Under-strength Serbia down USA 2-1 in friendly
Sports
Under-strength Serbia down USA 2-1 in friendly
Los Angeles (AFP) – Serbia defeated the United States 2-1 on Wednesday in an international friendly that saw both sides field vastly under-strength starting line-ups.
With the match taking place outside FIFA s international calendar, neither Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic nor US caretaker manager Anthony Hudson could call on their strongest players.
Stojkovic s 17-man squad had only four international caps amongst them prior to kick-off in Los Angeles.
Even so, the Serbian side proved too much for a US line-up made up mostly of North America-based players.
The US took the lead through Brandon Vazquez on 29 minutes, the striker heading home a cross from German-born defender Julian Gressel.
But Serbia equalized two minutes before half-time when Luka Ilic exploited a gaping hole in the US wall at a free-kick to make it 1-1.
USA defender Jalen Neal (right) fights for the ball with Serbia s forward Nikola Stulic
Serbia then punished chaotic US defending in the opening minute of the second half to take the lead, with Veljko Simic darting in to make it 2-1.
Wednesday s game took place against a backdrop of turmoil in US soccer, with out-of-contract World Cup coach Gregg Berhalter facing an investigation by the federation for a 1991 domestic violence incident.
The incident came to light following the controversy surrounding Berhalter s tense relationship with Borussia Dortmund player Gio Reyna at the World Cup in Qatar.
The United States play Colombia in a second friendly on Saturday.
