Medunjanin, Sapong both start in international friendly

Philadelphia Union teammates CJ Sapong and Haris Medunjanin found themselves on opposite sides Sunday night in a scoreless draw between the United States and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Sapong earned just his fourth cap with the USMNT and played 45 minutes before being subbed out in halftime. He made the best of the time he had, delivering a decent cross on one of the first plays of the game and forcing the Bosnia & Herzegovina keeper into a pair of saves while also drawing a free kick.

Medunjanin wore the captain’s armband for his 57th career national team cap and had a relatively quiet first half in his deep lying central midfield position save for a sequence where he made a steal in the middle of the field and sprung an attack with a ball sent forward to an attacker out wide.

The second-year Union midfielder factored into one of the most critical moments of the game early in the second half when Luka Menalo was fouled in the box by Walker Zimmerman. Medunjanin’s ensuing penalty kick attempt had Zack Steffen going the wrong way, but the shot hit off the post before going wide of the mark.

Medujanin’s night ended nine minutes later when he gave way to Dino Besirovic in the 72nd minute.

Steffen, a Downingtown, Pa. native who played for FC Delco and was part of the Philadelphia Union youth setup as a teenager, subbed into the game in the second half to make his U.S. senior team debut.

While the match was the lone friendly for the U.S. during the January camp, Medunjanin and Bosnia & Herzegovina will be back in action on Wednesday against Mexico in San Antonio on January 31.