Day 12 - Bronze Medal Match USA vs Argentina

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On the heels of a difficult loss against Israel, we geared up again for our last game against the losers of the other semi-final match. It was a glorious sunny day and it was heating up. Coach Jason Hirsch gave us our pre-game pep talk and announced the starting line-up. Alhadeff and Rosy in the middle back, Lorry and Pollack at the outside backs, Moshal and Greenie in the central midfield, Wiz and Silverman at outside midfield and Indy and Kent up front. The first 20 minutes were played in the mid-field with both teams protecting their goals. Argentina struck first when their striker received a ball from the right outside midfielder at the top of the box, turned on a dime to his left, took one step and hammered the right side netting. Fishel had no chance. Ten minutes before the first half ended, Wiz hustled forward to pressure the left defender in the box. The defender attempted to square the ball to the keeper and Wiz was able to get a toe on it deflecting it at the keeper. The keeper managed to sprawl and parry the ball away from goal but it laid nicely in the penalty box and I was able to neatly tuck it into the goal. The half ended at 1-1. USA was excited that they were in this match. Argentina changed a few of its players for the second half bring in #21 and #9 – two dangerous top class strikers. In the 50^th minute, #21 received a perfect cross from the left side and beat Fishel to the bottom right corner of the net making the score 2-1. In the 55^th minute, USA had a chance when a cross came into the box that the keeper could only punch away. The ball sat nicely at the 15 yard line for Stone who had moved forward and got onto it. His volley to goal just missed the left post. In the 59^th minute, USA created another chance when a through ball was pushed forward to me behind the defenders. The linesman raised his flag but I let the ball run into space checking back to an onside position. The keeper came off his line to challenge the ball. Avershal had overlapped and charged into this space. With a collision eminent just outside the box, Avershal stretched and got his toe to the ball first. He and the keeper collided and the ball bounced of the keepers body and squirted loose. I had turned back towards the play and was first to the loose ball and deposited a left-footed curling ball over the head of their last man who had stepped back to the goal-line and into the top left corner equalizing the score at 2-2. The next ten minutes were back and forth as both teams defended feverishly to protect their goals. In the 75^th minute, Argentina picked up an errant pass in the middle of the field and with some deft passing from left to right and right to left, surgically deposited the ball behind our helpless keeper. In the 79^th minute, they added their final tally as our defenders had pushed forward but that one really didn’t matter. The game ended in the 82^nd minute with Argentina surviving a scare from the underdog Americans and prevailing 4-2. It was one of my best games ever! The teams congratulated each other with hugs and hand-shake. A frantic uniform exchange ensued and there were many bare-chest 45+ men in their compression shorts milling around the pitch. It was not a pretty site! With this final match and our second consecutive well-played game, our Maccabi tournament came to an end. In spite of the disappointment of not winning a medal, Team USA 45+ was successful beyond expectation and we congratulated each other for a job well done. It's party time and then the preparations begin for Maccabiah in Israel 2013.