In Gregg Berhalter's first match in charge of the USMNT since the World Cup in Qatar, they were able to kick things off with a 3-0 victory over Uzbekistan at St. Louis on Saturday. When Tim Weah scored the opening goal only four minutes into the match, it seemed like the USMNT would be off and running to putting up a crooked number but after Folarin Balogun hit the post and Luca De La Torre had to leave the match with a broken nose, the USMNT attack came to a stutter.
Uzbekistan came into the match organized and with a plan to force Matt Turner into uncomfortable saves and keeping Tim Ream on his toes in a homecoming at CITYPARK, and the result shows taht there is a lot of room to grow for the USMNT. Balogun wasn't able to shake defenders to drop deep enough. De La Torre exiting due to injury hurt -- he was replaced by Tanner Tessmann -- as he was the key in the midfield, and it took until deep into stoppage time for Ricardo Pepi to get an insurance goal.
It was a match that was billed as what the USMNT may face in the expanded World Cup in 2026, and while they didn't pass the test with flying colors, surviving and advancing counts for something as they were able to withstand an injury as their midfield play flowed through De La Torre when he was on the pitch. The defense also stood up and found a way for Matt Turner to keep a clean sheet.
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Next up is another friendly, against Oman on Tuesday, where one can expect things will look a little different. Berhalter will need to get his side organized from the whistle. Berhalter was happy with how the team closed the game especially with left back Kristoffer Lund helping push the team forward in his USMNT debut after filing a one time switch from representing Denmark at youth levels.
After the goal in the fourth minute from Tim Weah, it seemed like the USMNT would be off and running but they left it until deep in stoppage time for Ricardo Pepi to score from open play and Christian Pulisic to score from the spot. While it wasn't the greatest performance considering the injury to Luca De La Torre, getting the job done is good enough.
Pulisic finishes with confidence form the spot and the USMNT were able to grab two stoppage time goals and it's now a much more comfortable score.
After Tillman is taken down in the box, the USMNT will get a chance to make it 3-0. Pulisic will take.
There's the insurance goal that the USMNT needed! Ricardo Pepi was able to finish Aaronson's chance and the shot had too much power to be stopped.
Kristoffer Lund is coming on for his first cap with the USMNT and will be joined by Malik Tillman. Antonee Robinson and Weston McKennie will exit.
Mark McKenzie and Brenden Aaronson are entering as Tim Weah and Chris Richards exit. It's a move that not only brings fresh legs but a slightly different look to the USMNT press as well.
It's the best chance of the second half for the USMNT as Pulisic creates a chance that wasn't capitalized and it leads to Turner needing to make yet another save from a great Uzbekistan chance.
Tim Ream was able to clear the chance in the box but the USMNT are allowing too many chances early on in the second half. At this stage, more changes may be coming for the USMNT sooner than later.
Ricardo Pepi is on for the second half in a preplanned change as Balogun was only expected to go one half. Improvements are needed for the second half and now we'll see if Pepi can help bring them.
While the USMNT would've wanted more goals, it was still an exciting half prior to De La Torre leaving the match with an injury. His absence in midfield was clearly felt when Tessmann entered but that's something that Berhalter can adjust for during the break to get the team back out and firing.
It's his second ever cap for the USMNT in a big moment to move up the midfield pecking order.
After coming into the match with a calf issue, he now has a bloody nose after taking a knock. The trainers are trying to stop the bleeding as Berhalter looks on to see if a change may be needed in midfield. With De La Torre unable to continue, Tessmann will be the next man up.
Weah and the wing backs have been in space constantly but Uzbekistan has been solid in the middle of the pitch. Uzbekistan has already rattled the post showing that the USMNT does need insurance if they can get it before the break.
In the early going no one has touched the ball more than Luca De La Torre in midfield. Playing an important role in keeping things moving forward he has even fired a shot on target after Balogun's header glanced off the post. An excellent start for the Celta Vigo man and the USMNT.
While the USMNT aren't a team that usually gets out of the gate quickly, a goal within four minutes of the match starting will be a welcome sight. They already have two shots within the first 10 minutes and are asking all of the questions in the early going to start Berhalter's return off on the right foot.
It only took four minutes for the USMNT to score as McKennie brought down a ball well in the box to setup Tim Weah for an excellent finish. It's a Juventus thing.
The USMNT are coming out for the anthem as we're almost ready to get underway.
Once the USMNT gets their first goal through Balogun it will be off to the races to kick off Berhalter's second stint in charge of the team. Pick: United States 5, Uzbekistan 0
For an uncapped player, there's no bigger moment than your first chance at a national team cap. Everyone has to start somewhere and for a few players, this could be the start of a long national team career. Dual nationals Kristoffer Lund and Ben Cremaschi may be young but they have the talent to break into the team in the long haul as Berhalter continues his successful run of convincing dual nationals of the project that the USMNT are putting together. While that may be easier to do with a World Cup on home soil, it still takes clear communication with players and a juggling act that Berhalter doesn't get enough credit for.
