USMNT player ratings vs. Brazil: Matt Turner’s 11 saves and Christian Pulisic’s free-kick goal steal the show

For the first time in the program’s history, the United States men’s team tied Brazil. Gregg Berhalter challenged his team after their lopsided 5-1 defeat to Colombia over the weekend and the players responded in style with a 1-1 draw against Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and co. Outside of Rodrygo’s debut for Brazil, it was Christian Pulisic’s equalizer from a first-half free kick and Matt Turner’s 11 saves that stole the spotlight at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium.

Now it’s time for the USMNT to regroup and prepare for the opening match of the Copa América against Bolivia on June 21st. But before we look to the future, let’s reflect on the team’s performance:

Goalkeeper: Matt Turner

Distribution aside, Matt Turner was excellent. He made an impressive 11 saves – the most by any American goalkeeper since Tim Howard’s 15 against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup – and it seemed like each stop was as impressive as the next. Perhaps Turner needed a game to shake off the rust of not playing regularly Nottingham Forest. More of that and the USMNT could have a real shot at the Copa America. He takes home my man of the match honors.

Rating: 8

Right back: Joe Scally

Joe Scally may have needed help defensively at times, but who wouldn’t when his defensive task is Vinícius Junior. Combined with Tim Weah and Reyna, Scally was able to keep Vini and the action in front of him by winning all three tackles. This is his return to the Copa América and he will enter the tournament with confidence.

Rating: 7

Central defense: Chris Richards

There was a strange moment where he received a yellow card but it was rescinded during a check to see if it was red, but Richards was pretty solid. There were many moments when Brazil shot on goal, but that was more due to not having a shield like Tyler Adams in front of the defense than due to the play of Richards and Tim Ream, who were where they needed to be most of the time.

Rating: 6

Central defense: Tim Ream

Calm in their decision-making without Ream’s passing ability, there are some situations that the USMNT cannot escape from as they were adamant about playing defense. If it had been an official match, Brazil could have attacked the defenders harder, but they did what they needed to do.

Rating: 6

Left back: Antonee Robinson

After one of his most exciting matches in the USMNT shirt against Colombia, Antonee Robinson responded well against Brazil. He advanced when he needed to involve the attack, creating the most joint chances in the team alongside Weston McKennie with three. But even in doing so, Robinson did not neglect his defensive responsibilities, maintaining Raphinha well contained during the game.

Rating: 7

Midfielder: Yunus Musah

Hitting the post with a shot in the first half, Yunus Musah was unlucky not to score. While he is still raw in many areas of his game, he may be the most unpredictable member of the USMNT midfield after Reyna. Able to dribble into tight angles and recover the ball, Musah managed to keep Brazil alert and deserved the goal.

Rating: 6

Midfielder: Gio Reyna

It wasn’t a vintage Gio Reyna game, but in some ways that’s a good thing. As he didn’t play much during the World Cup in Qatar, he has been working to improve his defensive work rate since his time off at the Qatar World Cup, and it showed. He made one tackle and four ball recoveries as he was a constant pest in midfield. Of course, against top teams, Reyna needs to be on the field. And if Tyler Adams is not 100% fit for the Copa América, then Reyna will be one of the first names in the team’s lineup.

Rating: 6

Midfielder: Weston McKennie

McKennie did a little bit of everything while appearing on offense and defense. Although it looks like he could have done more with the ball at his feet, he was still facing Brazil – a tough draw for any player. McKennie is at his best when he is on the ball most, but he made the most of the opportunities he had.

Rating: 6

Striker: Tim Weah

Torn between focusing on defense and getting involved in attack, Weah did a good job of showing what he learned playing as a wing-back. He even managed to test Alisson with two shots on goal. You’ll want Weah to be unleashed in attack once the tournament starts.

Rating: 5

Striker: Ricardo Pepi

Debuting in 2024, Pepi had the thankless task of pressuring Brazil into making mistakes playing in defense. Although he didn’t record a gunshot, that doesn’t mean it didn’t make an impact. Berhalter will have difficult decisions about what to do against Uruguay as a striker during the group stage. Balogun should still be the preferred option in games where the Americans are favored.

Rating: 5

Advance: Christian Pulisic

He won a free kick and buried it after some trickery by the USMNT to deceive Alisson in the net. Inventive finishing and strong work from the team captain, Pulisic could have had two goals and an assist had he been a weaker opponent. While there was room for improvement, this was an example of Pulisic in a bounce-back match.

Rating: 7

Substitute: Folarin Balogun

Coming off the bench, Balogun took a shot but didn’t see many touches as Brazil searched for the winning goal.

Rating: 5

Substitute: Tyler Adams

After dealing with a season-ending back injury, it’s good to see Tyler Adams back and on the field. Set in a small role, I hope he can develop that in the Copa América.

Rating: 5

Substitute: Brenden Aaronson

He almost had the victory in the match, but was denied by Alisson from close range. Exactly the kind of performance you want coming off the bench.

Substitute: Johnny Cardoso

He came in to slow down the game and was also on the ball frequently. He really didn’t put a foot wrong in a key appearance off the bench.

Rating: 6

Substitute: Shaq Moore

He committed some fouls to unbalance Brazil and also spelled Scally.

Rating: N/A

Coach: Gregg Berhalter

Berhalter got the necessary reaction from his players after the 5-1 defeat. They pressed and seemed much more motivated. This had shades of the World Cup draw against England where the USMNT soaked up the pressure and got a point against all odds. This is not a team that cannot face Brazil without a little luck. Accepting this and doing what I could to hold Brazil back was positive.

Rating: 7