Arriola has goal, assist in US debut, 3-1 win at Puerto Rico
BAYAMON, Puerto Rico (AP) - Paul Arriola not only was able to make his national team debut for the United States on Sunday, he became the first player since Landon Donovan in 2000 to score a goal and have an assist in his initial appearance.
"I thought today that I made the most of my chance," he said after the 3-1 exhibition victory over Puerto Rico, the first of three matches for the team ahead of next month's Copa America.
Tim Ream and Bobby Wood also scored for the U.S., which dominated possession.
A 21-year-old from Chula Vista, California, who plays for Tijuana in Mexico, Arriola is not on the tournament roster but was among seven additional players called in for a training camp while regulars remained with the Major League Soccer teams through the weekend. He became the first player to score in his debut since Juan Agudelo at South Africa in November 2010.
"He did well, and he knows he has a huge learning curve still ahead of him," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said.
Ream, cut from the Copa roster, put the U.S. ahead in the 20th minute with his first international goal. Arriola fed Wood in the 34th for a 2-0 lead, Wood's fifth goal in 18 national team games.
Luis Betancur cut Puerto Rico's deficit in the 42nd against Brad Guzan, designated the first-choice goalkeeper by Klinsmann on Saturday. Arriola restored the two-goal lead in the 56th. Michael Orozco made a 30-yard pass from just past the midfield stripe that Bedoya ran onto before dribbling toward the end line and crossing. Arriola tapped the pass into an open goal with his left foot from 2 yards.
"I'm usually the guy getting down the line and sending the crosses in," Arriola said. "And today fortunately I was able to be on the end of one, which in my club career hardly ever happens."
Bedoya, who captained the U.S. for the first time, appeared to off in the 63rd minute with a sore right ankle, but the team said after the game he was not hurt.
The U.S., tied for 29th in the FIFA rankings, had an 11-5 advantage in shots in its first game against Puerto Rico, which is tied for 152nd.
Among the starters, only Guzan, right back DeAndre Yedlin, central defender John Brooks and Bedoya appear to have a the best chance to be in the lineup against Colombia in the Copa America opener on June 3. Orozco was paired with Brooks in central defense, and Ream started at left back.
Defenders Fabian Johnson and Geoff Cameron, both rehabbing leg injuries, remained in the continental U.S. and will rejoin the team on Monday in Texas ahead of Wednesday's exhibition against Ecuador in Frisco. The U.S. also plays Bolivia on Saturday at Kansas City, Kansas.
The U.S. Soccer Federation went ahead with this game despite concern about the Zika virus, which led Major League Baseball to shift a two-game series between the Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates from Puerto Rico back to Miami.
On an afternoon with 88-degree heat and 58 percent humidity at kickoff, Ream scored his first goal in 21 international appearances. After Alfredo Morales' 30-yard effort was parried by Matthew Sanchez, Ream drove in the rebound with a left-footed shot from a sharp angle outside the 6-yard box.
Wood doubled the lead when, with two Puerto Rican players down on the field, he ran onto a pass from Arriola. Wood took a pair of touches as he went around Emmanuel D'Andrea and lifted the ball over Sanchez from 7 yards. Fans booed the U.S. for not kicking the ball out of play.
Betancur, a 21-year-old forward with Florida International, cut the deficit in the 42nd minute with a 23-yard shot over Guzan's outstretched left hand after the Ream turned over the ball on a throw-in and Joseph Marrero's pass split the defense.
Tim Howard took over from Guzan at the beginning of the second half, only his second substitute appearance along with 106 starts. Defender Matt Miazga and midfielder Emerson Hyndman made their second international appearances when they entered for the second half.
Fabrice Picault, a 25-year-old forward, made his U.S. debut when he came in for Wood in the 71st minute. Eric Lichaj replaced Bedoya in his first appearance since November 2013, and Julian Green made his first appearance since 2014.
"It was a really good exercise," Klinsmann said. "Perfect for us to kind of finish off the first week of training."