The U.S. Men’s National Team fell to rivals Mexico 1-0 on Sunday night, losing to El Tri for the fifth time in the final.
While the USMNT got punished in the second-half, one player that did put in a strong performance was Aaron Long. The centerback had a tough task dealing with El Tri striker Raul Jimenez and made him ineffective in front of goal.
Long’s performance earned him SBI USMNT Man of the Match.
While the USMNT defended heavily in the second-half, Long did not let the Wolverhampton Wanderers striker beat him one-on-one. Jimenez failed to have much of an impact when shooting towards goal, something he had success in earlier this tournament.
Long’s stock continued to rise for Gregg Berhalter as the team now heads into break. They will be back in action this Fall for the inaugural Concacaf Nations League.
Long beat Paul Arriola, Matt Miazga, and Christian Pulisic for MOTM honors.
What did you think of Long’s performance? Where would you rank him on the centerback depth chart with every player healthy? Do you expect to see Long starting for the USMNT come Nations League?
Share your thoughts below.
cannon
Long is an original choice and perhaps deserving….guy was very solid and overperformed my expectations. So I agree, though like JR I’d throw in a shout for cannon. Arriola was also very good for me and under appreciated throughout the competition. Pitched in repeatedly on the defensive end tonight, as well
Long or JAB?
Reggie Cannon for me, kept Pizzaro quiet in the first half with both his offense and defense. Not having a LB that was an offensive threat killed us in the 2nd half.
As much as I would have love to see Yedlin and Adams on this team it really gave us a chance to see Cannon. He was def a bright spot. lol I just wish he started earlier in the tourney