The US men's national team played to a lackluster 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday at Estadio Nueva Condomina in Murcia, Spain, closing their 2022 World Cup preparation with more questions than answers.
Here’s how the squad performed with a Group B opener vs. Wales now awaiting on Nov. 21.
The former New England Revolution goalkeeper turned over possession really sloppily early in the second half, but otherwise was solid. Turner wasn't called into action often, but was reliable when he needed to be.
Playing inverted on the left, Dest looked bright early on. He combined well with McKennie and Pulisic at the start of the match, but like both of them, his impact faded after the break.
Long was typically solid in the air, winning several headers, although he was never really challenged by Saudi Arabia's attack. The New York Red Bulls center back did have one poor giveaway in the first half, but it was a fairly innocuous outing.
Zimmerman was composed defensively, and a lot of the best USMNT moves came from him being more ambitious with his passing. The Nashville SC stalwart was able to threaten Saudi Arabia with direct passing, and his improvement was one of the few encouraging signs.
The Inter Miami CF right back got up and down well in his 59-minute shift. He was always an outlet in possession, but struggled to find the right final ball. Yedlin took two rough challenges before coming off.
Acosta cleaned up a couple of messes in defense and was in the right place to win back possession more often than not, but wasn't able to break the game open with his passing.
Tyler Adams did what Tyler Adams does. He covered ground, recycled possession, and was a vocal leader. He really struggled to break down Saudi Arabia's low block, instead opting to circulate the ball wide, when often a more ambitious pass would have been rewarded.
McKennie played in front of Adams and Acosta in a somewhat free role. The Juventus man was lively in the first half, popping up all over the field and combining well on the left side, but his influence waned after the break. He got on the ball a lot, which is encouraging. He just didn't do enough with it.
The Chelsea winger had a strong first half and faded quickly after the break. Early on, Pulisic combined well with McKennie and Dest on the left side and advanced the ball effectively on the dribble, but his second half was mostly anonymous.
Pepi touched the ball just 13 times in his 59 minutes, the lowest of any US player. Certainly the rest of the team didn't give him enough to work with in the final third, but he never really found the game. The Groningen No. 9 didn't really answer any of the questions he needed to on the field.
Reyna was taken off after 30 minutes as a precaution after he experienced muscle tightness. In his limited time, he did well to create space for himself on the dribble and picked out a couple of teasing balls over the top. He couldn't quite find the final product, but showed how important it is for this US side to have a healthy Gio Reyna on the pitch.
Berhalter's side once again looked devoid of energy and ideas. After the listless showing against Japan, the USMNT needed an emphatic rebound. They didn't get it. The lack of consistent chance creation was especially worrying. Berhalter badly needed to find clear answers at several positions in this camp, and it doesn't look like he did.
Substitutes
Ferreira brought more energy into the game, and was a more consistent threat to get in behind. He connected well with his teammates in possession, but didn't offer enough as a goal threat.
Scally replaced Yedlin with just over 30 minutes to play, and made an immediate impact. The Borussia Mönchengladbach defender consistently made well-timed runs down the right, although his teammates missed him on multiple occasions. His crossing was an improvement, though, and he made a strong case to be involved come November.
The Philadelphia Union product couldn't quite build on his performance against Japan. McKenzie had a couple of poor giveaways, putting the USMNT in a bad spot.
The Leeds United midfielder came on for McKennie in the 76th minute, but hardly got involved.
Like Aaronson, Tillman was a late substitute but never found the game.
