Cole Bassett’s late goal in national team debut sends US past Bosnia, 1-0

CARSON, CALIF. » Cole Bassett wrote down his two main goals for the U.S. national team’s two-week December camp and left them sitting on his bed so he would see them every day.

“Make my debut, and score a goal,” Bassett recalled.

The 20-year-old Colorado Rapids midfielder crossed off everything on his Christmas list Saturday night while the Americans wrapped up for the holidays with one last victory and even more optimism for next month.

Bassett scored in the 89th minute of his U.S. debut and the Americans set a record for victories in a calendar year with a 1-0 exhibition win over 10-man Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday night.

After a frustrating second half for a U.S. team struggling to crack Bosnia’s conservative setup, Bassett slammed home a rebound of a shot by 18-year-old Jonathan Gomez, the former Louisville City defender headed to Real Sociedad. Gomez had also just made his U.S. debut as a secondhalf substitute.

The newcomers’ goal salvaged the Americans’ 17th win of 2021, surpassing the 2013 record.

“JoGo got a good shot off, and I always just try to sniff goals and be in the right spot,” said Bassett, the 57th player to score in his U.S. debut. “I’ve dreamed about this my whole life, to play for the national team. ... For me to finally be here and score in this moment, it’s something special, especially for my family, because they’ve sacrificed a lot to get me here.”

Four Americans made their national team debuts from a U.S. player group consisting almost exclusively of domestic-based talent. Manager Gregg Berhalter staged the camp to keep his players fit for bigger competitions next month while attempting to expand the breadth of his player pool.

After going 17-2-3 (.841) in 2021 for the U.S. team’s highest winning percentage ever posted in a year with at least five matches, the Americans begin a string of three World Cup qualifiers Jan. 27 against El Salvador.

“It was fast and furious, but whoever was called up came through,” Berhalter said of the U.S. busy 2021 schedule, which included a competitive match in 10 of 12 months. “We’re proud of this group to show their resiliency and keep competing against a compact opponent . ... It wasn’t pretty, but they pulled through.”

Bassett’s late goal put a big finish on the U.S. men’s first appearance since February

2020 at the LA Galaxy’s suburban stadium. The U.S. team is 13-2-3 with 11 shutouts at the venue, currently named Dignity Health Sports Park.

Matt Turner got his ninth shutout, surpassing Kasey Keller’s one-year record for U.S. goalkeepers set in 2005. Turner appeared in 13 games this year, the most by a U.S. keeper in his debut year. Berhalter has given debuts to 53 players in his 44 games in charge. That’s the third-most newcomers to get a chance under any coach in U.S. history.