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In a friendly match against Serbia on Wednesday night, the US national team showcased a number of inexperienced and young players as the January camp came to an end. Los Angeles suffered a 2-1 setback as a result.
Those young players gained important insight into mistakes made at the international level as a result of being penalised for flagrant blunders both before and after the half.
Although the hosts’ 90-minute effort against an equally inexperienced Serbian team likely merited a victory, they were defeated by errors that directly resulted in goals. At the halfway point, Brandon Vazquez’s magnificent header gave the Americans the lead, but the Americans collapsed at two crucial times.
Just before halftime, a free kick from Luka Ilic levelled the score by breaking a porous U.S. defence. Just a few seconds after the start of the second half, Veljko Simic punished a terrible error at the back.
Even with senior players Kellyn Acosta and Paul Arriola coming off the bench, the U.S. struggled to equalise despite controlling the game for the majority of the second half.
Throughout his 72 minutes, Cade Cowell excelled above the rest of the team. On the left side, the 19-year-old winger and Jonathan Gomez worked nicely together. In the final stretch, Alejandro Zendejas shone when he was placed in the centre.
It’s difficult to accept defeat in the first match after the World Cup, but there were things to take away from these 90 minutes. Results are less essential than performance. The United States will finish up its January camp with a match against Colombia on Saturday.
The Sporting News offered score updates, analysis, and highlights as they happened throughout the USA vs. Serbia match.
Confirmed lineups:
USA (4-3-3, right to left):
24. Walker Zimmerman (Long, 46′), 2. Julian Gressel (Jones, 62′), and Gaga Slonina (GK) Jalen Neal, 22 21. Aidan Morris, 5. Jonathan Gomez, (Acosta, 63′) 10. Paxton Pomykal 14. Alejandro Zendejas, 17. Alan Sonora (Williamson, 58′) 20. Cade Cowell (Arriola, 73′), 8. Brandon Vazquez (Hoppe, 63′).
Dorde Petrovic (GK — Rosic, 46′) — 5. Marko Mijailovic; Serbia (4-5-1, right to left); 3. Ranko Veselinovic, 4. Nemanja Petrovic, Nemanja Stojic 6. Veljko Simic, 10. Dejan Joveljic, 14, Nikola Petkovic (Bijelovic, 81′), Luka Illic, 7, Mirko Topic, 8, and Vladimir Lucic, 16, are the players who were replaced.
USA vs Serbia postmatch analysis and storylines
Cade Cowell the star USMNT performer vs. Serbia
Nobody gloried in themselves as much as Cowell did when playing Serbia. He was by far the finest player for either team on the field, frequently appearing down the left to create trouble, either by cutting inside (which he obviously prefers) or by sporadically springing down the flank to put in a cross.
Cowell struck both goal posts in a couple of seconds, making it incredibly unfortunate that he did not select a goal. Jonathan Gomez and Cowell made excellent left-side passes together, and the fullback did well to overlap a few times, allowing Cowell to move centrally both on and off the ball.
With the national squad, the 19-year-old has undoubtedly earned greater playing time, whether it be against Colombia or elsewhere.
Multiple dual nationals stood out for the USMNT
Many of the players who (for the time being) selected the United States were remarkable.
Gaga Slonina, who opted for the United States over Poland, was excellent in net, particularly with his two significant stops in the opening period. He could have done more to block Serbia’s equaliser just before halftime, but he will also be aware that his defenders eventually dispersed to allow the shot to into the frame.
Alejandro Zendejas, who Mexico has been actively courting, was outstanding and gained prominence as the game progressed, especially as he moved into a more central position in the final 30 minutes. Although he shown some defensive weaknesses, Jonathan Gomez was a reliable left back and his offensive partnership with Cowell was excellent.
Brandon Vazquez, who scored the winning goal, had previously been eligible to represent Mexico, but he now earns his first U.S. cap.
All things considered, it was a fantastic evening for dual nationals sporting the U.S. Soccer crest.
Mistakes will be punished at this level
The U.S. squad was competing against a weak, extremely inexperienced Serbia team, yet the penalties for errors were uniform.
