The US men’s national team had, if we’re being honest, the kind of World Cup we’ve come to expect in Qatar this winter.
Gregg Berhalter’s Yanks made it out of the group stage before losing to a superior program in the Round of 16, delivering a performance that was always energetic, sometimes naive, and at no point a real disservice to to the reputation of the USMNT.
But the devil is in the details, and the federation will have to analyze not whether the team could have done better this month, but whether they should have put in better performances.
[ MORE: Christian Pulisic reaction | Gregg Berhalter reaction ]
There were absolute successes, like how the team improved in each game following the group stage. And like its stars, Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams, they were mostly used to the best of their talents. Sergino Dest, Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream and Tim Weah had arguably the best USMNT stretches of their careers. This is all real.
But there were also pitfalls. A timid side were run over by an inferior Wales at times in the second half of the tournament’s opening 1-1 draw. Weston McKennie was uneven and missed multiple chances to give the USA the lead against England. And the rotation that Berhalter talked about so often during qualifying was almost non-existent, resulting in a team that looked overcooked and on the verge of burnout in the final moments of the tournament against the Netherlands.
What does it all mean for the program? That depends on the powers, but we’ll let you know how we feel about each player, by minutes played, in Qatar. And maybe, as an aside, we can stop worrying about “changing how the world sees American football” and just worry about the tangible results.
USA Player Ratings out of 10: How was the USMNT at the World Cup?
Sean Johnson: N/A (0 minutes)
Ethan Horvath: N/A (0 minutes)
Joe Scally: N/A (0 mins) – What could this team have done against the Netherlands by finding a bit more rest for Dest and Robinson? Berhalter clearly didn’t think they could get to the knockouts without them, and they were great. But they were also dead in the end and Scally’s play for the club said he could have gone well close to the sub table.
Aaron Long: N/A (0 mins) – Glad he got to a World Cup, and a bit surprised Berhalter didn’t stick him in the lineup instead of CCV vs Iran (the decision was good, but surprising).
Cristian Roldán: N/A (0 minutes)
Jordan Morris: N/A (14 minutes)
Shaq Moore: N/A (20 minutes)
DeAndre Yedlin: N/A (31 minutes)
Kelly Acosta: N/A (40 minutes)
Jesus Ferreira: N/A (45 mins) – It would be cruel to rate Ferreira on his 45 minutes against Holland as he was asked to lead the center forward line while making his World Cup debut in a game that would be his . first in front of a crowd since his FC Dallas season ended on October 24. Can Ferreira rise above or alongside Haji Wright, Josh Sargent, Jordan Pefok, Ricardo Pepi and a host of new faces to become two World Cup holders? Cup lists? His MLS career has given him the foundation for that.
Giovanni Reyna: N/A (57 mins) — The tournament had been crying out for a combination player like Reyna (or Aaronson) but Berhalter felt he was getting enough of Tim Weah and a rotating cast of centre-forwards plus Brenden Aaronson out from the bank It’s a shame we’ll have to wonder if he could have done anything with Wales pressing for an equalizer and looking unthreatening in the first leg, or starting Weah at centre-forward against the Dutch. If Gregg Berhalter will remain at the helm, and who knows if the coach is interested in that? — He has a huge task in winning back the faith of a player who should be important at Pulisic’s level in 2026 if he wasn’t already.
Cameron Carter-Vickers: 7 (90 mins) — The Celtic star did what was asked of him against Iran: hold and move the ball, and bully someone now and then. It will be interesting to see if a new manager values the big back more than Berhalter has, as CCV was one of Celtic’s player of the season candidates in his SPL career last term.
Brenden Aaronson: 6.5 (105 mins) – The Leeds man wasn’t too bad. You can see why Berhalter rates him as a super backup, but Aaronson also feels like a player who should be punching opponents from the opening whistle. He is a card conjurer. Could he be one of the two Aaronsons on the 2026 team?
Haji Wright: 6.5 (135 mins) — There have been good and bad moments for the Antalyaspor centre-forward, the best clearly being his goal to bring the Yankees closer to Holland. What does the future hold for the program for the 24-year-old Wright? You could see him starting four more years or dropping further back on the radar, but we celebrate a big, strong young man who went from the LA Galaxy academy to the New York Cosmos, through Schalke to four other European clubs to make a list of the World Cup. .
