USA Y Colombia they tied this Saturday without goals in a friendly match played in Los Angeles (USA) with a large presence of the ‘coffee’ crowd in the stands (0-0).
Neither team was able to break through on goal despite the fact that they had plenty of chances in a very entertaining and colorful first half. In the second half, the pace slowed and defenses comfortably dominated offenses without imagination or success.
As it was not a FIFA date, this friendly played at LA Galaxy’s Dignity Health Sports Park did not include players from both teams competing in Europe. The USA, led by interim coach Anthony Hudson, lost only 1-2 in another friendly against Serbia on Wednesday, while the Colombian team led by Néstor Lorenzo has only one game on the calendar.
The two-game warm-up for the Stars and Stripes team came amid much controversy as the US Soccer Federation (USSF) investigated former coach, Gregg Berhalter, for a sexist attack that took place in 1991.
The USSF learned about that incident – the coach acknowledged – through the parents of Gio Reyna, a Borussia Dortmund player and US international who had a high-profile confrontation with Berhalter during the World Cup in Qatar.
The match started with a lot of rhythm on both sides, with fast and furious attacks and little interest in controlling the midfield. The first chance for the USA came in the 6th minute with a run down the right by Matthew Hoppe, who fed the ball to Paxten Aaronson but his timid low shot was unable to trouble goalkeeper Álvaro Montero .
Colombia’s response came with a drive from Diego Valoyes down the right with no team-mate appearing for the shot. In a repeated game with much excitement, Aaronson came back to ghost the goal but his shot -after a heel from Paul Arriola- hit the post in 14 minutes.
Less than halfway through the first half, the coffee growers again threatened goalkeeper Sean Johnson, but shots went wide, first by Yilmar Velázquez and then by Cristian Arango. It looked difficult for them to maintain that intensity and both teams took a breather before the break.
In those final 20 minutes, Hoppe hardly had a chance, but he again lacked precision in finishing, and the game went into the break with no goals and less pace than at the start.
Néstor Lorenzo picked Diber Cambindo at the restart instead of an unfortunate Arango, but the Deportivo Independiente Medellín striker could not survive the Colombian attack either. It will be difficult for Colombia to string together games with an uninspired Juan Camilo ‘Cucho’ Hernández in attack.
The USA was also unable to show off their scoring nose and Jesús Ferreira wasted the ball inside the area when Arriola served him. More stalemated and with little continuity, the rivalry never found its way to goal despite numerous substitutions and tries by both teams in the second half.
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.