On the second Serbia goal, Jalen Neal and Jonathan Gomez were caught with their pants down. Knowing that the United States definitely ought to have converted more opportunities up front but was penalised in this manner at the back is a bitter pill to chew.
Such mental errors are not acceptable during any senior international match. Young players and debutants on the U.S. team can learn a lot from it, and interim head coach Anthony Hudson will make sure to emphasise it as they prepare for the friendly against Colombia on Saturday.
USA vs Serbia live updates, highlights, commentary
FULL TIME: USA 1-2 Serbia
The U.S. squad was competing against a weak, extremely inexperienced Serbia team, yet the penalties for errors were uniform.
Anthony Hudson and the youthful American team lose because it was too late to recover from the errors that occurred just before halftime. Despite dominating for the majority of the second half, the United States was unable to penetrate a strong Serbian defence that thwarted all of their attacking attempts, especially the abundance of crosses they put into the penalty area.
The game’s most noteworthy finding was Cade Cowell’s performance, albeit a few other participants also did well in their assigned tasks. Jalen Neal had a difficult night in the back, but overall this game taught us a lot of valuable lessons.
USA vs Serbia: Second half
Aidan Morris receives a relatively lenient yellow card in the 88th minute for pursuing a 50/50 ball in midfield. The next person to be charged for hacking Jonathan Gomez to death during a break is Marko Mijailovic. You receive your money’s value in this way.
The delivery of Kellyn Acosta’s free kick is subpar as regulation time expires and five minutes of additional time remain. Aaron Long was supposed to be at the far post, but it’s too deep.
Nemanja Petrovic received his first caution of the game in the 85th minute for a foul in midfield. Soon after, Kellyn Acosta springs Alejandro Zendejas, prompting a penalty scream from the Americans. Petrovic vigorously challenges, but the referee ignores the objections. It’s the proper choice because the fight for the ball didn’t include enough people.
In the 81st minute, the United States is applying intense pressure, primarily by inserting horizontal crosses into the box. Though American forwards are struggling to win aerial duels in the penalty area, Serbian defenders are intercepting every single delivery.
79th minute: USA chance! The pressure is now being applied by the hosts! DeJuan Jones dismembers a defender on the right side of the field before cutting the ball to Paul Arriola, whose brilliantly redirected effort is stopped by Dragan Rosic! It was a great save by the Serbian goalkeeper to block that shot at the doorstep.
Nikola Petkovic is replaced by Luka Bijelovic in Serbia’s final substitution.
77th minute: USA chance! WHOA! In the middle of the field, the American Eryk Williamson makes an appearance. After having one attempt stopped, he pounced on the rebound and launched a devastating effort just high. That would have stunned people.
DeJuan Jones makes a terrific effort to track back and stop a Serbia breakaway through replacement Nikola Stulic in the 76th minute, who would have had a clear shot at goal.
Filip Damjanovic is replaced by Serbia in another change.
74th minute: USA chance! After all this American control, there is finally a shot on goal, but it is a very bad effort from Paul Arriola following outstanding work by Alejandro Zendejas to generate the chance via a back-heel. A short while later, Zendejas picks up the ball himself from a great distance in the centre and fires a curler narrowly wide left. After beginning the game on the outside, he is now playing more in the middle.
70th minute: The substitutions temporarily closed the game, but it is now once again open. Since Serbia’s goal, the U.S. has had the majority of the possession, but they haven’t exactly been able to create an opportunity on goal. A corner is won by Jonathan Gomez, who has been effective when moving forward from his left-back position. The USMNT receives a second corner after two deliveries from Aaron Long, which is successfully cleared.
Cade Cowell is replaced by Paul Arriola, who shined in his second USMNT appearance.
61st minute: The hour bell is rung by both parties. At striker, the Americans substitute Matthew Hoppe for Brandon Vazquez. DeJuan Jones and Kellyn Acosta are also on for the Americans while Julian Gressel and Paxton Pomykal are off. The intriguing young defensive midfielder Marko Ivezic is one of two midfield alterations made by Serbia.
Hoppe jumps right into the action, winning a corner by quickly getting his head to a cross in front of goal.
