The US team started this Wednesday on his way to the World Cup 2026to be hosted by the US along with Mexico and Canada, with a loss to Serbian 1-2 in a friendly match played in Los Angeles.
Brandon Vázquez, who started his national team, put the USA ahead in the first half, but Serbia came from behind with a goal from Luka Ilic before the break and a goal from Veljko Simic early in the second half. This is the first meeting for the USA after their elimination in the round of 16 of Qatar 2022 against the Netherlands (3-1).
The friendly against Serbia, played at the BMO Stadium by Los Angeles FC (LAFC), featured many newcomers and unusual names because, as it was not a FIFA day, players competing in Europe, for example, were unable to attend
Anthony Hudson made his debut as the United States’ interim coach while the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) investigated former coach, Gregg Berhalter, for an alleged sexist attack that occurred in 1991.
This investigation has dominated American soccer news in recent weeks since the USSF learned about the incident through the parents of Gio Reyna, a Borussia Dortmund player and an American international who had a controversial confrontation with Berhalter during the World Cup in Qatar. .
Controversy aside, the US struck first in their clash against Serbia with a brilliant 29th minute cross header from Vázquez that went into the net after a great cross from Julian Gressel.
Goalkeeper Gaga Slonina was superb with several saves to prevent Serbia from levelling, but she was unable to do anything in the 43rd minute before a left-footed shot from Ilic’s direct free kick skidded off the completely broken wall.
The second half could not have started worse for the Americans when Simic made it 1-2 in the 46th minute, taking advantage of a serious mistake in a clearance by the local defense. The USA tried everything possible in the second half and had plenty of chances including both Cade Cowell’s balls hitting the post in less than a minute.
However, Serbia withstood the relentless US siege and won the city of California. The next US friendly is this Saturday against Colombia also in Los Angeles.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.