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SAN JOSE — The ordeal remains burned in Sebastian Lletget’s mind.
How could it not after what he experienced the last time the Bay Area native played in San Jose for the U.S. national team?
“I just hope to get through the game in one piece,” Lletget said before scoring the winning goal Saturday in the Americans’ 2-0 victory over Costa Rica.
Lletget, 26, had a storybook homecoming in front of 13,656 fans 22 months after leaving San Jose wondering if he’d ever play again.
He came on as a second-half substitute to score on a header in the 80th minute and then getting an assist on Paul Arriola’s goal eight minutes later.
Two years ago in his national debut, Lletget’s career almost ended after scoring the game-winning goal in a World Cup qualifier against Honduras. Lletget suffered a devastating injury when Honduran defender Ever Alvarado stomped on his foot that resulted in torn ligaments and broken bones.
The Los Angeles Galaxy player has tried to forget about the ordeal in which most consider was a dirty play by the defender.
But it came rushing back when he stepped into Avaya Stadium on Friday for training.
“It’s true, I didn’t know if I was going to play again,” Lletget said. “I thought it was a sprain and then it went I don’t know when I was going to walk.”
The South San Francisco-El Camino High alum got his start a few miles from Avaya Stadium when playing for youth club Sporting Santa Clara. Then he played in England from 2009-2015 before signing with Major League Soccer.
Lletget was one of the promising young Americans in his rookie season in Los Angeles. He gained the attention of the senior national team. But he lasted one game because of the injury.
Teammate Will Trapp said the Americans appreciated what transpired Saturday with many of Lletget’s family members in attendance.
“Not to just get on the field but to work his way back after that horrific injury you couldn’t be happier for a guy to score in this game,” Trapp said.
Lletget was overcome with emotion after banging home his second international goal off a serve from Jonathan Lewis that highlighted the United States’ aggressive attack in the second half.
He put his hands to his head.
“I’m not even going to lie,” Lletget said afterward. “People don’t realize what it is for an athlete when you get injured like that. Then in this particular stadium, I got the goosebumps.”
Instead of limping off the field like in March of 2017, Lletget earned “man of the match” honors a week after the Earthquakes defender Nick Lima was recognized for the award in the team’s 3-0 victory over Panama.
“This is only the start for me,” Lletget said.
It’s also just the beginning for the U.S. men’s soccer team that is undergoing a remodeling after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
New coach Gregg Berhalter enjoyed a successful debut winning his first two games while asking a group of domestic-based players to learn a different system.
The monthlong training camp that ended Saturday fueled players such as Lletget with optimism as Berhalter works to find the right mix to get the team to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
It has not been a smooth transition.
“Sebastian has a load of ability,” Berhalter said. “It was part of his mentality to hang in there and keep going and keep pushing himself that got him into these positions. When he plays within the structure his skill sets can take over.”
When the Americans convene for a training camp in March, Berhalter is expected to call up some of the country’s top talent that is playing in Europe.
But the players and coach feel as if they have started to build something that will carry over through the World Cup qualifying tournament in the coming years.
It didn’t appear the team had made much progress in a dull scoreless first half. But that changed after halftime.
Berhalter told the team at intermission it had played too passively and demanded more.
The players responded with Lima and Cristian Roldan hitting the left post in the 54th and 64th minutes for serious threats. Defender Aaron Long almost forced a Costa Rica own goal in the 58th minute during a stretch when the Ticos came unglued.
The score remained 0-0 when Lletget entered in the 63rd minute. He brought a renewed sense of urgency to the Americans that finally led to goals in the final 10 minutes.
His goal will help with the long recovery from the injury two years ago. Perhaps now Lletget can focus solely on the game.
“Every time I come here now I will have a much brighter memory,” he said.
