The United States men's national team closed out its 2018 schedule with a match against Italy on Tuesday in Belgium, and despite not creating much of anything, the team defended pretty well and looked like it was heading for a draw. That was until Matteo Politano found the net in the 94th minute, giving the Azzurri a 1-0 victory. Here's what we learned:
U.S. never really stood much of a chance
This was always going to be a tough one, going up against a much more experienced Italian side. USA's starters had an average age of 22 years and 71 days, and that inexperience showed. The U.S. had just 26 percent possession, three total shots and just one shot on goal, while Italy had 17 total and six on frame.
Here's the final chance for Italy that provided the winning goal:
Horvath looked strong
Ethan Horvath is having himself a darn good month. The 23-year-old Colorado native made some really nice saves in this one, and this comes just weeks after a great display with Club Brugge against Monaco in the Champions League. The future of the goalkeeper position with the national team could belong to Zack Steffen of the Columbus Crew, but Horvath is making his case.
Atlanta United must be happy
The MLS playoffs continue this weekend with the conference semifinals, and in the east Atlanta United takes on New York Red Bulls. Atlanta must have been pretty thrilled to see two of the Red Bulls' key players, Tyler Adams and Aaron Long, play 90 minutes.
Now, to be fair, Atlanta United star Miguel Almiron also went 90 minutes for Paraguay in a 1-1 draw with South Africa. So really, neither club is probably all that happy to see their guys playing so much before some big games.
The games may be over, but news expected before end of the year
The U.S. is done playing in 2018, but the news should be picking up soon. A new head coach could be hired before the end of the month, and the U.S. announced its first official friendly of 2019. The team will host Costa Rica in San Jose, Calif., on Feb. 2. The U.S. is expected to play another game before the Costa Rica clash against a team yet to be determined. As we've seen in the past, the U.S. squad will likely be filled with MLS players as is usually the case at the beginning of the year when the federation hosts its camp in California and the European-based players are in the middle of their seasons.
The USA vs. Costa Rica game will air on fuboTV (Try for free).
Relive our game with our updates below. If you are unable to view the live updates, please click here.
The United States men's national team closed out its 2018 schedule with a match against Italy on Tuesday in Belgium, and despite not creating much of anything, the team defended pretty well and looked like it was heading for a draw. That was until Matteo Politano found the net in the 94th minute, giving the Azzurri a 1-0 victory. Here's what we learned:
U.S. never really stood much of a chance
This was always going to be a tough one, going up against a much more experienced Italian side. USA's starters had an average age of 22 years and 71 days, and that inexperience showed. The U.S. had just 26 percent possession, three total shots and just one shot on goal, while Italy had 17 total and six on frame.
Here's the final chance for Italy that provided the winning goal:
Horvath looked strong
Ethan Horvath is having himself a darn good month. The 23-year-old Colorado native made some really nice saves in this one, and this comes just weeks after a great display with Club Brugge against Monaco in the Champions League. The future of the goalkeeper position with the national team could belong to Zack Steffen of the Columbus Crew, but Horvath is making his case.
Atlanta United must be happy
The MLS playoffs continue this weekend with the conference semifinals, and in the east Atlanta United takes on New York Red Bulls. Atlanta must have been pretty thrilled to see two of the Red Bulls' key players, Tyler Adams and Aaron Long, play 90 minutes.
Now, to be fair, Atlanta United star Miguel Almiron also went 90 minutes for Paraguay in a 1-1 draw with South Africa. So really, neither club is probably all that happy to see their guys playing so much before some big games.
The games may be over, but news expected before end of the year
The U.S. is done playing in 2018, but the news should be picking up soon. A new head coach could be hired before the end of the month, and the U.S. announced its first official friendly of 2019. The team will host Costa Rica in San Jose, Calif., on Feb. 2. The U.S. is expected to play another game before the Costa Rica clash against a team yet to be determined. As we've seen in the past, the U.S. squad will likely be filled with MLS players as is usually the case at the beginning of the year when the federation hosts its camp in California and the European-based players are in the middle of their seasons.
The USA vs. Costa Rica game will air on fuboTV (Try for free).
Relive our game with our updates below. If you are unable to view the live updates, please click here.
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