While at times it can go wrong like Gio Reyna's situation or even Joe Scally publically saying that players were overthinking things under Berhalter, for the most part, there has been widespread support for Berhalter which is one of the reasons that he's back coaching the team. As long as they win these matches while also integrating new players, the camp will have been a job well done.
Stuck at Juventus, McKennie is in a bit of limbo which could cost him his spot in the starting XI down the line for the national team. Starting at wing back in Juventus' win over Empoli, even though McKennie registered an assist, it was quite an odd fit due to that being Tim Weah's position now. McKennie has been a versatile player during his career, lining up wherever he needs to, but if he's not a regular starter in Italy after struggling in his half season with Leeds United, things could shift with Berhalter getting more depth around the squad.
Luca De La Torre is now a regular starter for Celta Vigo and there is also a growing number of young center backs who are able to play in a back three which could see McKennie on the bench if he doesn't get back to a consistent form. This camp can be viewed as a challenge to show why he should be starting those bigger matches.
With Folarin Balogun's move to Monaco, every member of the front three now has a solid path to starting minutes at large European clubs, which will only mean good things for the national team. We got our first view at a Weah, Balogun and Christian Pulisic front three during the Nations League and it only made it more exciting to get to see this pairing again. Even with Weah playing as a wing back for Juventus, his role with the national team will still be in the front three as his directness and lack of fear taking shots from anywhere helps to keep a defense honest, only creating space for the other two.
With such a technically sound trio, defenses will be on edge constantly. If they're all available, they should play as many minutes as possible unless another player steps up and shows that they can reach this level of output and consistency. It's a good problem to have.
Heading into a friendly against Uzbekistan, Yunus Musah talked to the Morning Footy team about goals without needing to go through World Cup Qualifying his relationship with Gregg Berhalter, and more. After what has been a whirlwind summer for the midfielder after heading to Milan with Christian Pulisic, Musah is now back in familiar territory with the national team.
Musah: "The last time that we were with Gregg was such a big moment, like the World Cup. So to call him to be back now, we've had good moments together. It's about the group as I said, it's not about just an individual person. We carried on after the World Cup doing great, won the Nations League and now Gregg's back and he carried on from where we left off so we're really happy about it. He's the manager that gave me an opportunity, my debut and everything so I have a great relationship with Gregg."
All eyes will be on captain Shomurodov who is the national team's top scorer with 37 goals in 66 appearances.
Starters: 1-Utkir Yusupov; 3-Khojakbar Alijonov, 4-Farrux Sayfiev, 5-Rustam Ashurmatov, 7-Otabek Shukurov, 9-Odiljon Xamrobekov, 10-Jaloliddin Masharipov, 11-Oston Urunov, 14-Eldor Shomurodov (Capt.), 15-Umarbek Eshmurodov, 23-Khusniddin Aliqulov
Available Subs: 12-Umidjon Ergashev, 16-Botirali Ergashev, 2-Shahzod Azmiddinov, 6-Aziz Ganiev, 8-Jamshid Iskanderov, 13-Sherzod Nasrullaev, 17-Bobir Abdikholikov, 18-Abdulla Abdullaev, 19-Aziz Turgunboev, 20-Akmal Mozgovoy, 21-Abror Ismoilov, 22-Dilshod Saitov
De la Torre wins out for the final midfield position while Ream captains the side in his hometown of St. Louis. It will be critical for the team to start quickly in this one.
USMNT Starting XI vs. Uzbekistan: 1-Matt Turner, 2-Sergiño Dest, 4-Chris Richards, 5-Antonee Robinson, 6-Yunus Musah, 8-Weston McKennie, 10-Christian Pulisic, 13-Tim Ream (capt.), 14-Luca de la Torre, 20-Folarin Balogun, 21-Tim Weah
Substitutes: 18-Ethan Horvath, 3-Mark McKenzie, 7-Cade Cowell, 9-Ricardo Pepi, 11-Brenden Aaronson, 12-Miles Robinson, 15-Ben Cremaschi, 16-Tanner Tessmann, 17-Malik Tillman, 19-Joe Scally, 22-Kevin Paredes, 23-Kristoffer Lund
While Gregg Berhalter has already given away most of the lineup, this match is met with a sense of intrigue as it is the first game that he has managed since the World Cup in Qatar. Expectations are high and the USMNT putting together a comprehensive victory would do everyone a world of good after their disappointing performance in the Gold Cup. With Folarin Balogun only expected to play the first half, the onus will be on the USMNT to come out of the gate quickly.
