USMNT, Colombia play to scoreless draw
The U.S. and Colombian men’s national teams played to a 0-0 tie in a friendly at Carson, Calif. on Saturday. Sean Johnson made one save for the U.S. while Alvaro Montero had two for Colombia.
There weren’t as many scoring opportunities in the final 45 minutes after a back-and-forth first half. A Walker Zimmerman try in the 54th minute was the best chance for the Americans until a free kick in the 90th minute, when Kellyn Acosta’s service was just out of the reach of Brandon Vazquez in the middle of the box.
Unlike the Americans’ 2-1 loss to Serbia on Wednesday when seven starters made their U.S. debuts, the only debutantes against Colombia were midfielder Paxten Aaronson and defender John Tolkin.
😍 ¡Siempre atendiendo a los fanáticos!
🇺🇸 Los jugadores de @USMNT se toman un momento para tomarse fotos y más con todos 📸#AmosoInternacional #USMNTtelemundo pic.twitter.com/pgbZ9mSYCS
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) January 29, 2023
Aaronson, along with his brother, Brenden, became the eighth set of brothers to play for the USMNT.
Adding to the experienced lineup, five players from the 2022 World Cup team started: Johnson, defenders Aaron Long and Zimmerman, Acosta in the midfield and forward Jesus Ferreira.
Paxten Aaronson was active early in the energetic first half, forcing a save from Montero in the sixth minute after getting an open look in the box off a pass Matthew Hoppe.
It was Hoppe who had a chance of his own just past the half-hour mark when Ferreira found him with a through ball down the left wing. Hoppe had a good first touch, but Montero came off his line to make the save.
The January games might seem a long way from the 2026 World Cup, but dating back to 1999, 30 U.S. players who made their debuts or second appearance during the first camp of the calendar year have gone on to make a World Cup roster, including nine players on the 2022 World Cup team.
