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Marshfield's Finlay earns first cap as U.S. rallies past Iceland

02/02/2016, 6:15pm CST
By ERIC ANDERSON
Ethan Finlay / U.S. Soccer photo

Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) became the latest Wisconsin player to appear for the U.S. national team, earning the start in his first career cap Sunday afternoon against Iceland.

The Columbus Crew midfielder was deployed on the right side and logged 61 minutes as the U.S. came back twice and posted a 3-2 victory in Carson, Calif., in its first match of the year.

The 25-year-old, who was named to the Major League Soccer Best XI after a tremendous 2015 season, was one of four Americans to make their international debut in the game.

“Ethan really impressed in training,” U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann said. “He was all over the place, he had endless energy. And sometimes you actually have to slow him down and say, 'Ethan, you don't need to go 200 miles an hour.'

"But it shows his character – he wants to really give everything he has and wants to prove a point. He was a bit nervous, too, which is, of course, normal because of his first cap. But it as definitely the right step into this group of guys."

Finlay acknowledged those nerves and what he learned in his first international appearance at any level.

"I think it took me a little bit of time to settle in, but once I was able to do that, it was much better. I was definitely more happy with it," he said. "I think just me being more decisive, some of the decision-making – coming into the final third, coming to a conclusion, whether it be a shot or a cross – could have been better from me. ... But I'm happy with it. It's a start, and we'll take it from there."

It was the first time in nearly five years that a Wisconsin player was on the field for the U.S. men's national team – center back Jay DeMerit (Green Bay/Bay Port) was the most recent state player to earn a cap for the Americans back in March 2011.

But Finlay hopes he showed Klinsmann and the coaching staff enough over the past few weeks to earn more invitations to national team camps.

"You don't just belong because you show well in one game," Finlay said. "What I've tried to do over the last three weeks of training – and I hope that's the reason I was able to get the start – was I laid a good foundation that the coaching staff liked, and I'll continue to do that. ... I don't think you want to hang your head on one game, whether it be good or bad, and I'm not going to do that.”

Chicago Fire midfielder Matt Polster (Milwaukee) also is in the U.S. camp, but wasn't named to the game-day roster Sunday. The camp concludes with a friendly Friday against Canada; kickoff is set for 9:15 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.

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On Twitter: @EthanFinlay13

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