EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — For the U.S. men’s national soccer team, the long road back to respectability after an inexcusable absence from the World Cup began in earnest Friday with a trial by fire.
Brazil brought a blowtorch.
The young Americans — a group of mostly fresh prospects with no starters older than 25 and little name recognition outside intimate soccer circles — felt the heat at the start of an ambitious set of friendlies but weren’t embarrassed either. Facing some of the sport’s biggest names, the United States dropped a 2-0 result to the five-time world champions before an announced 32,489 at MetLife Stadium.