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Chicago Fire captain Dax McCarty started in the United States Men’s National Team’s 1-1 draw against Panama Saturday, marking his first appearance in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
It's been a long time coming for this man! @DaxMcCarty11 gets his first nod in official competition.
— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) July 8, 2017
Congrats! https://t.co/sW4HHMO8dm pic.twitter.com/pnredliwKe
And, well, it wasn’t his best day at the office.
The Fire’s midfield maestro really struggled — and I say this with the pun fully intended — in the Tennessee heat today, especially in the second half.
After USMNT newbie Dom Dwyer put the USMNT ahead in the 50th minute — his second goal in as many games in the red, white and blue — Panama came to life, and the U.S. fell asleep.
McCarty was no different—albeit a lot was asked of him today. FC Dallas midfielder Kellyn Acosta did very little defensively over the 90 minutes of today’s match, and the Fire’s captain was asked to make up the slack.
All in all, things could have been better for McCarty and the USMNT today.
The Americans return to action on Wednesday when they take on Martinique in Tampa Bay, Florida.