It’s shaping up to be quite the year for Brek Shea.
He’s jumpstarted a stalled club career in a triumphant return to MLS with expansion side Orlando City SC, highlighted as one of the team’s marquee signings this offseason. And after his picturesque, curling free-kick goal in the US national team’s 1-1 draw Tuesday afternoon against Switzerland, Shea’s international career appears to be back on track as well.
It was his second international goal of 2015, and after being left off the World Cup roster last summer, the left winger/back has now seen action in all four of the USMNT’s friendlies this year, starting three and scoring his first goal of 2015 – and first international tally since the 2013 Gold Cup – in the Yanks’ 3-2 loss to Chile on Jan. 28.
But his goal at Stadion Letzigrund on a sunny evening in Zurich almost didn’t happen.
The USMNT’s usual free-kick taker, Jozy Altidore, was lining up for the restart after Alfredo Morales was taken down just before halftime. That’s when Shea scoped out the location of the kick, 20 yards out, slightly right of midfield.
“I went up and saw the angle, Jozy was going to take it, and I just told him it’s more suited for a left-footed player,” Shea told media after the game. “And he just backed off and said, ‘Go right ahead.’”
Shea curled the ensuing attempt over the rising wall and just inside the near post, leaving Switzerland goalkeeper Roman Burki to watch it sail into the back of the net. It’s the type of decisive talent Shea became known for as a rising star in the US youth ranks and FC Dallas before an up-and-down spell in Europe from 2012-14 that left him off Klinsmann’s radar last year.
And the soft-spoken Shea was happy with the product he and his teammates put on the field Tuesday.
“I think we outplayed them until we went down a man,” Shea said referring to Altidore’s 68th-minute ejection and Swiss equalizer 12 minutes later. “I think in the first half we really dominated, we could have scored two goals before the free kick. I think, to be honest, we outplayed them.”
Shea completed 23 of 28 passes up and down the left wing against Switzerland. And on defense, he made three interceptions, three clearances and four recoveries, helping keep the Swiss to just two shots on goal.
“I think we grinded out a result, and we didn’t do that last game,” Shea said, referring to the improvement from last week’s 3-2 loss to Denmark. “So at this point, we didn’t win, but grinding out a point and going down a man is good.”
