GARETH BALE was given the night off – and the Wales captain could be forgiven for having one eye on the Masters.
The Tottenham forward was left out of the squad against the USA with a view to the Dragons’ crunch upcoming Nations League double-header against Ireland and Finland.
Daniel James couldn’t help Wales find a way through USA on ThursdayCredit: AFP or licensors
Connor Roberts in action for Wales during their 0-0 draw with USACredit: Getty Images – Getty
But golf nut Bale was caught by TV cameras with an Apple Mac laptop in his hands in one of the Liberty Stadium’s hospitality boxes during the first half.
And, after an opening 45 minutes of little goalmouth action, who could have blamed him?
Because there were certainly few Masters on view in Swansea in this drab contest.
Bale was rested after Wales vowed not to destroy the good work Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has done to build up his fitness following his loan move from Real Madrid.
When Bale is on the pitch, no one could doubt his dedication and commitment to the Welsh cause.
Hence, the banner – Wales, Golf. Madrid.
But the Dragons will need their talisman more than ever when the serious business is played out over the next six days without manager Ryan Giggs, who will remain sidelined following his arrest.
Giggs, who is on bail on suspicion of actual bodily harm and assault following an alleged row with his on-off girlfriend on November 1, would have watched from his Manchester home.
But what Giggs or caretaker Robert Page would have learnt from this performance remains to be seen ahead of two important home games on Sunday and next Wednesday following a scrappy affair with few chances.
The main positive was another clean sheet and a vital one for Leicester’s Danny Ward, who is third-choice behind injury duo Wayne Hennessey and Adam Davies.
To sum up the lack of activity, Wales’ Tom Lawrence had the only shot of the first period – meaning Bale probably would have seen more shots from the likes of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy on his laptop from Augusta.
Gareth Bale was in the stands with a laptop after being given the night offCredit: Rex Features
On a serious note, this was the first international the USA had played since the killing of George Floyd back in May.
And the visitors made an anti-racism stand after the anthems and before kick-off in south Wales.
Each American player – both starting and on the substitutes bench – wore a personal slogan on the back of their tracksuit tops to show their support for change.
The messages varied from ‘Stop racism’ to ‘Black Lives Matter’ to ‘Spread love not hate’ as they got their powerful point across.
Both sides also took a knee – as is now commonplace in the Premier League – after Scottish referee Nicolas Walsh blew his whistle.
Charlton defender Chris Gunter led Wales out on his 98th cap with Bale handed a night off.
Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic was also sent back at the USA for further treatment on a hamstring injury as manager Gregg Berhalter named three debutants including Sunderland-born Gio Reyna, son of ex-Manchester City and American midfielder Claudio.
It was a historic night for teen star Reyna, who turns 18 on Friday, who plays alongside Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham at Borussia Dortmund, and his family.
The Reynas became the first family to have three members to represent the US with Gio’s mum Danielle playing for the women’s national team.
With two makeshift sides on show, the early stages of the match was played at a frantic pace but littered with errors.
But it was also no friendly contest. Cardiff striker Kieffer Moore was in the wars, holding his back after he was taken out in the air following a robust challenge by John Brooks.
However, the game failed to find any cohesion or flow. Derby wideman Lawrence forced Manchester City reserve keeper Zack Steffen into a sharp save from distance just after the half hour mark. Sadly, that was as good as it got in the first half.
Newport midfielder Josh Sheehan was handed his debut at half-time, replacing Matt Smith.
Brennan Johnson, on loan at Lincoln from Nottingham Forest, also came off the bench to win his first cap and came close to a dream debut only for a fine Steffen stop as the game finished goalless.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
