Evans represents USA

Former UC Irvine men’s soccer star Brad Evans played defender for the U.S. national team in its 4-3 victory over Germany in an exhibition match in Washington, D.C.

Evans, who plays midfield for the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer, earned praise from Team USA Coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who told reporters that Evans showed “exactly what we wanted to see.”

It was the 10th career Cap for Evans, his first since January. He previously started four times, including one Gold Cup match appearance in 2009.

“It gives me a little mental boost,” Evans told reporters after Sunday’s match. “It’s more mental than anything, getting that confidence moving forward and just knowing that, ‘All right, you can play with these guys.’”

Team USA faces three World Cup qualifiers in June. First is a date Friday at Jamaica. The Americans are scheduled to play host to Panama on Tuesday and Honduras on June 18.

Evans was twice named Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Year (2005 and 2006) and was named Midfielder of the Year in the conference in 2004.

— From staff reports