Revs Stars With Team USA Against Panama
CARSON, Calif. — The United States men’s national soccer team will face Panama at the StubHub Center on Sunday, and New England has notable representation in the squad.
Jermaine Jones and Lee Nguyen, two New England Revolution players, feature in manager Jurgen Klinsmann’s roster, and they both experienced this path before.
This prior November, for the first time in seven years, Nguyen accepted a national team call-up for friendlies against Columbia and Ireland, while Jones has reached 49 appearances for his national side in the past four years.
The former FC Schalke player made his name known across America this summer during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when he blasted a fearless long-range goal that tied the United States’ group stage match against Portugal at the 2014 World Cup.
Supposedly, teammate Marcus Beasley compelled the spectacular strike: “I heard Beas behind me,’’ Jones said to The New York Times after the match. “He said, ‘Shoot, shoot, shoot.’ So I shot.’’
Nguyen may not have the country-wide recognition of the Bundesliga veteran, but all fans of Major League Soccer should know the 28-year-old midfielder after he burst onto the league MVP ballot and led the Revolution with 18 regular-season goals in 2014, the highest total of any MLS midfielder.
Jones and Nguyen essentially spearheaded the New England Revolution’s deepest playoff run since 2007, and without them, Jay Heaps’ crew may not have appeared in the postseason. The current Revs are among the favorites to win the Eastern Conference this year, and recent offseason additions, notably the return goal scorer Juan Agudelo, have bolstered the team’s chances significantly.
“He obviously helps adds depth to our team,’’ Nguyen said of the young forward. “He’s definitely a big addition going forward, and we’ll see [his impact] going into next season.’’
It was here at this stadium in Carson, the home of the five-time MLS champion LA Galaxy, where the Revolution took an underdog role and fought until the very end despite a crushing 2-1 MLS Cup loss.
Nguyen looks back and remembers that day in early December, with US soccer legend Landon Donovan hoisting his final trophy, but the Texas-native and his club teammate have switched their focus.
“We’re playing for our country,’’ Nguyen said. “It’s a little bittersweet coming back here, but now it’s a change of mindset. Now, I have to work on producing for the U.S.’’
In the United States’ previous international friendly match, against Chile on Jan. 28, the defense unraveled in the second half en route to a 3-2 defeat.
Upcoming opponent Panama does not boast high-caliber players that should be able to easily beat the U.S., but Hernan Gomez has a roster filled with speedy men capable of presenting a formidable challenge.
“Always when I played against them, I could say they have a good back four, real physical too,’’ Jones said of Panama. “Up front, they have skillful players and you have to play 100 percent. It’s a friendly, but you know, they want to beat us.’’
Even though Nguyen and Jones take the field representing their country, they will not dismiss, of course, the massive Super Bowl victory of the hometown Patriots in an absolutely spectacular championship.
“It’s huge for New England,’’ Nguyen said. “We got a lot of friends on that team, and we were very proud of them, what they’ve done for the city of Boston, and all the fans in New England.’’
Jones added with a smile: “It gives us a little more pressure too, bringing the Cup back.’’
Undoubtedly, all Revs fans hope this pressure pays off, with their two most dynamic Americans leading the way to Robert Kraft’s first MLS title.
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