As far as 0-0 draws go, Sunday's result against Serbia still provided US manager Bruce Arena with several highlights in his first match in charge after his last stint as US boss over a decade ago.
Speaking to ESPN reporter Katie Witham after the match, Arena highlighted the players who stood out to him:
"I thought a couple of them did well. I thought Darlington Nagbe had a real good game. He had some good looks at goal — could’ve got a goal for us.
"I think our back line played well," continued Arena. "The [Graham] Zusi experiment at right back I think was productive today. He played well. It was great to see [Jorge] Villafaña at the end of the game [at left back] and I think he’s a promising player for us. I think [Sebastian] Lletget made a difference in the second half and helped create some chances for us. And then the young players that came in — Jordan Morris I think [Juan] Agudelo in the end did well. [Chris] Pontius did well. So It’s encouraging. For this time of year it wasn’t a bad game."
Zusi and Atlanta United FC left back Greg Garza were the starting fullbacks on the day, lining up at right back and left back, respectively. Former Portland Timbers left back Jorge Villafaña, who is a player for Santos Laguna in Mexico, entered the match in the 69th minute for Garza and left an impression on his new manager in his US debut.
"I think overall, we’re just looking for some depth in the program," Arena told ESPN. "I’m concerned about our outside back position and I think Zusi did well today and I’m encouraged by Villafaña. I thought our center backs [Chad Marshall and Steve Birnbaum] did well. [Goalkeeper] Nick Rimando did well. [Michael] Bradley had a real solid game in the No. 6 position. So a lot of encouraging things. I would’ve liked to have gotten a goal, but for the most part I think that’s a fair result today."
US LINEUP VS. SERBIA (4-2-3-1, right to left): Nick Rimando -- Graham Zusi, Steve Birnbaum, Chad Marshall, Greg Garza (69' Jorge Villafaña) -- Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones (46' Sebastian Lletget) -- Alejandro Bedoya (65' Chris Pontius), Sacha Kljestan (77' Benny Feilhaber), Darlington Nagbe (87' Juan Agudelo) -- Jozy Altidore (74' Jordan Morris)
Subs not used: GK David Bingham, GK Luis Robles, DF Brad Evans, DF DaMarcus Beasley, DF Walker Zimmerman, MF Dax McCarty
