The US men's national team rolled past Oman, 4-0, Tuesday evening at Minnesota United FC's Allianz Field.
The performance was much more convincing than their 3-0 win over Uzbekistan on Saturday at St. Louis CITY SC's CITYPARK, leaving positive vibes before tests against Germany and Ghana arrive next month.
Led by a tempo-setting performance from Weston McKennie, here's how the USMNT fared in their comprehensive win to close out the September window.
Horvath got a start and a clean sheet, facing just a single shot on target and dealing with it comfortably. The Nottingham Forest back-up had a couple of impressive moments with the ball at his feet.
Making his first international start, the Palermo left back was both solid and involved. Lund led the US with 83 touches, overlapping tirelessly down the flank, timing his movement well and delivering effective service into the box. It's still incredibly early in his international career, but it was an encouraging performance in a constant position of need.
It wasn't a particularly difficult defensive test for Richards (or any member of the US backline), but he was generally sharp in possession and stepped up when called upon.
Like Richards, Robinson was never on his heels defensively, but he did a good job corralling whatever threads Oman did offer. He was strong in the air, dangerous on set pieces and his speed in the open field gives the US more freedom to commit numbers forward.
Rarely tested defensively, Dest was free to get forward – and get forward he did. The PSV Eindhoven fullback put several enticing balls into the box and nearly scored himself a handful of times. He had a hand in the opening goal, getting on the end of a cutback from Timothy Weah before his shot was spilled for Folarin Balogun to rebound home.
It was a bit of an uncertain start for the 21-year-old, but he grew into the game as it went on. By the second half, Tillman found the ball in the final third more consistently and managed to ask questions of the Oman defense with his passing.
It's hard to believe Musah is only 20 years old. He consistently dictated the game, this time from a slightly deeper-lying role in midfield. As the second half wore on, he drove the ball forward more consistently, playing "the pass before the pass" in many of the USMNT's best attacking moments.
McKennie hardly put a foot wrong. In fact, he had one of his best showings in a USMNT shirt. Every touch was crisp, he read the game well, and he opened up all kinds of space in the final third with his passing – not to mention a highlight reel of pinged diagonals. It was a fantastic showing for the Juventus midfielder, one he can hopefully translate to his club.
Pulisic maybe tried to do too much on the ball once or twice, but overall he was much sharper than he was against Uzbekistan on Saturday. The AC Milan winger played some intriguing passes into the box, including one Weah put into the goal before being waved off for a handball. It wasn't a perfect 45-minute shift, but it was certainly closer to his expected level.
The Monaco striker got his second goal for the US in his fourth appearance, reacting quickly to pounce on a loose ball in front of goal. Otherwise, Balogun was tidy on the ball, physically strong and constantly asked for the ball around the box. A good showing before coming off at halftime.
Weah has turned into the most consistent member of this attack. He stretched the field with his pace all night, offering a direct option as well as mixing in some shorter runs underneath. The Juventus winger was dangerous around the box and came close to goal on multiple occasions.
It was a much better performance overall from Berhalter's side. They were less ponderous in possession, and when they did slow the game down, it seemed an intentional tactic designed to set up a quick burst and switch of play. His use of Weston McKennie in particular was intriguing, and he kept the foot on the gas throughout the second half.
Substitutes
The PSV man continued to make an impact off the bench. Replacing Balogun at the break, he scored his sixth goal in as many caps, snapping a shot from the edge of the box through a defender's legs and into the far corner.
The halftime substitute expectedly covered every blade of grass after entering the match, providing his typical burst of energy, as well as a (somewhat fortunate) free-kick goal that snuck through the wall and past a helpless Ibrahim Al-Mukhaini.
The 18-year-old Inter Miami breakout star made his senior international debut, and showed flashes of the potential he's consistently displayed in South Florida. As the match opened up, Cremaschi found the ball in space around Oman's penalty area and was both tidy and ambitious with his passing.
There was hardly any defensive work for McKenzie to do in his 19-minute shift, but the Genk center back helped close out the clean sheet after replacing Richards.
A late addition to the camp, the New England Revolution fullback replaced Dest for the final 14 minutes. Jones made an immediate impact, driving in a low cross for Pepi to power home.
The D.C. United product made his senior international debut and got involved quickly. Paredes' first involvement was a low cross into the box, forcing an own goal to make it 4-0 for the USMNT.
