USMNT falls 2-0 to Japan in 2022 FIFA World Cup friendly originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The United States men's national soccer team dropped its first 2022 World Cup friendly 2-0 against Japan at Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany on Friday morning.
Daichi Kamada got Japan on the scoreboard early in the match, notching a goal in the 24th minute. Team USA failed to generate much on offense in the following 50 minutes. In fact, 75 minutes into the friendly match against Japan, and the Americans had generated a mere three shots -- zero of which were on target.
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Goalie Matt Turner led the USMNT on the defensive side, recording six saves and keeping the game close despite a barrage of shot attempts from Japan's offensive attack.The performance possibly cemented Turner's status as the team's starting keeper in Qatar.
However, in the waning minutes of the match, Japan bested Team USA on the counter as Kaoru Mitoma dribbled past Reggie Cannon to score a right-footed goal in the 88th minute to extend the lead to 2-0. Yuta Nakayama was credited with the assist.
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The Americans play Saudi Arabia in the second World Cup friendly on Tuesday, Sept. 27.
