Plenty of American stars stood out in a lopsided win, but it was the Juventus midfielder who truly ran the game.
The U.S. men’s national team was understandably a bit frustrated after their win over Uzbekistan at the weekend. The score told one story, as it does after a 3-0 win. The gameplay, though, told another, as the U.S. attack truly struggled until stealing two late goals to put the game out of reach.
There was little to be frustrated about in Tuesday’s win over Oman, though. This was a nearly perfect performance, one that will leave Gregg Berhalter thrilled after his second match back.
It ended as a 4-0 win for the U.S. and, unlike Saturday, that scoreline reflected the U.S. dominance. Goals from Folarin Balogun, Brenden Aaronson and Ricardo Pepi will leave Berhalter thrilled, as will the own goal caused by debutant Kevin Paredes late on.
Plenty of players stood out, from newcomers like Balogun, Paredes and Kristoffer Lund all the way to familiar faces like Sergino Dest and Yunus Musah. Weston McKennie, though, was the one who ran the game, putting in a Man of the Match performance next to Musah as the U.S. switched things up tactically.
It was a good win for the U.S., who will look ahead to tougher challenges against Germany and Ghana next month. They’ll feel better about those games thanks to the result of this one, as this Oman game saw the USMNT play like a team ready to take their next step together.
GOAL rates the USMNT players from Allianz Field…
