The US men’s national team, if we’re being honest, had the kind of World Cup we were expecting in Qatar this winter.
Leaving the group stage before losing to a superior program in the Round of 16, Gregg Berhalter’s Yanks delivered a performance that was always energetic, sometimes naïve and at no point really tarnished the USMNT’s reputation.
But the devil is in the details and the FA need not analyze whether the side could have done better this month, but whether they should have performed better.
[ MORE: Christian Pulisic reaction | Gregg Berhalter reaction ]
There were absolute wins, like how the team got better in every game in the group stage. And how its stars – Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams – were mostly used to their best advantage for their talents. Sergino Dest, Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream and Tim Weah all had arguably the best USMNT stretches of their careers. This is all real
But there were also pitfalls. A timid side were at times dominated by defeated Wales in the second half of a 1-1 draw earlier in the tournament. Weston McKennie was unequal and missed several chances to put USA ahead against England. And the rotation that Berhalter talked about so often in qualifying was almost non-existent, leaving a team looking at times cooked and borderline burned out by the end of the tournament against the Netherlands.
What does all this mean for the program? That’s up to those in power, but we’ll let you know how we think each player fared in Qatar in terms of minutes played. And maybe, aside, we can stop worrying about “how the world sees American football” and just worry about tangible results.
US Player Ratings out of 10: How did USMNT fare at the World Cup?
Sean Johnson: Not applicable (0 minutes)
Ethan Horvath: N/A (0 minutes)
Joe Scally: N/A (0 mins) — What could this team have done against the Netherlands if they had found a little more peace for Dest and Robinson? Berhalter obviously didn’t think they would make it to the knockout rounds without them and they were great. But in the end they were dead too and Scally’s Play for Club said he could have easily sneaked into the sub’s table.
Aaron Long: Not applicable (0 mins) – I’m glad he came to a World Cup and a bit surprised that Berhalter didn’t put him in the line-up instead of CCV vs Iran (The decision was good, just surprising).
Cristian Roldan: Not applicable (0 minutes)
Jordan Morris: N/A (14 minutes)
Shaq Moore: Not applicable (20 minutes)
DeAndre Yedlin: N / A (31 minutes)
Kellyn Acosta: N/A (40 minutes)
Jesus Ferreira: N/A (45th minute) – It would be cruel to grade Ferreira in his 45 minutes against the Netherlands as he was asked to lead the line as a centre-forward whilst making his World Cup debut in what would be his first in front of a crowd since his season with FC Dallas ended on October 24th. Will Ferreira be able to rise above or join Haji Wright, Josh Sargent, Jordan Pefok, Ricardo Pepi and a host of new faces to make it into two World Cup rosters? His career in MLS gave him the basis for this.
Giovanni Reyna: Not applicable (57th minute) – The tournament cried out for a combination player like Reyna (or Aaronson) but Berhalter felt he had had enough of Tim Weah and a rotating cast of centre-forwards plus Brenden Aaronson off the bench. It’s a shame we have to wonder if there was anything he could have done with Wales pushing for an equalizer and looking unthreatening in the first set, or with Weah starting as a center forward against the Dutch. Will Gregg Berhalter remain in office – and who knows if the coach is even interested in it? – He has a big task to regain the confidence of a player who should be important at Pulisic level in 2026 if he wasn’t already.
Cameron Carter-Vickers: 7th (90th minute) – The Celtic star did what he was supposed to do against Iran: hold and move the ball and occasionally bully someone. It will be interesting to see if a new coach values the full-back more than Berhalter, given that CCV was one of Celtic’s contenders for player of the season in their SPL run last season.
Brenden Aaronson: 6.5 (105 mins) – The Leeds man wasn’t bad at all. You can see why Berhalter rates him as a super sub, but Aaronson also feels like a player who should piss off his opponents from the start. He’s a card wizard. Could he be one of two Aaronsons on the 2026 team?
Hajji Wright: 6.5 (135th minute) – There were good and bad moments for the Antalyaspor centre-forward, the best of which was clearly his goal to bring the Americans to 1 against the Netherlands. What does the future hold for 24-year-old Wright with the program? You could see him start another four years or fall further back on the radar, but let’s celebrate a big strong young man who went from LA Galaxy Academy to New York Cosmos to Schalke to four other European clubs for a World Cup to create squads.
Haji Wright kinda snaps home. As!? #NED 2-1 #UNITED STATES OF AMERICA pic.twitter.com/uCWZpdr60D
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) December 3, 2022
Josh Sargent: 6.5 (163 mins) – The argument is there if you want it: Sargent is better when he’s running around Norwich City like a madman, either helping to wreak havoc with a Teemu Pukki-type guy or doing the grunt work for Milot Rashica. But Sargent has proven to be an adequate hold-up man for the USMNT and he is certainly maturing through the game for club and country. It seems likely he would start against the Netherlands were it not for the ankle injury that has hampered him all week. Where will he (and Norwich) be when 2026 arrives on planet Earth?
