Soccer-Lacklustre United States held to 0-0 draw by Saudi Arabia

(Reuters) – United States were held to a 0-0 draw by Saudi Arabia in Murcia, Spain on Tuesday as the Americans again struggled to create chances in their final friendly before the World Cup.

The pressure was on for the U.S. after a woeful 2-0 defeat to Japan in their penultimate warm-up, when they failed to record a single shot on goal, and they left fans with plenty to worry about ahead of the tournament in Qatar as they failed to break down the Saudi defence.

A pair of brilliant saves from Matt Turner kept it scoreless, as American keeper kept out a shot to the bottom right in the first minute from Sultan Al Ghannam and a 70th-minute effort from Haitham Asiri.

But the performance left little cause for optimism as the United States get set to return to the World Cup stage four years after failing to qualify.

With just two shots on goal, the lacklustre Americans created few opportunities and the departure of midfielder Giovanni Reyna in the 30th minute as a precautionary measure was a heavy blow.

“I can’t fault the effort but we need to keep improving,” coach Gregg Berhalter said.

“It’s nervy times – people are worried about being on the roster or not… The confidence isn’t there yet but we’ll get there.”

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Toby Davis)

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