Tag: Matt Freese

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The U.S. men’s soccer team finally ended its 24-year wait to win a World Cup knockout game, though it came at a cost.

Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina featured goals by Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman, but also a red card to Balogun that means he’ll miss the round of 16 matchup against Belgium in Seattle on Monday (8 p.m., Fox29, Telemundo 62).

When the 11th minute passed, the U.S. had gone the longest it had in any game of this World Cup without scoring a goal. That was a low bar to clear in the big picture, but there also definitely were nerves on both sides of the field. Matt Freese had to make two big stops early, but it took until the 18th minute for the Americans to really test Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.

Balogun was the first player to find the back of the net, in the 31st minute, and not long after he’d gone down inside Bosnia’s 18-yard box, though without enough contact to earn a penalty kick. He was then frustrated a second time by the offside flag, and that call was also correct.

The breakthrough finally came in the 45th minute. Tim Ream intercepted a Vasilj clearance and knocked the ball forward to Tyler Adams, who made a backheel flick into space. The ball rolled to Tillman, who turned and played the ball forward toward Balogun. He had some work to do, but a misplay by Bosnian centerback Tarik Muharemović gave the striker room to collect the ball and slot it home.

As the crowd of 68,827 roared, Balogun celebrated with LeBron James’ “Silencer” dance move. The basketball star — quite a soccer fan himself — returned the compliment on social media right away.

Balogun then came inches from doubling the lead in first-half stoppage time, at the end of a lovely teamwide sequence. Alas, his close-range flick hit the crossbar and flew out of bounds.

The U.S. held a 5-1 advantage in shots halftime, a sign of how they’d come into the game but also how many nerves there were.

The game’s first substitutions came in the 51st minute, in a triple-move from Bosnia manager Sergej Barbarez, one of which was star striker Edin Džeko, after pulling up lame. The other moves were tactical, including the much-anticipated arrival of winger Esmir Bajraktarević — a 21-year-old winger who grew up in Wisconsin to parents who fled the Bosnian war of the 1990s.

Balogun’s ejection came in the 64th, after the video review officials watched him rake the studs of his right cleat down the back of Muharemović’s right calf in a tussle. It looked like a 50/50 challenge at first, but the replays clearly showed a cardinal sin for a soccer player — even if he didn’t intend it. By the time Raphael Claus left the monitor, it wasn’t too surprising that he pulled the red card out.

The ejection meant Balogun would miss not just the rest of this game, but will miss the U.S.’s round-of-16 showdown with the Belgians.

Now, it was about playing defense, and every U.S. player did his part. Even Tillman, usually much more of an attacking player, got stuck into a loose ball in the 77th.

Soon after that, the U.S. broke free on a counterattack and Christian Pulisic forced the ball in, but he was clearly offside when Tillman passed to him.

The biggest break finally came in the 82nd. Stjepan Radeljić held back Sergiño Dest, Claus booked the Bosnian defender, and the U.S. had a free kick on the edge of the 18. Tillman spun it right past Bosnia’s defense and into the net, unleashing a huge celebration from U.S. players and fans alike.

U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino finally made his first substitutions in the 88th minute, sending in Ricardo Pepi and Sebastian Berhalter for Pulisic and Dest. In stoppage time, Gio Reyna replaced Weston McKennie.

There were still plenty of nerves from there, including 10 minutes of stoppage time. But the Americans held on, with the crowd cheering every save, block, and sequence of passes — and exhaling as two Bosnian shots in the final moments went inches wide of Freese’s net.

Then, at the final whistle, there was the biggest unleashing of all. Thirty-two years after the U.S. men played the first World Cup knockout game of their modern era in the Bay Area, they finally delivered the sight that everyone here had waited so long for.

This generation of American players finally has its biggest World Cup win.

IRVINE, Calif. — It was the day after Andrew Rick played in the one MLS game he had featured in for the Union this year, and it had not gone well. The 20-year-old was in net for a 4-3 loss at Orlando City, with the decisive goal landing in the 90th minute after the Union had rallied from 3-1 down to tie the score.

Rick was still in a bad mood when he got home, so he decided to distract himself by playing video games.

Then the phone rang.

“It wasn’t a saved contact, and I just saw that it was U.S. Soccer,” he said.

He picked up, of course, and found veteran U.S. men’s national team staffer Sam Zapatka on the line. The program wanted to have some extra goalkeepers on hand for practices, and wanted Rick to be one of them.

