Southampton’s first and only pre-season match on their American tour came yesterday afternoon in what was a decent run-out for the 24 players in the training camp as they saw off DC United under-23’s in a comprehensive 2-0 win.
It certainly didn’t take long for the game to come to life as, six minutes into the game, Southampton’s central defender Jordan Turnbull fouled a DC United forward; at first glance it looked to be a penalty to the American side but the referee decided that the foul itself was committed just outside the box. The set-piece then hit the wall and the MLS youngsters’ first attempts were quashed.
The first goal came 10 minutes later as Nathan Redmond forced the DC United defender into a corner. The set-piece was then whipped in by Dusan Tadic and, as the ball was scrambled away, it fell only to James Ward-Prowse who rocketed a goal past the United keeper on his weaker left foot to make it 1-0 to Southampton.
Another great chance for Saints came in the 22nd minute. Matt Targett went bombing down the left-hand side before he then cut it back to Tadic, who attempted a spectacular outside the foot shot, as it was unfortunately put over the bar by the Serbian; Southampton were very comfortable mid-way through the first half.
It certainly should have been 2-0 to Southampton in the 32nd minute as a poor back pass by a DC United defender was read brilliantly by Dusan Tadic but the anticipation from him was overshadowed as he couldn’t provide the finish; his shot was saved by the United keeper and Saints were bizarrely denied a corner out of it.
At half-time, the game was expected to develop a slow tempo and it certainly lived up to those expectations; it can only be expected, seeing as it’s the Saints’ first game back. 11 substitutions were made at half time as Claude Puel changed the entire team sheet, with an influx of younger players being called upon.
An unexpected substitute was made during the second water break of the game, with new signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg making way for Josh Sims. However, given the fact that the Dane only joined up with the squad on Tuesday, his substitution is likely to have been for fitness reasons instead of any injury.
Another substitution was made shortly after as Sam Gallagher came on, with Lloyd Isgrove making way; Puel certainly wanting to give all his players a run out.
Yan Valery is the youngest player to fly out to the States with Southampton at the age of 17 and he was one of the more impressive performers on the day.
Late in the game, in the 88th minute to be exact, Southampton won a penalty. DC United were certainly unlucky as it looked to be a good tackle from a neutral view but, nonetheless, Jay Rodriguez stepped up to take it and smashed the ball straight down the middle; finally the fans were able to see a second goal from their side as Rodriguez made it 2-0 Southampton.
It was an easy win for Southampton in Washington DC and it was certainly a taster game for how Puel may want to play next season and test out players who have never been seen before.
Overall, it was a solid performance from the red and whites.
