LOS ANGELES STADIUM â I knew this USA team could cook, but it threw some special sauce in on Friday night.
The USA gave us a little bit of everything â and then some â in the first half of its win over Paraguay. Mauricio Pochettinos team was dominant from the opening whistle to the final one. It was a masterclass.
Nobody left the stadium early. The fans wanted to give this USA team the love it deserved, and they were rewarded for sticking around in the form of a brilliant Gio Reyna goal to make the scoreline 4-1.
I want to note that these ratings come as a prisoner of the moment. It was an incredible night in Los Angeles as the United States dominated. Here we go.
Freese got the start over Matt Turner, but he wasnt called upon too much Friday. Im being generous, though. He didnt have a starring role, and I dont think he could do too much on the goal. From that positioning with Mauricio through on goal, I dont think there was anything he could do.
As I said, Im feeling very generous today after that performance, so its an 8 for Freese.
I thought Antonee Robinson was more involved in the attack tonight, while Alex Freeman was a bit more disciplined defensively on the right side and Sergiño Dest played further up the wing.
I praised Freeman during the two friendlies against Senegal and Germany in the buildup to the tournament, and he looked like he belonged tonight. A very encouraging start to the tournament from both.
Robinson scored a banger of a volley against Germany last week and continued to look like a threat down the left wing. Hell be a key part of the U.S. attack on that side of the field.
I thought Richards leadership was felt early on in this game, especially in the first half. The game started with a half-chance for Paraguay inside the box, but Chris helped calm things down after that alongside his 38-year-old partner.
In the second half, they both made mistakes on the goal. Richards gambled maybe a bit too much and didnt make contact with the ball on his first attempt, and then Ream kind of dangled out a leg and didnt make any contact with a Paraguayan player with it.
I also want to note that the passing out of the back was good. Ream had a few good balls forward to find Malik Tillman and Weston McKennie in midfield, which is what hes expected to do with that left foot.
I thought Tyler was excellent, and I thought Wes was excellent as well â for different reasons.
Tyler picked up a silly yellow card, but he covered ground and moved all over the pitch to complement Tillman and McKennie. He remained more disciplined while allowing Tillman and McKennie to have the freedom to move further up the pitch.
I thought Westons energy was incredible. The way he was consistently an option in the final third was encouraging, and that was clear on the first U.S. goal. He picked the ball up in midfield and had multiple Paraguayan players around him, but he was able to get the ball out to Christian on the left.
The best part, though, is that Wes continued his run after playing the pass and got the USA touch before Damian Bobadilla put the ball into his own net.
It was also an encouraging performance from Tillman, who looked like he had a great understanding with Adams.
A lot of pressure and responsibility on his shoulders. He came back into form just before this tournament in terms of finding the stat sheet with goals and assists.
Hopefully, <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/christian-pulisic-good-
