U.S. Males’s Crew Responds With a Pivotal Win Over Japan

The U.S. national team needed to respond after Saturday’s loss to South Korea. They got one.  

The USMNT defeated Japan 2-0 in Columbus, Ohio, to finish the September window on a positive note thanks to goals from Alex Zendejas and Folarin Balogun. 

Zendejas scored in the 30th minute and Balogun added a goal in the 64th which snapped a seven-game winless streak against top 25 opponents even with Japan playing mostly second-string players.

The 15th-ranked U.S. was coming off a 2-0 loss to South Korea on Saturday in the first of eight friendlies before coach Mauricio Pochettino calls in players for training ahead of the World Cup.

No. 17 Japan used essentially a B team, changing all 11 starters from Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Mexico and starting eight players who entered with 10 or fewer international appearances. There were no starters from the group that began the March match against Bahrain when Samurai Blue clinched their eighth straight World Cup berth, though some regulars entered in the 62nd minute.

The U.S. had not beaten a top 25 team since the CONCACAF Nations League final against Mexico in March 2024, including five straight defeats. The Americans dominated throughout before a sellout crowd of 20,192 at Lower.com Field, winning 2-0 for the sixth time in Columbus.

Zendejas took a long cross from left back Max Arfsten and volleyed with his left foot from near the penalty spot for his second goal in 13 international appearances.

Balogun scored his sixth international goal after Christian Pulisic’s through pass, beating goalkeeper Keisuke Osako with an angled shot inside the far post.

Central defender Chris Richards, right back Alex Freeman, midfielder Cristian Roldan, Zendejas and forward Balogun joined the starting lineup in place of Sergino Dest, Diego Luna, Sebastian Berhalter, Tim Weah and Josh Sargent.

Richards, Tim Ream and Tristan Blackmon started as central defenders in a five-man back line, a formation coach Pochettino switched to in the second half Saturday.

Adams and Roldan had not started together since 2018 and Roldan made his first start in 26 months.

Japan’s Koki Ogawa hit the crossbar in the 70th, as did the Americans’ Jack McGlynn in the 83rd.

Reporting by The Associated Press. 

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