The United States men’s national team played out a bit of a snoozy second half against Brazil after going down 2-0 to the Selecao at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Friday.
[ RECAP: USMNT 0-2 Brazil | 3 things ]
Mission: Don’t Embarrass Yourselves was generally a success for the USMNT and interim manager Dave Sarachan, whose young bucks played well despite a lack of Christian Pulisic.
Next up for the USMNT: Mexico on Tuesday.
Starting XI
Zack Steffen -- 8 -- Couldn’t have done anything on the opener given the acres of space afforded Roberto Firmino, and Neymar’s penalty kick run-up is a tricky one even for a PK-stopping ace.
Antonee Robinson -- 3 -- The young Everton man will have a lot better days in a U.S. shirt, as he was habitually cooked by Douglas Costa for much of the night. Did play better as the match wore on.
Matt Miazga -- 6 -- Huge mistake in marking on the Firmino goal keeps him from getting a 7 or maybe even an 8. Having a solid early campaign in Ligue 1, too.
John Brooks -- 7 -- The United States’ best defender, unsurprisingly, was the United States’ best defender. Didn’t have his towering header game in-form, or would’ve bagged a goal.
DeAndre Yedlin -- 6 -- If anyone had been prepared for this match by their early season, it was Yedlin. The Seattle Sounders export has faced Spurs, Chelsea, and Man City already this season. Forgivably worked over a few times by Neymar, he also chipped in the viral moment of the evening and should probably be upped to a 7 for it.
[ MORE: Rudiger apologizes for neck stamp ]
Yoo Yedlin has me dying over here, making fun of Neymar and his dives.
— Roger Gonzalez (@RGonzalezCBS) September 8, 2018
"Did you watch the World Cup???"
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/34P7kKDVSH
Wil Trapp -- 6 -- Pretty good set piece service, and was fooled on the penalty when Fabinho felt his arm on the side and hit the deck like he saw a gold brick.
Julian Green (Off 55') -- 5 -- Struggled to make any sort of impact despite some decent energy going forward at left mid. To be fair, left mid against Brazil isn’t his bag. Left wing against Costa Rica would be another story.
Weston McKennie (Off 82') -- 8 -- Would’ve cemented his U.S. Man of the Match credentials had he got more than a glance of purchase on a late sliding bid to turn a free kick past Alisson. His finish is the only thing missing from his game, and he was not overwhelmed in several tussles with Casemiro.
Tyler Adams (Off 82') -- 5 -- Average, although if you’d like to up his score given the competition and his age (19), you’d be justified.
Paul Arriola (Off 55') -- 4 -- Less than ideal performance typified by a wildly overhit cross from the right side.
Bobby Wood (Off 70') -- 5 -- Starved of possession for most of the match, as expected, failed to make much of an impact on the proceedings.
Substitutes
Kellyn Acosta (On 55') -- 5.5 -- Just fine. Looking forward to seeing him play in a match without as much defensive responsibility (though that’s kind of his thing).
Tim Weah (On 55') -- 6.5 -- Had enough moments for me to break my “no half point” rule. Good energy, effort, and commitment from the PSG man.
Gyasi Zardes (On 70') -- 5 -- Wasn’t really noticeable, but was good to see the long-struggling striker get back in the U.S. fold.
Marky Delgado (On 83') -- N/A
Cristian Roldan (On 83') -- N/A