for a lack of pace. Themi’s a bruiser, man. He’s got a large role to play in this squad but he’s so damn slow, honestly. Mike Boxall is the opposite, he’s super quick and he’s had a quietly impressive couple of games here in the US of A.

At the break Hudson made two changes. Marco Rojas replaced by Henry Cameron, Liam Graham replaced by Louis Fenton. Those two were the least effective of the lads in the first half. Rojas has hardly been mentioned in this piece for a reason. He’s a brilliant player who can spot a cheeky pass that nobody else in this team has the ability to but he’s also not the hardest worker and when you don’t boss the ball, you sorta have to carry him. Leaving him on might have meant more chance of a slice of brilliance to spin the game on its heels though it’d also mean more work for those around him and several players got gassed in the Mexico game and several more would here. Part of the thing about all that travel is it messes with the fitness levels. He had a few moments in the first half but either the teammate couldn’t make the pass or his own effort was slightly off target. Not his day.

As for Graham, he was decent in his debut. Six out of ten, maybe. Here he was a bit more exposed and although Fenton isn’t all that much better than him, having the pair split the 90 was fair enough. That’s a tough position to play, wing back. You’re the width going forward and the width tracking back. Pleasant to see Fenton fit enough to play even if he wasn’t fit enough to be named in the squad initially too.

Here’s something that didn’t go the same way as the Mexican game: we didn’t score straight after half-time. Then again, they never added a second either so it worked out alright.

A word on Winston Reid now. He was immense. He was unstoppable and impassable. This was better than he’d played in any game for West Ham this season too, just outstanding. He read the play like a champion, he knew when to slow things down and when to play it safe and get it sent long. More than anything, his ability to block a shot or cross from any conceivable angle is the stuff that defensive heroics are made of. What a bloody legend we have on our hands there. Must be some deep pockets on the guy as well because he managed to fit all six feet and change of Jozy Altidore in them. At one stage Jozy tried to shape him up and dribble past ol’ Winnie only to be casually dispossessed and then have Reid drop a shoulder of his own and go ghosting past. Now that is a schooling.

Speaking of Altidore, maybe he missed his true calling?

Hypothetical question: At what stage do we agree that Winston Reid has surpassed Ryan Nelsen? Wouldn’t say it’s happened yet but… yeah. Maybe soon.

And now, in the spirit of Python Patterson, for something completely different. Numero uno: the crowd was terrible, only 9012 people in attendance which is the lowest for an American international footy game at JFK Memorial ever. It was a Tuesday night so that didn’t help and apparently the aerial combats of Woody and Reid just don’t sell to the hipster soccer crowd in Washington. Oh and also the field was a dump and the stadium’s falling to bits.

Numero dos: the point at which Fred De Jong and Andrew Dewhurst started joking about Brexit mid-game was the point at which I decided the best course of action now would be to lock them both in a bunker somewhere (ideally below North Harbour Stadium) and have them commentate on imaginary games for the next, I dunno, twenty years so that they can keep up the mind-numbing banalities in an isolated place where we all don’t have to deal with it.

58 minutes in and Andy Durante was spared so he could get a head-start on packing for his trip to Perth with the rest of the Nix lads. Sam Brotherton replaced him. And with twenty to play, Moses Dyer came on for Clayton Lewis. Lewis who, it has to be said, has played really well in both games. His best showings in a white jersey, even. For a guy who has probably been selected ahead of his time in the past and who is still a semi-pro right now, this must be what Hudson’s seen in him all this time. Yes son, more of this please.

Moses Dyer hasn’t repaid the faith on the park yet but he did get stiffed twice by the linesman in the corner, one for a non-existent foul after dispossessing a defender and turning in towards the box and another time dribbling the ball over the line, apparently, when regathering a loosie at the far post. Just needed a moment to go the right way there. Patterson was the same as he skewed a couple chances. He’d moved deeper in the second with Cameron going further forward, playing the Rojas role, and he stayed involved. And Cameron had a couple ones where a better first touch and he might have been through on goal.

A few good crosses came in, a few set pieces that might have seen us get lucky. And then this happened…

OH MONTY, WE DO! OH MONTY, WE DO! OH MONTY, WE DO! OH MONTY WE LOVE YOUUU!!!

Mate, a scrappy goal but who gives a goddamn. We stuck one past the Septics, woohoo! Score one for freedom, buddy.

(By the way, the US fans with the banners of George Washington in the menacing stars and stripes bandana? Lame, bro. Same to the guys next to them with the “First in War/First in Peace” sign. Come on, make up your mind. You cannot be first in both, they’re polar opposites. If you’re first in one it makes you last in the other. This is the logic that’s enabled a Trump Presidential bid.)

Good that they scored off a set piece as well because for all our apparent threat there, and we definitely target them, we don’t actually work too many chances off the back of them. More work on the training paddock, aye? Another camp in Brissie or whatever.

Lo and behold we even pushed on for a winner! Reid came off for Themi straight after the goal and he deserved a cold beverage more than anyone in a long time – if this were a player ratings piece he’d be sitting on a hard 9/10. A couple minutes later Kosta Barbarouses replaced Henry Cameron. Presumably the young Blackpool lad was injured though don’t put it past this being a deliberate tactical thing. Kosta was magnificent in spells against Mexico but had hit the wall by roughly five minutes into the second half. Here he was given a specific 15 minute block to attack in and he was magnificent again.

Seriously, Kosta was turning suckers inside out and making things happen. The final touch is still not always there and you can say that about almost every guy in the squad but an impact sub off the bench? When did the All Whites become this team? For about ten minutes we looked a proper chance to snatch a winner and it was glorious. DeAndre Yedlin even had to clear one off the line (although it was a simple clearance, to be fair).

Although the last five minutes were spent clinging by the fingernails as Marinovic redeemed his earlier boner (to use the American vernacular – otherwise read: “cock-up”) with a top save down low from a Mike Bradley volley. He dropped a cross that sent a few shivers out but came through for us in the end and there ain’t nothing wrong with a draw against a much better (on their day, with their top team) country.

Mike McGlinchey had a fantastic second half as well. Gotta hand out some credit there and Kip Colvey was much better this time around too. It’s not a coincidence that the last few minutes spent scrambling came with Durante and Reid off the field too, remember that. You chuck Bill Tuiloma back into this team, possibly Tommy Smith if he’s willing to pass out handwritten apologies to the rest of them and possibly Jake Gleeson… mate. There’s a very decent squad in that. Maybe that World Cup dream isn’t so ridiculous after all…*

Funny what a difference a week can make, right Anthony?

*It’s currently Argentina in the playoff spot for South America so yeah, the chances of beating them and making it to Russia are next to absolute zero. But, like, we might not embarrass ourselves at the Confederations Cup at this rate so that’s good.