“It was not a great day for me up until that call,” Rick said. “He let me know the news, and I changed my mood immediately, to say the least.”

Two weeks later, he set off for the journey of — well, maybe not a lifetime, since the point is he might play in a World Cup some day. But certainly his lifetime to date.

“It’s a dream,” Rick said. “I wouldn’t think that at this stage of my career, I would be in the place that I am in now, and to have the ability to train with all these [players] — and a lot of them I’ve watched play when I was pretty young — to now get this experience to train with them and be a part of the group, it’s unbelievable to say the least.”

Rick is one of three goalkeeper prospects, all the same age, who have been with the U.S. team this summer. At first, it was him and Diego Kochen of Spanish superpower FC Barcelona, a highly-touted player who has been to a few senior camps already. Kochen left in the first week of the tournament, amid news of a potential loan move for next season, and Julian Eyestone of English Premier League club Brentford came in.

So not only has Rick gotten to hang with the stars, but he’s the only one of the trio who will have been there the whole time.

New and old friends

“Me and Julian are super-close,” he said, noting they were roommates on a U.S. under-20 squad that went to Argentina in March. He had not met Kochen until now, but they got along well too.

“We have a lot in common just from age alone, and there’s not a lot of other guys here that are our age,” Rick said. “So just being able to be around those guys and have someone closer to my age is nice, just because we can talk a bit more and fit in together. And Diego, he’s been in this environment before, so he also kind of helped me fit in with the other guys and reach out and talk to them a bit.”

Among the senior players, none means more to Rick than Matt Freese. They’ve known each other for around eight years, and Rick watched Freese on a similar journey to his: from the Union’s youth academy to becoming Andre Blake’s backup on the first team.

“Freese has been there for my first Union II training, my first [Union] first team training, and my first men’s national team training,” Rick said. “I’ve known of him for probably, I don’t know, since I’ve been a Union fan. When he was joining was kind of when I started to really get into it, and when I was joining the academy … And obviously he’s a great role model, amazing person.”

Freese returned the favor, joking that Rick “might have been, like, two when I met him.” But the praise that ensued was sincere.

“He’s doing a great job,” Freese said. “I think for [all of] them, it’s such a unique experience to be able to be within the group in an environment like this, training every day but also getting to know us off the field. Certainly on the field as well, and being tested and seeing what the future may hold for them.”

Manager Mauricio Pochettino has been paying attention too. There’s certainly a practical side to having extra bodies on hand, but Pochettino is also happy to do something for the bigger picture.

“I think, always, we’re thinking to try to help develop young players, even if we don’t know if we’re going to be here or not in the future,” Pochettino said, referring to his contract expiring after the World Cup. “But I think we need to work like we are going to be forever here, on a long-term process. That is why one thing is to get the result today, and provide everything to the federation and the team [for] the possibility to perform now, today or yesterday; but at the same time, to help, in parallel, the evolution and development of the young kids that are going to be the important players for the future of this country.”

Rick confessed to being an extra level of thrilled because he’s a fan of English club Tottenham Hotspur, perhaps the best-known former home for Pochettino.

“My first day he welcomed me. We just a quick conversation about just where I’m at and all that,” Rick said. “I was a huge ‘Poch’ fan as a kid, now I get to to be coached by him. So it’s an honor.”

A day in the life

On most practice days — and there have been more than usual, with a week between games so far in the first 48-team World Cup — Rick has been amid the first team’s action. Other days, the prospects work separately with assistant goalkeeper coach Jack Robinson.

“I think this World Cup’s a bit different to the last, at least talking to some of the other guys, and just seeing it in general,” he said. “But I think the main thing is just being exposed to the environment. If I ever want to get back to this level — and hopefully when I do get back to this level — just knowing what it’s like, and knowing some of these guys and building that relationship with them now while I’m here, is going to be so important down the road for me.”

When game day arrives, Rick and Eyestone get to spend most of it with the first team.

“We’re basically with the team until they walk out, and then we go into these seats that are right behind the bench,” Rick said. “So we’ll walk in with the team, we’ll watch warm-ups from the pitch. We’ll be in there for the team talk before the game, and then once they walk out, we’ll go to a separate section that’s right behind the bench and watch from there.”

