Reyna, Pulisic & Balogun: USMNT big three power Ghana rout

Dylan Butler

The US men’s national team's stars shined bright Tuesday night as Gio Reyna, Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun scored inside the opening 22 minutes of a 4-0 win over Ghana at Nashville SC’s GEODIS Park to close the program's October international window.

Reyna got the party started in the 10th minute, ensuring the USMNT resoundingly bounced back from their 3-1 defeat to Germany Saturday in East Hartford, Connecticut. The Borussia Dortmund playmaker pounced on a deflected cross and fired past Ghanaian goalkeeper Abdul Manaf Nurudeen for his first international goal since a June 2021 friendly vs. Costa Rica.

Pulisic doubled the advantage from the penalty spot in the 19th minute, firing down the middle after Timothy Weah was taken down in the box by Gideon Mensah. Balogun joined the festivities three minutes later, receiving a pass after Weah forced a turnover deep in Ghana’s defensive third, before turning inside the box and scoring with his left.

Reyna found his second goal in the 39th minute, roofing an indirect free kick from inside the box to make it 4-0, the cushion the US took into halftime and carried to the final whistle.

Goals

10’ – USA – Gio Reyna | WATCH
19’ – USA – Christian Pulisic (PK) | WATCH
22’ – USA – Folarin Balogun | WATCH
39’ – USA – Gio Reyna | WATCH

Three Things

THE BIG PICTURE: The USMNT and their fans were craving some positive momentum and some mojo following a loss to Germany on the weekend. The vibes were strong in the rout, even if it wasn’t a vintage Black Stars side of past World Cup matchups. The finishing in the first half was clinical for the US, creating confidence before next month's Concacaf Nations League title defense begins.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: For all Reyna has been through in the last 11 months – the injuries and the well-publicized drama between his family and head coach Gregg Berhalter – it was nice to see the 20-year-old get back on the scoresheet with this opener.

Gio strikes first at Geodis 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/YBIFsxcykJ
— U.S. Men's National Soccer Team (@USMNT) October 18, 2023

MAN OF THE MATCH: Reyna wore a smile ear-to-ear and for good reason – a first-ever international brace and also playing a role in the buildup to Pulisic’s buried PK. Maybe blonds do have more fun.