SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake’s Kyle Beckerman and Nick Rimando did not feature for the U.S. in its 2-0 win over Azerbaijan on Tuesday night, sitting on the bench as the Americans slogged through its match in San Francisco.
The USMNT never really got rolling on Tuesday, struggling to break down Azerbaijan’s packed-in defense in windy conditions at Candlestick Park. It took until the 75th minute for the U.S. to finally break through, with substitute midfielder Mix Diskerud picking up a rebound of a Michael Bradley shot and powering home a close-range finish. Substitute forward Aron Johannsson iced the game off six minutes later, getting on the end of a Brad Davis corner kick and heading home from the top of the six-yard box.
Beckerman, Rimando and the rest of the USMNT's final World Cup roster will play the second match of their Send-Off Series on Sunday, taking on Turkey at Red Bull Arena outside New York City at 12:00 p.m. MT on ESPN2. The U.S. will close the Send-Off Series on Saturday, June 7, facing Nigeria at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
The U.S. will travel to Brazil following its friendly against Nigeria. The Americans will begin World Cup play on June 16, taking on Ghana in the Group G opener. The U.S. will then play Portugal on June 22 before facing Germany in the Group Stage finale on June 26.