At halftime, it’s back to the locker room, then back to the stands, then on to the field to join what have so far been celebrations and applause for the big crowds.

He’s well aware that his up-close perch would cost a fan thousands of dollars.

“The ticket prices are crazy, but the good thing is it’s not affecting attendance,” Rick said. “I’m not going to lie, I was a little surprised — I was expecting a lot of people to be scared of $3,000 tickets for one [person], but it seems thankfully I’m wrong. Because, I mean, Seattle was amazing. Best experience I’ve ever had with a crowd, there.”

Keeping up with the Union

He has talked with colleagues back in Chester, naming goalkeeper coach Phil Wheddon (who worked with U.S. national teams in the past), Nathan Harriel, and fellow goalkeeper George Marks. Rick also was well aware that he’ll come home to a new manager, as Bradley Carnell was fired a few days after he left town.

Rick knows interim manager Ryan Richter well, since Richter was promoted from coaching the Union’s reserve squad. But it turns out their relationship goes back much farther.

“He was my Union Juniors coach when I first started, he was my u-12, coach. He was my u-15 coach, he was my union first team assistant coach, then he was Union II coach, and now he’s the first team head coach,” Rick said. “So I feel like I’ve kind of been there every step of the way through the pathway with him. He’s a great guy, and I know how he wants to play and all that super-well just. … I’m proud of him.”

That moment of reflection led to Rick looking back at his own growth along the way.

“If I’m being honest, coaching u-12 Andrew is very frustrating, and then coaching u-15 Andrew is also very frustrating,” he said. “But I give him credit, because he’s been dedicated through it all, and now he’s got the ultimate goal which is being the first team head coach.”

At a moment like this, Rick can dream of his ultimate goal, too. However long it takes him to get there, at least this summer has given him a special way to see the path.

IRVINE, Calif. — Trying to guess what’s on U.S. men’s soccer team manager Mauricio Pochettino’s mind when it comes to starting lineups is usually a fruitless endeavor. He likes to keep his cards close to the chest, and doesn’t reveal them until he has to on game day.

But all of his players, not just outsiders, know the four players sitting on a yellow card suspension threat heading into Thursday’s group stage finale against Turkey (10 p.m., Fox29, Telemundo 62): Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards, and Antonee Robinson. And they know the risk of playing Christian Pulisic as he finishes recovering from a calf injury.

That opens the door for backups who haven’t featured much yet to get a shot. Two of them have talked with the media so far this week, left wingback Max Arfsten and attacking midfielder Alejandro Zendejas. They both said they’re ready to jump in if called.

“Training hard, been waiting for the opportunity, but I’m sure it’ll come,” Zendejas said. “That’s obviously a coach’s decision, and something I’ve got to respect, but I’ve always said it all depends how I’m on the field. I’m working hard, having fun, really enjoying this dream that I’m living right now, so I couldn’t ask for more.”

Arfsten said before Tuesday’s practice that as of then, the players “haven’t heard anything about” who will start Thursday.

“That’s obviously the coach’s decision and whatever he decides, obviously we’re going to be on the same page with that,” he added.

As Arfsten continued at the mic, he left no doubt that all 26 players are well-trained at handling pesky inquiries from the media.

“It’s a tough question — good thing I’m not a coach,” he said at one point. “But honestly, I think the most important thing is, no matter who’s playing, to go out and try and get three points. Just because I think the momentum of the two wins is what’s keeping the energy high right now, and three would be even more.”

He at least signaled that the tone of training sessions hasn’t changed with first place in the group sealed.

“Obviously everyone’s happy that we’ve already advanced, but at the same time, regardless of if we’ve advanced or not, training is still very competitive, it’s very intense,” Arfsten said. “And I think that’s the culture that the coach has created: no matter what, that everyone’s still trying to prove something.”

One starter likely to keep his place is goalkeeper Matt Freese. The Wayne native showed in the first two games why he earned Pochettino’s trust as the No. 1 in net.

He is also perhaps the team’s most steadfast player when it comes to a one-day-at-a-time mentality. So when he was asked about potential lineup rotations in front of him, he barely flinched.

“It’s a coach’s decision, obviously, and we’ve got 26 guys here who all want to play, and who all are ready to play, and are working hard every day in training,” Freese said. “And we as a group have full confidence in all 26 of us. So really, we’re focused on continuing to prepare and work hard in training, and be ready for whatever.”