By Ridge Mahoney

Deprived of Brian McBride and surprised by a pressing Polish team, the USA nevertheless survived a frustrating first half to emerge superior against Poland, 1-0, in Kaiserslautern.

Coach Bruce Arena started an all-Euro defense and aside from DaMarcus Beasley, a strictly-MLS midfield and forward line. Glaring was Beasley's rustiness from a lack of playing time at PSV, and his replacement Bobby Convey did much more in his 19 minutes than Beasley had achieved.

Chances were few — the teams combined for just 10 shots — and nobody wanted to take any risks as a steady snowfall in the second half covered most of a bumpy playing surface, but players had been slipping in the sub-freezing temperatures long before a cold-weather ball had to be found and rolled out. From a distance, it was only slightly less invisible.

Unlike the packed phalanx the USA had expected, the Poles applied pressure in midfield, and when not flattening Clint Dempsey, they squeezed space to blunt Landon Donovan's attempts at servicing frontrunners Taylor Twellman and Eddie Johnson.

But aside from a couple of forays down the flanks by Ebi Smolarek and Jacek Krzynowek, Poland didn't turn balls won in midfield into scoring chances and the teams canceled each other out for most of the first 45 minutes.

Just as he had last May against England, Dempsey fought through several harsh challenges and scored with a header on a rebound, but this time the goal came not in the final minutes, but early in the second half.

Eddie Lewis, a threat from left back who is scaling the learning curve as a defender, lofted in an inswinging cross that Twellman and goalkeeper Artur Boruc converged upon, and after the ball pinged between them, Dempsey nodded in.

In the second and third friendlies of 2006, Twellman had eradicated his stigma of goalless U.S. games by scoring four times, but his importance to the team is also as a target and aerial presence. In the first half, he was neither, and the U.S. attack pined for the power and prowess of McBride, who'd been a late scratch because of an ouchy groin.

Twellman played tougher in the second half and Dempsey sharpened his game to give Donovan and Convey balls with which to run at defenders.

Lewis left his corner exposed a few times, but Gregg Berhalter (replaced by Carlos Bocanegra at halftime), Oguchi Oneywu, and the goalies repelled the crosses. Right back Steve Cherundolo curled a free kick just wide, defended stoutly, and pushed up effectively.

Keepers Kasey Keller and Tim Howard each played a solid half. Both charged out quickly to clear dangerous balls hit down the middle, and each saved a low shot surely, without allowing a rebound.

Next up for the USA is a March 22 date with World Cup host Germany in Dortmund. Arena has said he'll probably use mostly MLS players for that match.

SA REPORT CARD
(1=low; 5=average; 10=high)
STARTERS:
6 Kasey Keller
7 Steve Cherundolo
6 Gregg Berhalter
7 Oguchi Oneywu
7 Eddie Lewis
3 DaMarcus Beasley
4 Kerry Zavagnin
5 Landon Donovan
7 Clint Dempsey
6 Taylor Twellman
4 Eddie Johnson
Subs:
6 Tim Howard
5 Carlos Bocanegra
5 Pablo Mastroeni
6 Bobby Convey
nr Josh Wolff
nr Chris Klein

March 1 in Kaiserslautern, Germany

USA 1 Poland 0. Goal: Dempsey 48.

USA — Keller (Howard, 46), Cherundolo, Berhalter (Bocanegra, 46), Onyewu, Lewis, Dempsey (Klein, 89), Zavagnin (Mastroeni, 55), Donovan, Beasley (Convey, 71), Twellman, Johnson (Wolff, 79).

Poland — Dudek (Boruc, 46),Jop (Klos, 83), Baszczynski, Bak, Michal Zewlakow (Rzasa, 72), Radomski (Sobolewski, 80), Smolarek, Krzynowek, Szymkowiak, Rasiak (Kosowski, 61), Frankowski (Niedzielan, 61).

Stats: USA–POL
Shots: 4–6
Saves: 3–1
Corner Kicks: 3–2
Fouls: 15–21
Offside: 3–4

Yellow cards: USA — Bocanegra 58; Poland — Jop 79.

Referee: Thorston Kinhofer (Germany).

Att.: 13,395.