Haji Wright is coming home somehow. How!? #NED 2-1 #USA 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 at his best when he’s running like a maniac at Norwich City and helping wreak havoc with a Teemu Pukki guy or doing the heavy lifting for Milot Rashica . But Sargent proved himself to be the right man for the USMNT and is certainly maturing through the game for club and country. He looks likely to start against Holland if not for the ankle injury that has hampered him all week. Where will he (and Norwich) be when 2026 hits planet Earth?
Weston McKennie: 6 (275 mins): The enduring questions of the tournament for the ‘What if’ types will be how the last 16 match would have shaken out had Pulisic buried his chance in the 3rd minute, and how the tie 0 -0 with England could have ended had McKennie not failed to convert two chances, including an early one that was close to giver status. McKennie, at times, has been the heart and engine of the team. His passion seeps into the room and onto the pitch. But fitness and sharpness kept him from being above average and, perhaps, the Yanks from winning the group.
Walker Zimmerman: 7 (278 mins) — Yes, the penalty awarded to Gareth Bale was bad. But Zimmerman has been brilliant on the big stage in every stop of his career since leading Dallas’ backline with Matt Hedges. His 15 clearances, which he was there for, rank in the Top 20 in the tournament and his 13 completed long balls show just how far his passing has come since his early days in MLS.
Sergino Dest: 7 (309 mins) — Once again, let’s not let the recent bias of their very poor defense against their Dutch home country spoil us for a sensational group stage. Dest played his best two games in a US shirt against England and Iran, keeping the talented wings honest while keeping it on the back. He finished just ahead of Robinson and Musah for the team’s most successful dribbles with five.
Christian Pulisic: 8 (315 minutes) – Fouled an almost absurd 11 times in 315 minutes, Pennsylvanian Pulisic earned his moments in the sun and paid for them with a hospital visit to treat a pelvic contusion. Pulisic will regret having stopped a Dutch shot in the third minute, but he was involved in three of the Yankees’ goals, which – control notes – were all his goals. He led the team in scoring, assists and assists, finishing only behind Adams in duels won.
If I could change one thing, even if it’s just a 3-2 loss, it’s this guy scoring that first goal so we can properly celebrate his iron pelvis. #baller #USMNT pic.twitter.com/NwFRJ9h1fY
— Nicholas Mendola (@NicholasMendola) December 3, 2022
Timothy Weah: 7 (320 mins) – If Weah was playing at centre-forward, we might have to deal with him for failing to convert some difficult chances. But the Lille winger, often used as a sort of right-half by Paulo Fonseca, was explosive and his goal against Wales one of the best in USMNT recent memory. Weah was particularly neat in the passing game for a full-back, and his work on the right worked well with Dest to give left-backs plenty of headaches.
Yunus Musah: 7.5 (345 mins) – No gas at the end of the Netherlands tilt, yes. But did any player do more for their transfer value in this tournament than Musah? The Valencian will no doubt have impressed the clubs in his home nation of England as his progression with the ball was exceptional and he also made eight tackles. By the way, he left his teenage years in the middle of the tournament. We will be able to see him during three more World Cup cycles.
Antonee Robinson: 8 (359 mins) — It will be hard for readers watching this piece near the final whistle of the Netherlands defeat to see the ‘8’ and not think of Robinson completely missing the third Dutch goal, but it would be a shame on the perception of their tournament. “Jedi” was a relentless and critical part of the program’s success in Qatar and looks a lot like the program’s best left back since… Eddie Lewis and DaMarcus Beasley were battling for ownership of the fullback position? His seven interceptions show a savvy reader of the game who is now more than electricity and industry.
Matt Turner: 7 (360 mins) – I won’t lie – there were moments against Wales, especially with ball control, that made us question 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 shot-stopping ability, something we knew, was joined by a vast improvement in distribution since we saw him leave New England for Arsenal. I also love another college soccer player heading to the starting USMNT, don’t you?
Tim Ream: 8 (360 minutes) — He
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From November
Think about this. Fulham’s Ream combined with club and…