Sporting Kansas City defender Graham Zusi earned his 47th cap for the U.S. Men’s National Team on Saturday as head coach Bruce Arena’s side battled Venezuela to a 1-1 draw in a tune-up for two World Cup qualifiers next week.
Zusi was a 90th-minute substitute in Saturday’s friendly at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, which saw the U.S. equalize with a 61st-minute goal from Christian Pulisic after Venezuela took the lead through Jose Manuel Velazquez on 29 minutes.
The U.S. will now continue their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a pair of matches in CONCACAF’s Hexagonal, first facing Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. Kickoff is set for 6:50 p.m. CT on FS1, UniMas and UDN.
Zusi will be joined on the U.S. roster by Sporting Kansas City center back Matt Besler, who was with the MNT earlier this week before returning to his club to play 90 minutes in a 3-0 victory over Minnesota United FC on Saturday. Besler will travel back to the national team setup ahead of Thursday’s matchup with Trinidad and Tobago.
Three days after hosting the Soca Warriors, the U.S. MNT will travel south of the border to face archrivals Mexico at the vaunted Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. That all-important showdown will kick off next Sunday at 7:30 p.m. CT on FS1, Univision and UDN.
Arena’s men currently occupy fourth place in the Hex with six qualifiers still to play between now and October. The top three finishers will clinch a spot in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, while the fourth-place finisher will face an Asian country in a two-legged World Cup playoff in November.
Hexagonal Standings
Team |
PTS |
W |
L |
D |
GF |
GA |
GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mexico |
10 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
+4 |
Costa Rica |
7 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
3 |
+4 |
Panama |
5 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
<strong>USA</strong> |
<strong>4</strong> |
<strong>1</strong> |
<strong>2</strong> |
<strong>1</strong> |
<strong>8</strong> |
<strong>7</strong> |
<strong>+1</strong> |
Honduras |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
9 |
-5 |
Trinidad & Tobago |
3 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
6 |
-4 |
U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (Club; Caps/Goals):
GOALKEEPERS (4): Brad Guzan (Atlanta United FC; 53/0), Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge/BEL; 1/0), Tim Howard (Colorado Rapids; 114/0), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake; 22/0)
DEFENDERS (10): DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo; 124/17), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City; 39/1), John Brooks (VfL Wolfsburg/GER; 31/3), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City/ENG; 51/4), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca/MEX; 38/1), Matt Hedges (FC Dallas; 2/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 24/1), Jorge Villafaña (Santos Laguna/MEX; 5/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United/ENG; 44/0), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City; 47/5)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas; 6/0), Paul Arriola (Club Tijuana/MEX; 4/2), Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union; 59/2), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 131/16), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 55/2), Dax McCarty (Chicago Fire; 6/0), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers; 15/1), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 14/5)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN; 102/37), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC; 133/56), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 15/2), Bobby Wood (Hamburg/GER; 30/8)