Weston McKennie: 6 (275 mins) – The constant tournament questions for ‘what if’ types will be how the round of 16 match would have played out if Pulisic had buried his chance in the 3rd minute and how the 0-0 draw with England ended , when McKennie hadn’t failed to capitalize on two chances, including an early one that was close to gimme status. McKennie was at times the heart and engine of the team. His passion seeps into the room and onto the pitch. But fitness and acumen kept him from being above average and – perhaps – keeping the Yanks from winning the group.
Walker Zimmerman: 7 (278th minute) — Yes, the penalty conceded against Gareth Bale was weak. But Zimmerman has shone on big stages at every stop in his career since managing the Dallas backline with Matt Hedges. His 15 clearances – which he was there for – ranks in the tournament’s top 20 and his 13 long ball completions show how far his passing has come since his early days in MLS.
Sergino goal: 7th (309th minute) – Let’s not allow the topicality of his very weak defense against the Dutch to gloss over a sensational group stage. Dest had his two best games in a US shirt against England and Iran, honestly keeping talented wings while staying behind. He finished just ahead of Robinson and Musah with the team’s most successful dribbles of five.
Christian Pulisic: 8 (315 minutes) – Pennsylvania’s Pulisic was fouled 11 times in 315 minutes, earning his moments in the sun and paying for them with a hospital visit to treat a bruised pelvis. Pulisic will complain that the Dutch saved a shot in the third minute, but he was involved in three of the Yanks’ goals, which – according to the notes – were all their goals. Led the team in goal contributions, assists and key passes, finishing only behind Adams in victories.
If I could change one thing, even if it just resulted in a 2-3 loss, this guy scores that opener so we can celebrate his iron cymbal properly. #baller #USMNT pic.twitter.com/NwFRJ9h1fY
— Nicholas Mendola (@NicholasMendola) December 3, 2022
Timothy Weah: 7 (320 mins) – If Weah were playing as a centre-forward we might have to arrest him for failing to convert some difficult chances. But the Lille full-back – often used as a sort of right center by Paulo Fonseca – was explosive and his goal against Wales was one of the finest in recent USMNT memory. Weah was particularly decent in passing for a winger, and his work down the right worked so well with Dest that he was a huge headache for left-backs.
Yunus Musah: 7.5 (345 minutes) – No more petrol until the end of the Dutch slope, yes. But has any player done more for his transfer value than Musah in this tournament? The Valencia man is sure to have impressed clubs in his native England as his ball development was exceptional and he also scored in eight tackles. Incidentally, he left his teenage years behind in the middle of the tournament. Maybe we’ll see him for another three Worlds cycles.
Antonee Robinson: 8 (359 mins) – It will be difficult for readers to watch this article just before the final whistle of the Netherlands defeat to see the ‘8’ and not think of Robinson completely losing his way on the third Dutch goal , but it would be a shame to shade the perception of his tournament. ‘Jedi’ has been an unrelenting and crucial part of the program’s success in Qatar and is looking very much like the program’s best left-back since… Eddie Lewis and DaMarcus Beasley competed for the full-back position? His seven interceptions show a wise reader of the game who is more than electricity and industry today.
Matt Turner: 7 (360 mins) – I won’t lie: there were moments against Wales – mostly in ball control – that made us doubt the decision to leave Zack Steffen at home (nothing against Ethan Horvath or Sean Johnson). But that was a thing of the past as Turner’s shotstopping ability we knew about was accompanied by a huge improvement in distribution since we saw him leave New England for Arsenal. Also love another college football player working his way up to USMNT starter don’t you?
Tim Riem: 8 (360 minutes) — He
was
Not
walk
to
walk
to
the
competition
until
November.
Think about it. Fulham’s Ream have joined forces with club and country Robinson to make the left flank a very strong side right into the closing stages against Holland. His 274 passes led the team, his 16 long balls trailed only Adams and Turner, and his 11 clearances were just four short of Zimmerman’s team-best overall. The US has a long history of fun ways to join the team and Ream’s career path, long and short term, is almost as good a story as Steve Cherundolo and Jay DeMerit.
Tyler Adams: 8 – 360 mins – Arguably made one significant error throughout the tournament and helped Memphis Depay score Netherlands’ first goal, but don’t let the timeliness of your judgment of the captain and the player who is most likely to captain the cloud cloud you Team on home soil is 2026. The Leeds United man led the team with 11 tackles and handled controversy off the field like a 35-year veteran. Health will be wealth for the boy prodigy raised in MLS.
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