{"id":29270,"date":"2014-11-14T17:59:17","date_gmt":"2014-11-14T22:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=29270"},"modified":"2014-11-14T22:53:48","modified_gmt":"2014-11-15T03:53:48","slug":"nguyen-returns-for-usmnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nesoccertoday.com\/?p=29270","title":{"rendered":"Nguyen Returns for USMNT"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>

Photo credit: Chris Aduama\/aduamaphotography.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Lee Nguyen made his first appearance for U.S. in over seven years, but his efforts weren’t enough as Colombia prevailed 2-1 in Friday’s international friendly at Craven Cottage on Friday.<\/p>\n

Nguyen, who sported the 8 shirt, came off the bench on the 78th minute to replace Mix Diskerud, and showed himself a dangerous presence during his 12-minute cameo.<\/p>\n

He was the primary catalyst on an 81st buildup that put Bobby Wood through before Camilo Vargas came off his line to deny the bid. He launched two free kicks, as well, the latter of which gave the U.S. their last chance at equalizing in stoppage time.<\/p>\n

Incidentally, Nguyen’s last cap prior to Friday’s friendly came against Colombia in a Copa America contest on Jul. 5, 2007.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Revolution teammate Jermaine Jones was among those who aided Nguyen’s efforts in the\u00a0latter stages. Jones, who went the full 90,\u00a0has been a key component in the Revolution\u2019s recent push for an MLS Cup, was paired with John Brooks in the back four, as US head coach Jurgen Klinsmann continues to experiment with him on defense.<\/p>\n

Despite giving up two goals to an extremely talented Colombian offense, the American made several key plays in the back, and also made an impact offensively. It was his headball off an Alejandro Bedoya corner kick that struck Pablo Armero\u2019s arm, resulting in a Jozy Altidore penalty kick that gave the United States the 1-0 lead.<\/p>\n