The U.S. men’s national team defeated Uzbekistan 3-0 in a friendly on Saturday in St. Louis. Here’s what you need to know:
- U.S. winger Tim Weah found the net in the fourth minute, with the sides going scoreless until striker Ricardo Pepi made it 2-0 in the first seconds of stoppage time. Christian Pulisic scored a penalty in the 95th minute.
- The match was Gregg Berhalter’s first on the U.S. sidelines since he was rehired as coach in June.
- Next up, the Americans play Oman (Sept. 12), Germany (Oct. 14) and Ghana (Oct. 17).
The Athletic ’s instant analysis:
Sleepy performance
The U.S. got off to a fast start against Uzbekistan, with Weah blistering a shot to the far post in the fourth minute, but the urgency seeped out of the game after that and the slower pace kept the U.S. from looking too dangerous for long stretches. The substitutes who came on added some fire and created two more goals, but the 3-0 scoreline hides some of the issues on the day. Uzbekistan sat in much more of a defensive posture, but the U.S. had a number of bad giveaways in the first half that led to dangerous counters.
If not for goalkeeper Matt Turner making several saves, it could have been a worse result. In the end, the U.S. asserted itself in the final stages and secured the win. — Tenorio
Standouts vs. Uzbekistan
Turner is probably the first name on the list, as his stops on Eldor Shomurodov in the final five minutes of the first half essentially kept the U.S. in control of the game. Other than that, there wasn’t a lot to brag about for the Americans. Things just seemed a bit less sharp. Antonee Robinson was solid at left back and Weah had a couple of good moments. Three subs added good energy and made an impact: Brenden Aaronson, Pepi and Malik Tillman. The U.S. will likely look to be much more proactive against Oman on Tuesday in St. Paul, Minn. — Tenorio
Highlight of the match
Tim strikes first 🚀 pic.twitter.com/MvjseHs2GV
— U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (@USMNT) September 9, 2023
Backstory
The USMNT entered this international window after reaching the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal. The Americans lost in penalty kicks to Panama in July.
The U.S. defeated Canada 2-0 in the CONCACAF Nations League final on June 18, capturing their second consecutive title.
Required reading
- Berhalter ‘looking forward’ to conversations with Gio Reyna; more USMNT notes
(Photo: Dilip Vishwanat / USSF / Getty Images)
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