Cade Cowell comes close one more in the 59th second! This time, he cuts inside and shoots from a distance with a low ripper that misses just to the right of centre. The San Jose Earthquakes attacker, who is 19 years old, is feeling it tonight!
Eryk Williamson is substituted on for Alan Sonora.
56th minute: USA, chance! Oh, Cade Cowell deserved a goal, but the woodwork TWICE denied him! In spite of beating the goalkeeper, the winger’s shot hits the inside of the far post and screeches back toward the goal. Without the ball going in, there is no way to get any closer to scoring!
Due to careless Serbian defending, he gets a second bite and this time strikes the left post, ripping from a more central position. What a brutal act! Such terrible bad luck!
In the 54th minute, the Americans have resumed their successful left-side attacks from just before halftime. Dragan Rosic was worried by a good cross from Cade Cowell on the doorstep, but no one was available to convert it. Then, not for the first time, Alan Sonora gets his pocket picked in the middle of the field.
51st minute: Serbia has a chance! The ball is in the net for the visitors, but offside is called and the goal is disallowed! It’s likely that there was a foul committed during the buildup as well, but the Americans will feel themselves fortunate to escape punishment for yet another gaffe at the back.
In an attempt to evade pressure, Alan Sonora took far too long with the ball, which put the American defender in a lot of problems when he passed down the back for Jalen Neal. It was eventually stolen by Jonathan Gomez, giving Serbia a free shot on goal, but it won’t count. This half has gotten off to an incredibly poor start at the back.
46th minute: SERBIA scores! Serbia takes the lead, giving the United States the worst conceivable halftime lead! The American defence mishandles a potential long pass forward, with Jalen Neal and Jonathan Gomez failing to coordinate and instead handing it straight to Serbia’s offensive front. Veljko Simic, who was repeatedly ignored by Gaga Slonina
Kickoff: The second half has begun as both teams attempt to break the tie. Walker Zimmerman has been replaced by Aaron Long, who is playing for the United States. Nikola Stulic has replaced Mirko Topic as the leader of Serbia.
At halftime, interim U.S. head coach Anthony Hudson said he was pleased with the team’s overall performance in the first 45 minutes, but added that the defence needed “a little more concentration” and that the crossing “could be better.”
HALFTIME: USA 1-1 Serbia
The US did well overall, but there is still much room for improvement. The U.S. will not be accustomed to Serbia holding the ball for extended periods of the first half, especially early on. The Americans lost the ball a lot and their passing wasn’t particularly accurate.
Even yet, Brandon Vazquez’s goal was stunning, as the Americans frequently replied quickly and viciously. Vazquez will be pleased with his header even if he should have scored another goal around ten minutes earlier. Cade Cowell was by far the finest American player. Overall, the United States was definitely the better team, but only marginally, and the score is tied going into the interval.
USA vs Serbia: First Half
45+1 min: What’s the deal? As Cade Cowell cuts inside, the Americans are executing a fantastic attack right outside the top of the penalty box, but play is stopped because…another there’s ball on the field? A second ball simply happens to land at the top of the 18-yard box somehow. Without a trace, very CONCACAF-like!
44th minute: SERBIA scores! Dejan Joveljic is fouled by Paxton Pomykal on the edge of the penalty box, giving Serbia a risky free kick. Because Luka Ilic’s delivery goes through and past, Gaga Slonina’s setting of the wall is inadequate.
40th minute: USA, chance! How did that miss the mark? Cade Cowell, who is positioned on the far post, received a corner from the United States and awkwardly managed to send it lateral across the goal. Amazingly, all FOUR American players swung and missed, unable to make any contact with the ball. If they attempted, they’d have a hard time doing that again!
36th minute: Serbia has a chance! ALONE AGAIN, SLONINA! Veljko Simic, who is causing a lot of issues for Serbia’s left flank, breaks free from a constrained angle and unleashes a determined effort, but Slonina is there to make the save once more! The young goalie has so far been excellent. On the other hand, Julian Gressel has been defensively dismantled on that side
31st minute: Serbia has a chance! WHAT A SLONINA SAVE! The 18-year-old puts his life on the line for a double save! Veljko Simic has a wonderful effort from close range, but he scuffs it, and Slonina makes an uncomfortable stop as Serbia moves the ball up the field quickly. Slonina, who is still on the ground, is able to get his hand up and deter Luka Illic from attacking the goal mouth when the ball pops into the air.
