Christian Pulisic nabbed a goal and an assist in the first half before Folarin Balogun‘s eventual game-winning goal in the second half paced the U.S. men’s national team in their 3-2 friendly win Sunday against Senegal at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Pulisic set up Sergiño Dest‘s opener before scoring one himself to give the U.S. a 2-0 lead before Sadio Mané scored on both sides of halftime in a chaotic second half that was decided by Balogun’s goal.
Of course, this was the first of two friendlies for the Americans as they’ll face four-time FIFA World Cup champions, Germany, next Saturday. Here’s a look at how everyone involved in the U.S.’s win against one of Africa’s strongest powers performed with the World Cup inching closer.
Manager rating out of 10
Mauricio Pochettino, 7 — On the whole, the majority of the decisions made by Pochettino and his staff worked. Are there some questions? Yes, because that’s going to happen with every match no matter the outcome, but there were also a few items that got confirmed when it came to how comfortable certain players looked in specific roles.
Player ratings (0-10; 10 = best; 5 = average)
GK Matt Turner, 5 — Turner’s day didn’t get busy until the final 15 minutes when Senegal began to find openings. Before then, his most notable moment was coming out of the net to stop Mané without conceding a foul. He had a couple of saves when Senegal pressed before Mané did beat him to cut the lead to 2-1.
DF Alex Freeman, 5 — Yes, he was beat by Mané on the sequence that forced Turner to come out. However, he was involved in the buildup in that pass to Ricardo Pepi that eventually led to a goal while also showing the necessary recovery ability whenever there were errors in central defense.
DF Mark McKenzie, 5 — McKenzie performed like the more consistent option in central defense for the U.S. There were a few moments when he was able to get in front of the ball, interrupt a few of Senegal’s passes and largely be in position when those counterattacks were present. Although, he did have one errant pass that led to a turnover.
DF Tim Ream, 3 — It was a rough day for Ream on his home pitch. He was nearly caught out whenever he tried playing the ball with his feet upon facing Senegal’s press. There was also the errant passes that saw the visitors go on the counter, including one that almost led to Nicolas Jackson scoring. His most telling moment came on Mané’s first goal, when he was caught out of position in transition and forced Tyler Adams into a difficult position.
DF Antonee Robinson, 7 — He established a connection with Pulisic on the left side that was present from the first few minutes. It led to the U.S. knowing it could rely on Robinson to play either long passes or quicker ones to get into attack while he also found ways to get in front of passing lanes. But there was that one turnover that led to Senegal going on the counter in what was otherwise a strong day.
MF Sebastian Berhalter, 5 — Like Ream, he was a liability at times in the first half. There was the foul he gave up that led to a free kick just to the right of the 18-yard-box along with how he got beat by Bara Sapoko Ndiaye for a shot that went wide. Berhalter had moments when he was involved with the attack but also had that moment late in the first that led to him getting caught off guard and Senegal countering. He did seem to find a little more comfort as the lone member of the starting 11 to play in the second half.
MF Tyler Adams, 5 — Adams did what Adams does: He moved possession along and was part of the press that saw him support in defense. There was one slow touch he had that nearly led to a counter, but all in all? He did what was needed in a subtle manner.
FW Sergiño Dest, 7 — Knowing he can fly down the wing and help on either end was crucial with Mané being a threat. His opening goal in the seventh minute was an example of what makes Dest so versatile, because of how he came into space. Plus, he almost had an assist when he found Pepi in space for a shot that was blocked near the end of the half.
FW Giovanni Reyna, 4 — He was involved in a few sequences and had some noticeable movements to help facilitate play. There was the heads-up play on the throw-in that nearly led to an opportunity. But his efforts were overshadowed compared to everyone else in the midfield.
FW Christian Pulisic, 8 — Simply, he was the Americans’ best player. There was what he did to set up Dest’s goal before scoring his own minutes later. It was the first time since June 2024 that Pulisic had a goal and an assist, according to ESPN Global Research. Every single time Pulisic was on the ball or found space with Robinson, he looked like a threat to score or create issues.
FW Ricardo Pepi, 7 — Pepi’s first start with the U.S. since November 2024 saw him have one of his strongest performances in an American kit. There was the hold-up play he had on Dest’s goal along with the fact he was willing to drop down and be a No. 10 if needed. There was also his commitment to consistently press while trying to get to every ball when he was on defense.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Chris Brady (on for Turner, halftime), 4 — His first cap for the U.S. saw him get caught in a hard place when Mané scored his second goal.
DF Joe Scally (on for Freeman, halftime), 5 — Scally was involved in a few moments down the right that saw him close down on balls into the box. There was also the role he played in getting the ball into attack.
DF Miles Robinson (on for McKenzie, halftime), 3 — Robinson tried playing a pass only to have possession taken away by Jackson before Mané’s second goal tied the game at 2-2.
DF Auston Trusty (on for Ream, halftime), 5 — There were some moments when Senegal found openings but he appeared calm in those situations.
DF Max Arfsten (on for Robinson, halftime), 5 — Arfsten’s day was quiet by comparison to the man he replaced in Robinson, but still did his part in keeping Senegal from either tying the match or scoring a go-ahead goal.
MF Weston McKennie (on for Adams, halftime), 6 — Everything he did in his second-half cameo reinforces why he can be played in so many midfield positions. McKennie was active in many areas and was almost rewarded with a goal in the 75th minute.
FW Alejandro Zendejas (on for Berhalter, 76′), NR — His most notable moment came when he applied the pressure that forced a turnover, allowing him to get into space before his shot on net was blocked in the 82nd minute.
FW Timothy Weah (on for Dest, halftime), 6 — Weah’s strongest moment came when he set up Balogun on that cross into the box that allowed the striker to score the would-be game-winning goal in what was a chaotic second half.
MF Cristian Roldan (on for Reyna, halftime), 5 — Scoreless in Seattle nearly came to an end, or it could have, until his shot sailed well beyond the net.
MF Malik Tillman (on for Pulisic, halftime), 6 — He almost pulled off a goal and an assist only to have both called back. Still, Tillman looked every bit the part of a sparkplug who can create coming off the bench.
FW Folarin Balogun (on for Pepi, halftime), 7 — Balogun’s first goal was denied but he was able to make up for that when he patiently waited for Weah’s cross into the box, timed the deflection off a boot before striking it home for the match-winning salvo.
