International Soccer
USMNT bounce back with 2-0 win over Japan
From doom and gloom to resounding victory, the U.S. Men’s National Team bounced back from a loss to Korea Republic with a 2-0 win over Japan on Tuesday night in front of a crowd of 20,192 in Columbus.
Alex Zendejas and Folarin Balogun scored for the U.S. and Matt Freese (Wayne, Pa.) recorded a clean sheet in his 9th appearance. Christian Pulisic (Hershey, Pa.) picked up his 19th career assist in his 80th appearance for the USMNT, setting up Balogun’s second half strike. Philadelphia Union defender Nathan Harriel came off the bench late and former Union midfielder Jack McGlynn also featured as a reserve.
Tuesday’s win is the 11th in Columbus for the U.S. Men’s National Team in 15 all-time matches played in the Ohio capital, including eight of its last nine. The program’s winning record in Columbus of 73.3 percent is the highest out of any city.
Mauricio Pochettino, heavily criticized for the team’s performance on Saturday in North Jersey, made five changes from the lineup that lost to the World Cup-bound South Korea squad 2-0. Zendejas, Balogun, defenders Alex Freeman, Chris Richards and midfielder Cristian Roldan all earned the start Tuesday in Columbus after entering Saturday’s match against Korea as second-half substitutes.
The group returns to action in October for another two-match set against World Cup qualified opponents.
The USA will first host Ecuador on Oct. 10 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas and will face Australia four days later in Commerce City, Col. The match on Oct. 14 will mark the first game for the USA at the home of the Colorado Rapids since 2017.
