CARSON, Calif. – Gyasi Zardes realized a dream on Sunday with a stellar showing for his national team in front of his friends and family and is now on course for more international glory in the future.
Zardes went the full 90 minutes and assisted on a goal by Clint Dempsey as he helped the U.S. to a 2-0 victory over Panama at StubHub Center with a man of the match performance.
Starting in a relatively unfamiliar role along the right side of midfield, the LA Galaxy Homegrown Player’s pace and skill tested the Panamanians throughout the match as Zardes integrated himself flawlessly into the American’s attack.
“It’s a dream come true to play in front of my home stadium and in front of my family who have been there my whole life and seen me grow. This is our dream; we’re living it together,” Zardes said. “I don’t want to slow down; I just want to keep working hard because I’ve seen where it’s gotten me. This [performance] gives me motivation to keep working.”
Added U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, “I think that we saw that in training over the last couple of weeks that [Zardes] has a lot of talent and a great attitude. And he’s hungry to deliver. I think he had a very good game.”
The 23-year-old may not have been too accustomed to the spot on the right flank but the Zardes used his intimate knowledge of his home field—and his breakneck pace—to aid his adaptation.
Zardes’ finest moment of the afternoon came in the 37th minute he charged up field and then delivered a perfectly placed ball that split two defenders, falling perfectly for Clint Dempsey. The Sounders forward then sidestepped Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo for the Americans’ second and final goal.
“When I got the ball, I ran into the open space and I saw [Clint] making a great run so I had to feed him the ball so he could put it away,” said Zardes. “[Whenever] I see a little bit of space, I’ll take it because I know [the StubHub Center] field is huge. I knew that you can just take a touch and you can go in that direction, so I just tried to use as space as I could.”
Such composure on the ball earned Zardes plenty of plaudits from media and fans alike postgame, but perhaps the most significant seal of approval came from USMNT midfielder Michael Bradley who said unequivocally that Zardes deserves a regular spot on American squad.
“He’s an exciting player for us, there’s no two ways about it. Everything that he’s shown in MLS, he showed here with us,” said Bradley. “I think that he’s a great kid who comes every day with the right attitude and is willing to learn, and during the camp, he got better every day.
“He’s an exciting player and we’re going to have to be careful because we don’t want to rush him along too quickly, but there’s no doubt that he’s showed that he’s a guy that has to be here.”
But does Zardes himself think that his strong showing in the U.S. winter camp has assured a call-up when the U.S. meets up again in March? Not necessarily.
“I made a good impression here, but there’s so many talented Americans playing across the world. I just want to keep working hard because there are a lot of good players that could be called up again,” he said. “I’m more confident though, I’ll definitely say that.”
As Zardes prepares to return to the Galaxy for the last few weeks of preseason preparation, Klinsmann has provided the 23-year-old with a roadmap to become a regular for the national team.
“Just continue to work hard, which he does. I mean I watched him many times last season, talked to [LA Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena] about him. We knew there is a kid coming up the ranks,” said Klinsmann. “Now he got his opportunity, his introduction and he took it well, was very well prepared. So this is what we hope to see and he took that chance.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
