PHILADELPHIA — Juergen Klinsmann sent a message in his U.S. coaching debut without saying a word.
He stripped the names off the back of the jerseys and assigned the numbers 1-11 for the starters and 12-18 for the reserves. He wanted his players to know that all that mattered was representing their country.
Klinsmann’s first game coaching U.S. soccer was bolstered by Robbie Rogers’ tying goal late in the second half to help the Americans salvage a 1-1 draw against Mexico in a friendly Wednesday night.
“It was a special moment,” Klinsmann said. “It was a special moment before the game, listening to the anthem and feeling the energy from the stadium and the players.”
Oribe Peralta scored for Mexico in a rematch of the Gold Cup final.
Rogers tied the game in the 73rd minute when he tapped in a nice crossing pass from Brek Shea. Rogers had just subbed in for Michael Bradley, playing for the U.S. soccer team for the first time since his father Bob Bradley was fired.
That goal was good enough for the 30,138 fans who saw the U.S. earlier blow what had been their only true scoring opportunity. The U.S. nearly tied the score at the 56-minute mark, but Carlos Bocanegra’s header off Landon Donovan’s corner kick was turned away by Guillermo Ochoa.
The Associated Press
