[ad_1]
Sebastian Lletget steered the ball down and the emotions caught up as soon as the ball went into the goal.
In the same stadium where he scored his first international goal before a devastating foot injury that he feared to end his career, Lletget presented a much happier event in front of his family and friends who made the trip drive from his hometown of San Francisco.
Lletget scored and helped in his first match at the Avaya stadium since the injury, resulting in the United States 2-0 against Costa Rica at an exhibition on Saturday, making Gregg Berhalter the third coach to win his first two matches with the US national team.
"Since the last time I came here, it will always be difficult when I go to this building," Lletget said. "I am happy to still have a good memory for overcoming everything that has happened."
The 26-year-old midfielder entered the second half, scored in the 80th minute on a center of Jonathan Lewis and then fed Paul Arriola for second goal in the 88th minute.
Lletget opened the scoring with a header in the 80th minute.
Both of Lletget 's international goals were scored within an hour' s drive of where he grew up. He placed the United States ahead of Honduras in the fifth minute of a World Cup qualifier match at Avaya on March 24, 2017, before suffering an injury to Lisfranc's left foot 10 minutes later on a slippery machine that earned defender Ever Alvarado a yellow card.
Lletget needed surgery and did not return to the LA Galaxy until March 4th. He did not show up again for the national team before November 15th.
"I did not know if I was going to play again," he said. "I thought it was a sprain and then you go," I do not know when you're going to walk. "Six months later, I'm just walking again, I've beaten a lot.
Berhalter started with a 3-0 win over Panama last weekend and joined Bob Bradley (2007) and Robert Millar (1930) as the only coaches to win their first two games in the United States.
Berhalter was hired in December after the United States had spent more than a year without a full-time coach after the failure of their 2018 World Cup qualification. The Bruce Arena stadium ceased after the defeat in Trinidad in the last qualifying match and Dave Sarachan was appointed acting coach.
Arreola sealed the result with a goal cleared by Lletget.
Berhalter, 45, was part of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup teams and became the first American to coach the national team after playing for the World Cup.
Sixteen Major League Soccer players took part in a match that attracted only 13,656 players. As the match was not on an international date, all US training came from the MLS.
Berhalter will have for the first time his full group of players for matches against Ecuador on March 21 in Orlando, Florida, and Chile five days later in Houston.
After a generally dull first half, Nick Lima hit the inside post at the 54th and Roldan hit a post from outside the box at the 68th when the United States started to create opportunities.
"I think the mentality in the first half was too pbadive," said Berhalter. "We wanted to be much more aggressive. We talked about it at half-time. "
Lletget entered the 63rd minute and broke after Wil Trapp sent a long pbad to Jonathan Lewis, who settled the ball and then sent a cross into the area that Lletget headed down. Trapp was inserted into the starting lineup in the place of former captain Michael Bradley, one of two American changes. Arriola succeeded Jeremy Ebobisse.
The Americans stopped the game when Lletget kicked goalkeeper Zack Steffen in the middle of the field and sent a pbad to Arriola, who beat goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado at bat before taking a fall.
"He came in and changed the game for us," Trapp said of Lletget. "Not only score the goal, but his ability to keep possession of the ball and find good pockets."
Berhalter used a relatively inexperienced list of players, only Arriola, Trapp and Gyasi Zardes having already been part of the national team at least 10 times during their career.
Costa Rica also had an inexperienced team in coach Gustavo Matosas's first game, with only Alvarado, defender Francisco Calvo and midfielder David Guzman having played more than six matches. The Ticos saw seven players making their debut in the national team, including five starters: defensemen Pablo Arboine and Keysher Fuller; and midfielders Jose Alfaro, Ronaldo Araya and Marvin Loria. Two forwards made their debut in the second half, Alberth Villalobos in the 56th and Jean Scott in the 58th.
[ad_2]
Source link
