Pinned
The United States men's national team drew a talented Uruguay on Sunday in an international friendly, 0-0. It was a pretty open match as Diego Alonso kept up his unbeaten record as Uruguay manager while the two teams have now played to their third draw in four meetings. It was a match of missed opportunities as both USMNT's Jesus Ferreira and Uruguay's Darwin Nunez had multiple chances to score but they couldn't make it count. Uruguay missed a golden chance in the final seconds as Edinson Cavani failed to put a shot on an open goal, sending it just wide, much to his disbelief. This was the first time under Alonso that Uruguay have failed to score in six games.
Gregg Berhalter will be happy to end the team's Nations League tune-up matches with a win and a draw after having beaten Morocco before this match, but none of the key questions have been answered. No striker scored from open play and the left center back position is as open as it ever was. Fixing these will be key ahead of Nations League matches versus Grenada and El Salvador. The U.S. have allowed just three total goals in their last six matches.
USMNT and Uruguay ended in a thrilling 0-0 draw in Kansas City 🇺🇸 🇺🇾
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 5, 2022
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Without Walker Zimmerman, this match could've ended much differently as he had to block three shots while on cleanup duty. Berhalter will be happy with the clean sheet but the defense wasn't good enough as Joe Scally left a lot of space that Uruguay's experienced attack took advantage of. It was a learning opportunity for the 19-year-old as he was dispossessed three times and dribbled past two more.
The attack shined as the two teams were close when it came to expected goals metrics. The United States took nine shots for an xG of 1.24 while Uruguay took 12 for an xG of 1.36. The best chance was Ferreira's the 20th-minute header right in front of goal from DeAndre Yedlin's cross, but he couldn't bring it down. Uruguay's was a shot from Mathias Olivera that Sean Johnson showed impressive awareness to stop with his shin right on the line. It was a match that at times had World Cup-level intensity which both coaches will be happy about as they continue their preparations.
USMNT ratings
| Name | Minutes | How did they do? | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
(GK) Sean Johnson | 90 | Was calm in goal, looking strong in both passing and keeping control of his lines, and he made a few big saves. It's tough to see Johnson starting in Qatar but he did make a case for making the trip. | 8 |
(DEF) DeAndre Yedlin | 62 | Showed his experience in defense keeping Uruguay in check and made a key block on the line early in the match. Not a great match going forward for Yedlin but on another day, his fine cross into the box ends in a goal. | 7 |
(DEF) Walker Zimmerman | 90 | Zimmerman was picked off once in possession but his long passing was critical when the midfield couldn't get things going. Had a team-high four clearances, blocked three shots and had an interception as a one-man cleaning crew. | 8 |
(DEF) Aaron Long | 45 | Had a tough day with how much space was between Joe Scally and him. Tough to tell if it was down to communication but while Long did better than ERik Palmer-Brown, the role is likely Chris Richards' to lose when healthy. | 7 |
(DEF) Joe Scally | 90 | Getting caught up field far too much this match was a good learning experience for Scally. He was better at right back due to having Zimmerman on that side but allowed Uruguay far too much space to attack into. | 6 |
(MID) Tyler Adams | 90 | Was forward much more than normal, taking a shot and getting recoveries higher up. The Leipzig man was only dribbled past once in a match where Uruguay were beating everyone when they had the chance. | 7 |
(MID) Yunus Musah | 85 | Everything that Musah struggled with on the ball versus Morocco, he fixed in this match. A strong performance linking the defense with the attack and while his passing will need to improve, any plays he can make with his feet are helpful for a team that struggles with ball progression. | 7 |
(MID) Weston McKennie | 45 | A little rusty with some of his decision making, it was still a solid return to the starting lineup overall for McKennie. He created two chances but wasn't as involved as usual on the defensive end. | 6 |
(FWD) Tim Weah | 45 | Didn't touch the ball as much as you'd like in the first half with how strong Uruguay's defense was, but his touches were driven as he looks to create an attack every time he gets the ball. One thing that Gregg Berhalter needs to figure out is how to play Weah and Brenden Aaronson at the same time. | 7 |
(FWD) Jesus Ferreira | 61 | Had two good chances to score and missed both, continuing the USMNT's striker woes. Ferreira's off-ball movement was good when it came to creating space for Christian Pulisic and Weah to run into, but he'll be judged by goals. | 6 |
(FWD) Christian Pulisic | 90 | Pulisic is determined to carry this team to greatness. His anticipation and in-game reads were on full display. The Chelsea man created four chances and was only dispossessed once in the match but only got one shot off. | 7 |
| Substitutes | Replaced | How did they do? | Rating |
Erik Palmer-Brown | Long (45') | While he's more comfortable in a back three, it was a day to forget for Palmer-Brown as he was beaten multiple times | 6 |
Paul Arriola | Weah (45') | Wasn't up to the challenge that Uruguay posed. Arriola has a place in this team but not playing 45 as a winger versus top teams. This would be a game where his work rate is better suited deeper in midfield as keeping Weah on gives the United States a better chance at winning. | 6 |
Brenden Aaronson | McKennie (45') | Was marked out of the game entering in central midfield on Sunday. While Aaronson can play there, against stronger teams like Uruguay, Berhalter will need to see how he can keep him on the wing. | 6 |
| Antonee Robinson | Yedlin (62') | Got beaten a few times but so did everyone on defense against Uruguay's high-powered attack. Robinson did create some good chances going forward. | 6 |
| Haji Wright | Ferreira (61') | If you forgot Wright was out there tonight, you'd be forgiven as he only had four touches in almost 30 minutes. Taking three passes and completing one, he didn't do nearly enough to build on a strong match versus Morocco. | 5 |
| Luca de la Torre | Musah (85') | Didn't have enough time to really make a difference as he spent about five minutes waiting to come into the match. | N/A |
| Manager | Subs used | How did the manager do? | Rating |
Gregg Berhalter | 6 | The United States had good enough chances to win, so it's a job well done for Berhalter. In a match where he is looking to find out what his team can and can't do, it's tough to have a gripe with any of the subs in a game that overall told him a lot about his team even if some of it was bad. | 8 |
