Paul Arriola not only make his international debut for the US on Sunday, he became the first player since Landon Donovan in 2000 to score a goal and have an assist in his initial appearance.
“I thought today that I made the most of my chance,” Arriola said after a 3-1 victory over Puerto Rico, the first of three matches for the team ahead of next month’s Copa America Centenario.
Tim Ream and Bobby Wood also scored for the US, who dominated possession.
A 21-year-old from Chula Vista, California, who plays for Tijuana in Mexico, Arriola is not on the tournament roster, but was among seven additional players called in for a training camp while regulars remained with their Major League Soccer teams through the weekend. He became the first player to score on his debut since Juan Agudelo in South Africa in November 2010.
“He did well and he knows he has a huge learning curve still ahead of him,” US coach Jurgen Klinsmann said.
Ream, cut from the Copa roster, put the US ahead in the 20th minute with his first international goal. Arriola fed Wood in the 34th minute for a 2-0 lead, Wood’s fifth goal in 18 internationals.
Luis Betancur cut Puerto Rico’s deficit in the 42nd minute against Brad Guzan, designated the first-choice goalkeeper by Klinsmann on Saturday. Arriola restored the two-goal lead in the 56th minute.
Michael Orozco made a pass which Bedoya ran onto before dribbling toward the byline and crossing. Arriola tapped into an open goal with his left foot from close range.
“I’m usually the guy getting down the line and sending the crosses in, and today, fortunately, I was able to be on the end of one, which in my club career hardly ever happens,” Arriola said.
Bedoya, who captained the US for the first time, came off in the 63rd minute with a sore right ankle, but the team said after the game he was not hurt.
The US, tied for 29th place in the FIFA world rankings, had an 11-5 advantage in shots in their first game against Puerto Rico, who are tied for 152nd place.
Among the starters, only Guzan, fullback DeAndre Yedlin, centerback John Brooks and Bedoya appear to have a chance of being in the lineup against Colombia in their Copa America Centenario opener on June 3.
Orozco was paired with Brooks in central defense, while Ream started at leftback.
Defenders Fabian Johnson and Geoff Cameron, both with leg injuries, remained in the US and were due to rejoin the squad in Texas yesterday ahead of tomorrow’s warm-up match against Ecuador in Frisco. The US are also due to play Bolivia on Saturday in Kansas City.
The US Soccer Federation went ahead with the game, despite concern about the Zika virus, which led Major League Baseball to shift a two-game series between the Marlins and the Pittsburgh Pirates from Puerto Rico back to Miami.
“It was a really good exercise,” Klinsmann said. “Perfect for us to kind of finish off the first week of training.”
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