CARSON, Calif. – Call it Mission Accomplished, in a sense.
The US national team concluded their annual January training camp with a 2-0 friendly win over Panama at the StubHub Center on Sunday, and with that came positive signs, including their first win and first clean sheet in six games, as well as a few international debuts.
“I’m obviously pleased to see the team finish off this almost four weeks camp in good style, a lot of energy,” USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in the postgame press conference. “Great crowd out here, a lot of energy, it was really fun.”
The Americans tallied their goals in the first half, as Michael Bradley scored directly from a corner kick in the 27th minute, and Clint Dempsey took a pass through the middle of the field from Gyasi Zardes before beating Panamanian goalkeeper Jaime Penedo in the 37th minute. Klinsmann said that although the pace of the game changed in the second half, with both teams using a number of substitutes, he was pleased to see the US continue to press on for additional goals.
“It obviously slowed down [in] the second half as you could see, but [we were] trying to add another, third goal. Didn’t come, but the pushing was there,” he said.
Klinsmann used a 4-2-3-1 formation against Panama, explaining once again that it best suited the players he had available.
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And although Klinsmann gave Zardes and midfielder Miguel Ibarra their first starts for the national team, in addition to giving Perry Kitchen and Matt Hedges their USMNT debuts, the coach emphasized the veterans on hand who led the team to victory on the day.
“This was plenty of experience on the field," Klinsman said. If you start with Nick [Rimando] in goal, and Jermaine [Jones] and Matt Besler, you go through Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey to Jozy Altidore, they’re experienced enough to manage a game. You have to expect from them that they get the job done and after four weeks of a lot of work, which they did.”
Once again, Jones was deployed in central defense, reinforcing the notion that he'll get midfield reps with his club while manning the backline for country, in the process opening up opportunities for others.
“I think you know [center back] is a position that Jermaine can play absolutely," Klinsmann said. "It opens up a slot in midfield to see other talent coming through in midfield. And we keep working on it. I think the more he plays it, the more he settles with it and he’s more comfortable.”
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When asked about the status of defender DeAndre Yedlin, who endured a rough challenge from Panamanian midfielder Erick Davis late in the second half and did not return to the game, a U.S. Soccer spokesman said Yedlin would be evaluated on Monday and was taken out as a “precautionary measure.” Klinsmann said that Yedlin “should be fine” and the injury was “not as bad” as it first appeared.
Altidore was brought off at the half, reportedly as a precaution and because of hamstring tightness. After the game, Klinsmann said, “Jozy’s all fine, we just didn’t want anything to happen coming out of the camp.”
