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For the first time in the history of the program, the United States men’s national team held Brazil to a draw. Gregg Berhalter challenged his side following the lopsided 5-1 loss to Colombia over the weekend and the players responded in a big way with a 1-1 draw against Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior and company. Outside of Rodrygo’s opener for Brazil, it was Christian Pulisic’s free-kick equalizer in the first half and Matt Turner’s 11 saves that stole the spotlight at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
Now it’s time for the USMNT to regroup and prepare for their opening Copa America match against Bolivia on June 21. But before we look ahead, let’s reflect on how the team performed:
Goalkeeper: Matt Turner
Distribution aside, Matt Turner was excellent. He made a whopping 11 saves — the most by any American goalkeeper since Tim Howard’s 15 against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup — and it felt like each stop was as stunning as the next. Perhaps Turner needed a match to shake off rust from not playing regularly at Nottingham Forest. More of that and the USMNT may have a real chance at Copa America. He takes home my player of the match honors.
Rating: 8
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Right back: Joe Scally
Joe Scally may have needed help on defense at times, but who wouldn’t when your defensive assignment is Vinicius Junior. Combined with Tim Weah and Reyna, Scally was able to keep Vini and the action in front of him by winning all three of his tackles. That’s your Copa America starting right back and he’s going to come into the tournament with confidence.
Rating: 7
Center back: Chris Richards
Had a weird moment where he received a yellow card but it was rescinded during a…
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