Three Takeaways from the USMNT vs. Ghana friendly in Nashville

By Sean Maslin
SoccerWire Staff Writer

The U.S. Men’s National Team found their attacking spark on Tuesday night at GEODIS Park in Nashville, scoring four fist half goals to pull past Ghana 4-0.

Giovanni Reyna netted a brace (10′ and 39′), while solo goals were scored by Christian Pulisic (19′) and Folarin Balogun (22′). The win comes on the heels of the USMNT’s 4-1 defeat at the hands of Germany.

Here are three quick takeaways from the Ghana match.

The Starting Spots Up Top Seem To Be Set

With Reyna back from injury, USMNT Head Coach Gregg Berhalter seems to have his formation set up top, with Balogun playing up top and Pulisic, Reyna, and Timothy Weah playing in the midfield. The four worked seamlessly together to create a number of attacking chances in the first half, including Weah setting up Balogun, and Pulisic doing the same for Reyna’s first.

Having Reyna back as a center attacking midfielder allows for Pulisic to go out wide and make cutting diagonal runs at goal. That in turn leaves both Reyna and Balogun space inside to exploit which will hopefully lead to more goals in the future.

Although there is still a debate as to who will serve as Balogun’s backup, the starting forward spot has at this point been won by the AS Monaco targetman. If Reyna can remain healthy, it would seem that his spot in the starting eleven is locked up as well.

The Search For Tyler Adams’ Replacement Continues

Against Germany, the USMNT struggled to build attacking chances from the midfield. Without Adams (hamstring) setting up plays in the midfield there were few linking possessions that went from the defense to the attack. Adams’ ability to speed up play when a goal is needed and slow it down to help the defense organize was sorely missed.

For Ghana, Berhalter opted to use a 4-5-1 with Yunus Musah and Johnny Cardoso operating in the defensive midfield.  While Musah had a strong match, Cardoso’s performance was a bit more uneven with the Internacional midfielder struggling to connect with Weah and Sergino Dest down the right side. Although he did make several strong track backs to fend off counter-attacks, his performance left a lot to be desired. That Ghana did not make much of an effort on the attack also doesn’t necessarily knock him out of the running.

Replacing Adams has to be a priority for Berhalter as the USMNT get prepared for the CONCACAF Nations League Quarterfinals.

The USMNT Are Still Growing

In the Ghana match, the average age of the USMNT’s starting eleven was just 23 years old which just shows how young this team still is and how much more they still have to grow. In other national team programs, players like Balogun (22), Weah (23),  Musah (20) and Reyna (20) would be paired alongside seasoned veterans. Especially in the midfield and in the attack, the USMNT quite simply do not have those types of players in their system.  Those responsibilities then fall on Pulisic (25) and McKennie (25), two players who perhaps may show the greatest bit of growth over the next four years.

So, which team is this USMNT roster? Is it the one that struggled against Germany or blew past Ghana?

The answer is: we don’t know. It’s a group of players that is still growing, still learning, and will likely make their fair share of mistakes to go alongside a few blowouts. The real question is: are they learning from both experiences?

Friendlies can never replace the feeling of playing in a World Cup match or even a CONCACAF Nations League Quarterfinal. But they can provide valuable experiences, both positive and negative, for players and help in their growth process as a team. If the USMNT can take both results and build off of them, then they will continue along the path that was set up during the previous World Cup cycle, and hopefully lead to stronger results during this cycle.