New York Red Bulls defender Aaron Long came on in the 80th minute for former teammate Tyler Adams as the United States Men's National Team played to a scoreless draw against Mexico on Thursday night.
In the World Cup Qualifying match, played at Estadio Azteca, Long started the match on the bench, with Adams starting and wearing the captain's armband.
A back-and-forth match saw the rivals play to a scoreless draw, but both teams had plenty of chances.
Long came on as USMNT Head Coach Gregg Berhalter switched to five in the back to help protect the point in Mexico. Long's first touch in the game cleared a ball out of the six to keep Mexico off the board.
Long made his first appearance with USMNT since March of 2021 and first since his Achilles injury on May 15, 2021.
Long has amassed 21 caps for the U.S. with three goals, two assists and anchoring a backline to 10 cleansheets in 1,713 minutes played. He has donned the captain’s armband in five matches, all of which have been shutouts.
The US team return home for a match on Sunday, March 27 versus Panama at Exploria Stadium (Orlando, Fla.) at 6:30 p.m. and then wrap up against Costa Rica at Estadio Nacional on Wednesday, March 30 (9:05 p.m.).
