The US men's national team weren't nearly as sharp as they would have liked to be, but still managed a 3-0 win over Uzbekistan on Saturday night at St. Louis CITY SC's CITYPARK.
Against an opponent who put up a much tougher fight than their 74th FIFA world ranking would suggest, the USMNT lacked sharpness in Gregg Berhalter's first game back in charge, looking wobbly until two goals in second-half stoppage time put the game to bed.
The Yanks close out the September window against Oman Tuesday at Allianz Field, home of Minnesota United FC.
Turner made more saves than he probably expected coming into the match. The Nottingham Forest shot-stopper had a pair of saves to bail out his teammates after really sloppy first-half turnovers and made another key one in the second half to keep Uzbekistan off the board.
Robinson dealt well with the brunt of Uzbekistan's attack, as well as providing plenty of output at the other end of the pitch. It was the type of showing we've become accustomed to from the Fulham man despite getting cut short in the 80th minute with a knock.
Ream was typically solid in his return to St. Louis. He was strong defensively and generally composed in possession, although he did have an uncharacteristically sloppy giveaway towards the end of the first half that nearly gave Uzbekistan a goal.
Richards was fine overall. He picked off a few dangerous passes and was positionally solid. He was composed, albeit unambitious, in possession, but showed moments of rust after going as an unused substitute for Crystal Palace's first four matches of the English Premier League season.
Dest improved significantly as the match went on, growing in influence in the final third. The PSV man was involved in the buildup play for the US's second goal and nearly had one of his own, freezing his defender with a stepover before his shot was blocked at the last second.
Musah was generally composed in possession and carried the ball through pressure well, but he wasn't consistently able to find the breakthrough pass the US needed. At just 20 years old, though, he's already such an integral part of how this team plays.
The Celta de Vigo midfielder was energetic from the start, playing at the base of midfield in the Tyler Adams role. He completed 39 of his 40 attempted passes, and mixed things up with a couple of marauding runs through the White Wolves' defense. He was unfortunate to come off with a broken nose after half an hour, cutting a standout performance cruelly short. His withdrawal coincided with a noticeable drop in form from the home side.
McKennie was sharp in midfield throughout the afternoon, especially on Weah's opening goal. He took down a cross from Pulisic with a world-class touch before laying it off to Weah, and he continued to find cracks in Uzbekistan's armor throughout the night.
It was by no means a vintage showing for Pulisic, who couldn't translate his sparking club form with AC Milan to the international level. He struggled to connect effectively in the final third and his delivery from set pieces was subpar. However, he did have a hand in the opening goal and scored from the penalty spot deep in second-half stoppage time to make it three.
The newly-signed Monaco forward had a few flashes, showing good close control around the box and hitting the post with a header that could have put the US 2-0 up. He still doesn't look quite on the same page with the rest of the attack, though, and struggled to make a consistent impact. He was taken off at the half in a pre-planned sub.
Weah was the biggest bright spot of the afternoon for the Americans. He was direct and dynamic every time he got on the ball, combined well with Dest and McKennie in particular, and had a couple dangerous looks at goal. The Juventus man also scored what proved to be the winner after just four minutes, absolutely thumping the ball into the far corner.
It wasn't the statement win Berhalter would have liked in his first game back in charge of the USMNT since their World Cup Round-of-16 loss to the Netherlands 280 days ago. Uzbekistan were surprisingly stout defensively and threatened the home side on the break on multiple occasions. Berhalter tweaked a few things in possession, including shifting from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 in the second half, but, as a whole, his side looked rusty and ponderous. No reason to panic after one game, but the team could use a bounce-back performance on Tuesday against Oman.
Substitutes
It was a mixed bag for Tessmann, who came on in the 35th minute to replace de la Torre. He had good ideas in the final third and probed Uzbekistan's defense, but had a pair of really poor giveaways in his own half that nearly resulted in goals for the visitors.
Pepi was overall less involved in the match than Balogun, who he replaced at halftime. However, the FC Dallas product capped off his 45-minute shift with a well-taken goal, coolly finishing to the near post to give the Yanks a bit of breathing room.
McKenzie replaced Richards for the final 30 minutes and looked a tad sharper, stepping to the ball with strength and completing all 18 of his passes.
The Union Berlin attacker brought a spark of energy off the bench, picking up good spots to receive the ball and asking questions of Uzbekistan's backline. He notched the assist for Pepi's goal with a tidy little pass on the edge of the box.
Came on too late to receive a rating, but got immediately involved in the final third and drew a penalty in second-half stoppage time to make it three for the US.
The Palermo left back didn't really have time to make an impact on proceedings, but earned his first minutes for the US after filing a one-time switch from Denmark.
