Following a disappointing result on Saturday, Mikey Varas will seek his first triumph as interim manager of the USA as his side host New Zealand in a friendly at TQL Stadium on Tuesday.
Over the weekend, the Yanks suffered a 2-1 defeat to Canada, while the All Whites were beaten 3-0 in a friendly versus Mexico.
Match preview
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It was a less-than-ideal start to his tenure as interim boss of the United States, as Mikey Varas's men paid dearly for a pair of defensive giveaways in their third of the field Saturday.
His side responded well after going down by two, closing the gap with a goal on 66 minutes, but it was ultimately too much to overcome, as this team have lost their last three matches played across all competitions.
They have lost their last two matches versus CONCACAF opposition, and the Americans have won just one of their previous five encounters against sides outside their region (2-0 win over Bolivia).
Since their dramatic come-from-behind victory over Jamaica at the previous CONCACAF Nations League semi-finals, this team have failed to win their last five matches in all competitions, when even or behind at the interval.
In seven previous matches played at TQL Stadium, the United States have never lost, posting three clean sheets over that stretch in Cincinnati.
This upcoming encounter will only be their third meeting ever against New Zealand, with the Yanks beating them twice, while the previous one ended in a 1-1 draw in 2016.
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From the outset, New Zealand struggled to contain the Mexican press, conceding after just five minutes and failing to react well throughout the match.
It seemed that Darren Bazeley's men were, more often than not, just hanging on and trying to limit the damage against them, as they failed to register a single effort on target.
That defeat ended a four-match winning run for this side and was their first loss in normal time since Egypt beat them 1-0 in March.
The All Whites conceded more goals against El Tri than they had in their seven competitive fixtures played before Saturday (two).
They have lost five of their previous six encounters when conceding the opening goal and are winless in 2024 when going down 1-0.
New Zealand have not lost consecutive competitive contests in nearly a year since Australia beat them in an October 2023 friendly (2-0), and Greece won by that same score a month later.
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Team News
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In their friendly against Canada, the US were missing Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson, Sergino Dest and Tim Weah because of injuries.
Cade Cowell was a last-minute call-up because of those injuries, and he featured in the final 13 minutes Saturday, while Patrick Schulte made just his second senior appearance between the sticks in place of Matt Turner and Tim Ream became the first Charlotte FC player to feature in an international affair for this team.
Luca de la Torre became the 25th American male player to score his first international goal against Canada on Saturday, Haji Wright has scored half of his goals with the Yanks in 2024 (2/4) and Christian Pulisic is still looking to net his 31st strike with the national team, which would vault him beyond Brian McBride for fifth all-time.
Only three players that began the match versus Vanuatu in June maintained their place in the New Zealand starting 11 this past weekend, Liberato Cacace, Kosta Barbarouses and Ben Old.
Barbarouses can surpass Ricki Herbert for fifth in all-time appearances this week, Michael Boxall can reach 50 appearances on Tuesday, and record goalscorer Chris Wood is now at 75 caps.
Boxall of Minnesota United is one of three All White players that currently feature in the United States for Major League Soccer clubs, with the others being Finn Surman (Portland Timbers) and Bill Tuiloma (Charlotte FC).
USA possible starting lineup:
Turner; Scally, Trusty, Richards, Lund; Musah, Morris, Tillman; Sargent, Pepi, Pulisic
New Zealand possible starting lineup:
Crocombe, Payne, Boxall, Tuiloma, Cacace; Rufer, Stamenic; Barbarouses, Waine, Just; Wood
We say: USA 3-0 New Zealand
We believe the US will have a decisive edge in quality on Tuesday against a New Zealand side that have not faced many formidable opponents this year.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
