ON a night that was meant to honor USMNT great Michael Bradley, the Americans proved that this version of the squad is nowhere near the level of the ones he captained.
The United States Men’s National Team fell flat, losing 2-0 in an international friendly against South Korea, continuing its subpar streak of performances under Mauricio Pochettino.
The US Men’s National Team flopped hard in its international friendly against Korea[/caption]
Son Heung-min notched two goal involvements in Korea’s 2-0 win[/caption]
Despite the game being hosted in New Jersey, it sounded like the USMNT was playing in the heart of Seoul.
Korean fans vastly outnumbered Americans in the sellout crowd, and they made their presence known with constant, deafening chants.
That lit an early fire under the Korean squad, who put the pressure on the Americans early.
It took just 18 minutes for Son Heung Min to establish his presence in the game and slot one past USMNT keeper Matt Freese.
Every time the ball got to his feet, the stadium roared to life, further willing the Koreans on.
Son got another chance to make his mark on the game before the whistle blew to end the first half.
He went tumbling over Freese after poking the ball to his right midfielder Lee Dong-Gyeong
Dong-Gyeong had no issue knocking the ball into the empty net with a neat backheel, giving an assist to Son in the 43rd minute.
At half, the Americans entered the locker room down 2-0 and looking lifeless.
USMNT superstar Christian Pulisic was nowhere to be found during the first half.
In his first international action since the Gold Cup bust-up with Pochettino, the AC Milan winger could have made just as big of an impact if he didn’t play at all.
Both squads made large substitutions midway through the second half, with the USMNT and Korea replacing six players.
Son was taken off he pitch with two goal involvements, but Pulisic remained in the game.
The scoring struggles continued into the second half for the Americans, with players unable to convert scoring opportunities even when they came just feet from the goal line.
Pulisic was given an opportunity on a free kick just outside of the box, but sailed it well over the net.
Mauricio Pochettino’s squad has yet to find any strong form so far in his tenure[/caption]
By the time the final 10 minutes of the game rolled around, the USMNT was playing reckless, undisciplined soccer and fouling all over the field.
From they way the Americans played, Korea had won the game by the time their second goal went in the net in the first half.
The US Soccer bosses are going to have plenty to look at in the months leading up to the World Cup.
There are still plenty of opportunities to improve in more international friendlies, but an opening 0-2 loss to Korea is fairly disheartening.
This squad needs to do some soul searching in order to find their identity, and they need to do it fast.
