The USMNT triumphed 2-0 over neighbors Canada to win their second consecutive Nations League title and deny the Canadians the chance for their first trophy since 2000.
The American side have done it again, defending their title after lifting the inaugural edition of the Nations League trophy with goals from Chris Richards and Folarin Balogun.
Chris Richards put the Stars and Stripes in front after a thumping header from a corner kick by Gio Reyna. Canada had some sustained pressure early on but the American side made them pay for not capitalizing on it.
Following the opening goal, Canada tried to find an equalizer through the wide areas of the field as Richie Laryea and Antonee Robinson battled on the left-hand side but USA stood tall in defense. Folarin Balogun, in his second ever start for USA after making the FIFA one-time switch from England, scored his first goal for the USMNT after Reyna played him through with a perfect through ball.
The Dortmund player was in fine form, notching his second assist on the night as the Stars and Stripes went 2-0 up.
John Herdman made a tactical change by swapping his wide players Alphonso Davies and Richie Laryea, but the two failed to impress offensively. In the end, the USMNT proved too much for the Canadian team.
GK: Milan Borjan – 5/10 – Made a few good saves but probably could’ve done better on the first goal.
CB: Kamal Miller – 4/10 – Struggled to contain the speed of Weah on the right-wing.
CB: Scott Kennedy – 4/10 – USA targeted the defender and he had little success limiting Balogun.
CB: Alistair Johnston – 5/10 – Was the better of the three center-backs for Canada but still found it quite difficult against the U.S. attack.
LM: Alphonso Davies – 5/10 – The best player in the region was bright early on in the game before being switched to right-midfield. Wasn’t able to conjure up much past that point and was frustrated by the U.S. defense.
CM: Jonathan Osorio – 4/10 – Mainly a pedestrian in the midfield which didn’t help the Canadians.
CM: Ismael Kone – 7/10 – Made a few good runs in the midfield but was not helped by his fellow midfielders.
CM: Stephen Eustaquio – 4/10 – Somehow didn’t get booked in the first half after making several clumsy challenges. Was unable to keep up with Reyna and Musah in the middle of the park.
RM: Richie Laryea – 7/10 – Canada’s best player in the first half and created several chances on his own.
ST: Cyle Larin – 5/10 – Came close to scoring in the first half before Antonee Robinson intervened at the last moment. Had a quiet game other than that brief moment.
ST: Jonathan David – 5/10 – Was unable to much due to the U.S.’ stellar defensive performance.
Substitutes
ST: Tajon Buchanan (61′ for Alistair Johnston) – 5/10 – Was unable to provide much going forward.
CB: Steven Vitoria (61′ for Scott Kennedy) – 6/10 – Helped stop the bleeding despite the U.S. taking their foot off the gas.
CM: Sam Adekugbe (61′ for Jonathan Osorio) – 6/10 – Put in a few good crosses that troubld the U.S. defense.
ST: Lucas Cavallini (76′ for Cyle Larin) – N/A.
RB: Junior Hoilett (89′ for Steven Eustaquio) – N/A.
Manager
John Herdman – 6/10 – Picked a strong starting XI but it wasn’t enough to overcome the U.S. His flurry of substitutions appeared to help but wasn’t enough to get back in the game.
USA player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Matt Turner – 7/10 – Had mostly a quiet game but made a few good saves to keep the U.S. in front.
LB: Antonee Robinson – 8/10 – Had his hands full with Laryea and Davies but had an outstanding defensive performance and was able to get up the field on a few occasions.
CB: Chris Richards – 8/10 – Held his own without Miles Robinson next to him and opened the scoring with a strong header.
CB: Walker Zimmerman – 7/10 – Had a few shaky moments giving the ball away in the first half, but was otherwise solid stepping in for Miles Robinson.
RB: Joe Scally – 8/10 – Was a perfect fit for the game as he stepped in for the suspended Sergino Dest, dealing with both Davies and Laryea like Robinson.
DM: Yunus Musah – 7/10 – Put in a shift in the middle of the park doing the necessary dirty work.
DM: Brenden Aaronson – 6/10 – Had a quiet yet solid game despite playing in a role he usually doesn’t feature in.
LW: Christian Pulisic – 7/10 – Didn’t see as much time on the ball like he did against Mexico, but still looked threatening when going forward.
AM: Gio Reyna – 9/10 – Flew past everyone in the midfield and was responsible for both goals. Playing just behind Balogun/as an attacking midfielder should be his position going forward. Was unlucky to be forced off at halftime due to injury.
RW: Tim Weah – 8/10 – Was influential once again on the wing, causing problems for the Canada defense and had a key header that led to the second goal. He was also excellent tracking back defensively.
ST: Folarin Balogun – 8/10 – His rather quiet first game was nowhere to be seen as he found the back of the net for the first time in a USA shirt.
Substitutes
DM: Luca de la Torre (45′ for Gio Reyna) – 6/10 – Made a few nice runs in the midfield and clea
DM: Johnny Cardoso (68′ for Brenden Aaronson) – 6/10 – Got stuck in with a few challenges to help ease the pressure off the defense.
ST: Ricardo Pepi (76′ for Folarin Balogun) – N/A.
CB: Auston Trusty (79′ for Joe Scally) – N/A.
Manager
B.J Callaghan – 10/10 – In his second game in charge as interim head coach (without McKennie & Dest), he picked another all-out attacking lineup and it worked to a tee. It will be interesting to see how he attacks the Gold Cup with key players unavailable.
