It’s a new year for the US national team, but it was a very familiar result in their first match of 2015.
The Yanks squandered two leads after goals by Brek Shea and Jozy Altidore in a 3-2 loss Wednesday to Chile in an international friendly at Estadio El Teniente in Rancagua. Roberto Gutierrez scored first for Chile, and Mark Gonzalez came away with the second-half brace to send US to their third straight loss.
The US now have just one win in their last nine matches, including their final three games at last summer’s World Cup, and have allowed seven goals after halftime in those matches.
US head coach Jurgen Klinsmann also trotted out a new 3-5-2 lineup, being experimented with in this January camp, against a domestic-based Chile squad.
The new-look Yanks came out guns firing when Matt Besler, playing on the left of a backline centered by New England’s Jermaine Jones with D.C. United’s Steve Birnbaum on the right, picked out Shea on a perfectly timed run up the left wing. Shea collected the looping pass and fired left-footed past Chile goalkeeper Johnny Herrera.
But Chile were equal four minutes later when Gutierrez ran unmarked in front of goal to get on the end of a Mark Gonzalez cross from the left wing to nod just inside the far post.
US continued to get forward, and DeAndre Yedlin got free down the right side after a Chile giveaway in the 14th minute. The new Tottenham Hotspur right back, who lined up Wednesday on the right side of the midfield, tried to pick out Bobby Wood on the back post but couldn’t connect on the cross across the goalmouth.
The Yanks got back on top in the 31st minute when Yedlin played in Mix Diskerud from the right, who then played back to Altidore for a simple right-footed finish past Herrera.
Chile were unlucky to go into halftime down a goal, however.
Jones gave it away in front of the box in the 37th minute, leading to a Diego Valdes run at goal, but his shot was palmed away by US 'keeper Nick Rimando. Two minutes later, Gonzalez got his head to a corner kick, sending it far post for a lunging attempt by Valdes into the side netting.
And then right before halftime, a Gutierrez header goal was narrowly ruled offside.
The US also had some good chances go by the board before the break, the best opportunity coming when Clint Dempsey stripped a Chile player at midfield, played ahead to Altidore, who was taken down just outside the area for a dangerous free kick in the 43rd minute. But Dempsey’s shot was blocked by the line.
The US nearly extended their lead in the 61st minute when Altidore set up Michael Bradley for a right-footed blast from just outside the box that clanged off the post.
But it was almost all Chile in the second half, despite Klinsmann eventually switching back to a 4-4-2 formation.
They equalized again in the 66th minute after Marco Medel picked out Gonzalez on a run down the left wing, setting up the former Liverpool man to fire easily past Rimando.
Chile took the lead in the 75th minute when Rimando turned away a left-footed Medel shot from distance with a diving save. But the rebound fell at the feet of Gonzalez for the easy finish.
The US nearly found an equalizer themselves when second-half substitute Lee Nguyen lined up a long-range shot, but it sailed just wide. Fellow substitute Gyasi Zardes also got a look at a possible equalizer in stoppage time, but Herrera easily collected.
The US now return to training in Carson, Calif., and will conclude their camp with a friendly against Panama on Feb. 8 at StubHub Center.