Slonina takes medical attention after appearing to sustain a head injury during the second save. After a little neck stretching, he is standing and doing fine.
29th min: GOAL! USA! Brandon Vazquez opens his account with a sensational header! A rare attack from the right flank for the United States sees Julian Gressel float one in to the near post, and Vazquez attacks it with ferocity, leaping with his back to goal and flicking a header inside the far post. It’s a pinpoint effort and beats Dorde Petrovic! Has the U.S. found another striker candidate
26th minute: Cade Cowell had an amazing first half. He moves laterally along the end line when the ball is wide left, putting Marko Mijailovic in a spin cycle and leaving the Serbian on his bottom. He makes a cutback to Paxton Pomykal, but the pass misses its mark by a fraction of an inch, ending the move with a turnover.
24th min: Chance, USA! The United States cannot hold the ball, but they are countering with ferocity. Aidan Morris absolutely mugs Mirko Topic (to be honest, it was a clear foul), and he starts the break. Nobody steps to Morris, with a three-on-two advantage on the counter, and the young midfielder takes it himself and rips one looking for the top-right corner. Dorde Petrovic makes a great save!
The United States nearly scores again in the 22nd minute when Cade Cowell curls a beautiful cross just agonisingly over the head of a jumping Brandon Vazquez.
19th minute: USA chance! Serbia has a fairly lengthy period of possession that lacks sharpness but irritates the Americans a little. Without firing a shot, it comes to a conclusion, and the United States slits the Serbians’ throats right away. Alan Sonora crosses the halfway line with it and feeds a charging Cade Cowell, who smashes a curler that nearly lands in the top-right corner. By a wide measure, Cowell has been the finest American player so far. So near!
13th minute: USA chance! At the back, Serbia made a terrible error that almost allowed the hosts to score first. Alejandro Zendejas and Brandon Vazquez push Serbian goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic, who then hands the ball to Cade Cowell, who crosses it with a horizontal cutback to Vazquez just off the penalty spot.
The FC Cincinnati player takes aim at the goal but misses it badly to the right. Vazquez made a terrible error, and he might use a strong performance in front of goal to increase his chances of playing forward in the future.
11th min: Jonathan Gomez gets forward down the U.S. left flank but again there’s no service into the attackers. Cade Cowell had tucked inside but Gomez’s cross was fired way too hard for him to collect. Brandon Vazquez has had little come his way.
7th minute: The United States is stuck in its own half. United States passes through the Serbia midfield with difficulty, but Serbia can easily build forward into the attacking third. Cade Cowell misfires with a cross that runs horizontally over the top of the penalty box and is easily cut out, ending a rare foray forward along the left flank.
Serbia then turns around and moves the ball directly into the American penalty area, but their effort is foiled by a blunder in the 18-yard box that results in the ball trickling to Gaga Slonina without nobody there to intercept it. They are already tightening the screw.
4th min: Chance, Serbia! Attacking down their left this time, Serbia win a corner conceded by Alan Sonora who has no choice but to put it out of play. The delivery is a vicious one, headed at the near post by Nemanja Stojic who produces a stunning glancer across the face of goal. Gaga Slonina barely gets his fingertips to it, and then the follow up from close range is blocked. The Europeans have looked very dangerous early on!
Second minute: Early on, Serbia appears to be much more nimble than the United States, pinging passes around and causing issues along their right side. Here, early on, the American team seemed uneasy and unsteady. Jonathan Gomez, a left back, misplays a pass that is out of bounds.
Having technically started at 10:07 p.m. ET, the game has now begun as the Americans attempt to complete their January camp with 180 precise minutes on the field. The first 90 of those are tonight, and the remaining 90 will take place against Colombia on Saturday. Tonight’s attendance is allegedly not at all satisfactory.
