Wales 0, USMNT 0 | 2020 International Friendly Recap

Benjamin Baer

The US men's national team had not played a match in over nine months entering their Thursday match against Wales. That long wait ended with a 0-0 draw at Liberty Stadium in Swansea.

While there were no goals from other side, the US were clearly the better side on the night as they dominated possession and conceded little defensively. The issue was that Gregg Berhalter's team were not able to convert all their possession into goalscoring opportunities.

Their best chance may have come in the 33rd minute when Wales played a poor backpass following some pressure from the USMNT. Barcelona winger Konrad de la Fuente ended up with the ball near the six-yard box but skied his attempt over the crossbar with defenders nearby.

A first half that saw the US mostly control led to a sluggish start to the second half. Wales had their best chance of the match in the 62nd minute when former MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Zack Steffen had to make a clutch save to keep it scoreless. Berhalter finally turned to his bench in the 71st minute, bringing on two subs. LA Galaxy academy product Uly Llanez made an immediate impact, forcing Danny Ward to make a sprawling save.

The second half finished with little created on either end as substitutions failed to make an impact on the scoreline.

Goals

None

Three Things

THE BIG PICTURE: Not every big name performed well — Gio Reyna had a so-so night — but the young players US fans have been clamoring to see provided some joy with their performances. A striker — instead of LA Galaxy midfielder Sebastian Lletget playing as a false No. 9 — could have helped them finish off their attacking moves. They'll look to do just that when they face Panama on Monday.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH:
There wasn't a singular moment in the match that stood out, but this run by 17-year-old Yunus Musah was indicative of the excitement that USMNT fans witnessed.

Yunus. Musah. 😍. pic.twitter.com/W00kthuNEB
— Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) November 12, 2020

MAN OF THE MATCH: Weston McKennie has always been a ferocious presence in the midfield but against Wales he seemed to have added confidence that you would expect from a player that just made a move to Italian giants Juventus.