Three points from USMNT's winless January window

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Doug McIntyre

football journalist

The US Men’s National Team faced Columbia in a scoreless draw on Saturday in Carson, Calif., for the second time since the 2022 World Cup. The stalemate comes three days after losing 2-1 to Serbia in another friendly, and the USA, who were just five men left from their World Cup roster in two friendlies this month, will be eliminated in 2023. had to wait until at least March for their first victory. .

Here are three quick thoughts on Saturday’s game and the opening round as a whole.

US performance improved, but a winless January

All five of Qatar’s veteran players for 2022 were in the starting line-up for interim boss Anthony Hudson this time around, though Los Caleferos has significantly less experience than the hosts. It was a formidable opponent. For a game without goals, this was an interesting event.

Both teams fought hard from the opening whistle, despite the obvious sloppiness that most players play in the interseason.

“It could have easily been a qualifying game, and that was what the players were putting into it. “It was a very intense match.”

For the United States, Leeds United attacker Brenden’s brother Pakhten Aaronsson nearly scored first on his debut twice in the first half. World Cup veteran Jesús Ferreira played against his country of birth and wasted the best opportunity of the contest in second place. The United States also waved two penalty cries by officials who did not benefit from the exhibition’s video assistant referee.

There’s no way we couldn’t have scored and celebrated a victory on Saturday at the first gathering of the 2026 World Cup cycle. In addition to Thursday’s bombshell during training camp, US Soccer’s sports director Ernie Stewart is leaving with USMNT general manager Brian McBride and World Cup coach Greg Verhalter’s program uncertain futures. It wasn’t the best month for men in the US. Still, this camp served its purpose as a whole.

“The purpose of this camp was to find new players,” Hudson said. “I think we hit our target. There are a lot of players out there that we wanted to see with us and in a competitive game. It gives us the opportunity to do that. gave it to me.”

Some young Americans show potential

US U-20 national team star Pakten Aaronsson showed both hope and inexperience against Colombia, but was heavily involved in his first international match.

Left-back John Tolkin, another debutant on Saturday, also didn’t look out of place in one of the shallowest positions in the player pool.

“He’s a confident kid,” Hudson said of Tolkien. “I don’t think this situation phased him at all.”

In a somewhat surprising start against fellow striker Brandon Vazquez, Matthew Hoppe performed much better than he did off the bench against Serbia. His decisions were questionable, but his fights were not.

Hudson said of Hoppe, who struggled in his first season at Middlesbrough and was cleared to play in those games by the English second-tier club, “I think it would be terrifying for a defender to play him.” “He just doesn’t stop.”

Saturday’s encouraging performances by Aaronson, Hoppe and Tolkien follow fellow youngsters Cade Cowell and Gaga Slonina, as well as the 24-year-old Vazquez’s performance against Serbia. It’s hard to ask for.

“It was a really good test for the players, especially the young ones,” Hudson said. “This will be a great experience for them.”

Bigger tests planned for USMNT

The cold truth is that in the grand scheme of things, these two games don’t make much sense. The 2022 World Cup ended last month. Only a handful of regulars were able to attend this camp. The team is overseen by a Lame Duck manager. Add in the off-field drama that has dominated the conversation around the national team since Qatar, including Thursday’s news that Stewart and McBride were sidelined. The result literally doesn’t matter.

Not so in March, June and July. The American has two CONCACAF Nations League group stage games in his late March, with the final scheduled for his early June, followed by the Gold Cup. After that, the entire player pool will be available. This gives us a better gauge of where the US is early in her 2026 cycle. The atmosphere of the program may also become brighter.

“We have a great group,” said Hudson. “A lot of the players are not here, but I can tell you they love playing for this team. It’s a real privilege to work together.”

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