Luke Stergiou
Senior photographer
On October 16, the United States Men’s National Team drew 1-1 against the Peru Men’s National Team. Although the U.S. salvaged a draw, the game was not a performance to remember for the USMNT.
The first half was abysmal. Interim head coach Dave Sarachan made 9 total changes to the squad, with the likes of Brad Guzan replacing the injured Zack Steffen in goal, and adding Jonathan Amon, Reggie Cannon and Aaron Long to make their debuts.
The debutantes showed promise, but their actions would ultimately not be enough to give the U.S. the edge against Peru.
The United States was dominated by Peru, despite creating some good attacking chances early on. Peru may have controlled the possession for majority of the first half, but La Blanquirroja were not able to penetrate the U.S. defense, even with 4 of the shots being on target.
The U.S. started off the second half looking rejuvenated, with 18 year old midfielder Josh Sargent nearly scoring after a great pass from Jonathan Amon in the 47th minute.
Sargent would go on to redeem himself two minutes later as Kellyn Acosta would deliver a low lying pass to the young striker, who slotted it past the Peruvian Keeper to make it 1-0 to the United States.
Peru would make a few substitutions shortly after, including Orlando City midfielder Yoshimar Yotun, to help bolster the team’s attack. La Blanquirroja got off to a slow start during the second half, with the team’s first shot on goal coming in the 70th minute.
Peru would continue to press and try to break down the U.S. defense, with their efforts being rewarded in the 86th minute when Edison Flores equalized for Peru.
The game ended 1-1, with the USMNT failing to score a last minute winner against the South American team.
Although I am happy that the U.S. did not lose, as a fan it still feels like the team is lacking. Despite the debutantes showing much potential and promise, the team still feels incomplete. Yes, the omissions of Christian Pulisic, Weston Mckennie and Tyler Adams were very much noticed, as the team is not the same without their creativity and lethal striking ability on top.
Obviously, the team still has a ways to go in terms of creating a solid team for the future, and especially for the World Cup in 2022.
Having the team be built of a lot of young players is fantastic, but the team still lacks depth.
The team needs players who can be flexible, and multiple players for each position that will prove to be vital in the end. Although a tie against Peru on home soil is not the most ideal result, it’s better than losing.
Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com
