Zardes proves himself in front of home crowd

Zardes proves himself in front of home crowd

By Ivan Yeo

Playing in your hometown can be too much pressure for some to deal with.

However, doing so while representing your country can also be quite a doozy. For Gyasi Zardes, it seemed to be just another day at the park for the budding U.S. National team striker. Playing just his second game for the USMNT, but his first at the StubHub Center, Zardes showed the U.S. fans his potential for a successful international career.

“It’s an even bigger dream to play in front of my home stadium and my home town, in front of friends and in front of family,” Zardes said. “This our dream we’re living together, so I’m just thnakful Jurgen gave me the opportunity to perform on the field.”

Zardes earned an invite to the annual USMNT January camp because of a breakout season for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2014, as he scored 16 goals and also tallied in the MLS CUp final to help the Galaxy win its fifth MLS Cup title. Zardes’ 2014 season cartainly caught the eye of head coach Jurgen Klinsmann and sure enough, Zardes was training with the national team.

Zardes earned his first cap in the match against Chile back on January 28, but on Sunday afternoon at the StubHub Center, Zardes, a Hawthorne native, put everything out there for the crowd to see. Zardes got the start, played all 90 minutes and during that time, tracked back on defense, held the ball and possessed the ball. Zardes then got himself on the score sheet in the 37th minute, as he recieved a ball at midfield, maneuvered past three Panamanaian defenders and sprinted into Panama’s half of the field. He then sprung Clint Dempsey by threading a pass between Panama’s center backs that allowed Dempsey to score the U.S. second goal. Zardes’ performance earned him man of the match honors.

“When I got the ball, I saw open space, so I ran into the open space and I saw Clint making an amazing run towards goal, and I had to feed him,” Zardes said.

While the talent and potential is more than evident, what has impressed Klinsmann as well as the other U.S. players more than anything was Zardes’ willingness to learn new aspects of the game and absorb advice from both his teammates and the coaching staff.

“He has a lot of talent and a great attitude,” Klinsmann said. “He’s hungry to deliver, he showed certain tools that he has, not only his speed, but also his ability to hold the ball (and) to combine.

Even though Zardes had only featured twice for the U.S. National team, it’s not far off to suggest that Zardes might be featuring for the USMNT more often, and perhaps a little bit sooner. At least one person thinks it may be time for Zardes to earn more callups.

“He has shown without a doubt that he has to be a part of this group going foward,” Michael Bradley said. “He comes ready everyday, willing to learn and he has a feel for the game.”

Now it’s time for Zardes to shift gears a little bit, as he goes from trying to earn a spot on the U.S. National team to training with the Galaxy as they prepare to defend their MLS Cup title. Zardes knows another stellar season with the Galaxy could mean more international caps in his future.

“I don’t want to slow down, I want to keep working hard,” Zardes said. “I see where hard work has gotten me, this is motivation to work even harder.”

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