The US men's national team finished out January camp with a lively 0-0 draw in a Saturday evening friendly with Colombia at the LA Galaxy's Dignity Health Sports Park.
Fielding a rotated starting XI from the one that fell 2-1 on Wednesday to Serbia, the US had their chances in a back-and-forth match, but ultimately settled for a scoreless deadlock against a Colombian side that featured six MLS players in their matchday squad.
The Yanks' best chances came in the first half, with Philadelphia Union homegrown export Paxten Aaronson narrowly missing on two different opportunities, the second of which was blocked by a last-gasp clearance from a Colombia defender. Matthew Hoppe also had a breakaway opportunity as the match neared halftime, but the Middlesbrough winger had his tight-angled shot saved by the goalkeeper.
The breakneck pace continued into the second half, but neither side managed to find a game-winner. FC Cincinnati forward Brandon Vázquez had the Yanks' last best chance of the evening, but couldn't quite get his boot to a cross in front of goal in second-half stoppage time.
Goals
- None
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: This was a much more entertaining match than the final score might indicate, giving the young players in camp some good exposure to the intensity and pace of play at the international level. Several new faces had some standout moments over the course of these two friendlies, so let the discussion begin on which ones deserve more caps as the program looks towards the future.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Paxten Aaronson came tantalizingly close to opening his USMNT account twice in the first half. If he puts himself in these situations often enough, it's only a matter of time before he finds himself on the scoresheet.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: John Tolkin was one of the evening's standouts for the US from his left back spot, putting in a lively two-way shift. The 20-year-old New York Red Bulls homegrown is among those who made a compelling case for a future look.
Next Up
- USA: Wednesday, March 24 vs. Grenada | 8:00 pm ET | Concacaf Nations League
