Player Ratings: Musah, Pulisic ineffective as USMNT crashes out of Copa

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The United States was eliminated from the Copa América after a 1-0 loss to Uruguay at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Monday.

After Panama’s 3-1 win over Bolivia in the other group game, the United States needed a win to advance, but Mathías Olivera’s 66th-minute goal from a set piece that was upheld despite being ruled very close to offside proved the difference. The United States generated just eight shot attempts worth 0.41 xG, with goalkeeper Sergio Rochet stopping all four that were on target.

The game was physical from the start and, despite only needing a draw to qualify, Uruguay fielded their usual starting XI and were more than happy to take part in a physical match. The first half saw 14 fouls and two injury substitutions (Uruguay’s Maximiliano Araújo in the 27th minute and American Folarin Balogun in the 41st) before the game opened up a bit in the second half.

In a short period of time, the United States went from a semifinal spot against Bolivia (they had to match or surpass Panama’s result) to a semifinal spot thanks to Olivera’s goal. Panama quickly ended their game and that was that.

Manager rating (scale of 1 to 10; 10 = best)

Gregg Berhalter, 5 — Berhalter, whose hands were tied by Timothy Weah’s red card, opted to move Giovanni Reyna from the centre of the pitch to the left wing and play Yunus Musah in midfield. Neither Reyna nor Musah were brilliant and, after bringing on Ricardo Pepi for the injured Balogun, Berhalter waited until the 72nd minute to make another change. It was always difficult to find answers in this game, but he still failed to find one.

Player Ratings (1-10; players introduced after 70 minutes receive no rating)

Goalkeeper Matt Turner, 6 — After suffering a leg injury against Panama, Turner’s fitness was a major talking point ahead of the game. While his distribution was an issue at times, he was perfectly good in terms of stopping shots and wasn’t really at fault for Uruguay’s goal.

DF Antonee Robinson, 6 — After some dangerous early runs, Robinson struggled to get involved in attack and suffered some frustrating turnovers. Often effective at winning the ball back for Fulham and the USMNT, he only won three balls back on Monday.

DF Chris Richards, 6 — Richards has suffered some distribution issues in recent games but has been generally satisfactory in that regard, and his 11 defensive interventions were tied for the most on the team.

DF Tim Ream, 7 — Sure and steady in the first half, he put out a few potential fires when the game opened up in the second and easily led the team with 21 combined progressive passes and runs.

DF Joe Scally, 6 years old — The United States played heavily on the attack down the right side, and Scally was the team’s most-touched player in the first 45 minutes. However, he was the victim of a serious foul late in the first half and his contribution was limited after the break.

Master Tyler Adams, 7 years old — Despite playing just 45 minutes in each of the United States’ first two games, and despite picking up an early yellow card, Adams played the full 90 minutes, tied for the team lead with 11 defensive interventions and helped spark some promising vertical attacks in the first half.

MF Yunus Musah, 5 — In his first start of the tournament, Musah barely touched the ball and was replaced by a striker in the 72nd minute.

MF Weston McKennie, 6 years old — The United States had a strong presence in midfield early in the game, recovering a number of loose balls and forcing turnovers. McKennie played a role in that area, but he struggled to play a role later in the game and finished with just 69% pass completion (18 of 26) and eight combined progressive passes and carries.

FW Giovanni Reyna, 5 — The 21-year-old had a very mixed performance. Playing in a new position due to Weah’s suspension, Reyna struggled to get into the game in the first half, with the United States building heavily down the right. His attacking contributions improved in the second half, and he created two chances, but he was also responsible for a sloppy and unnecessary foul that led to the decisive free-kick.

FW Christian Pulisic, 6 — Pulisic was the main architect of the attacking play and made many intelligent runs. His touch, however, let him down. He completed only 15 of his 25 passes and none of his three attempted shots (combined xG: 0.14) were very dangerous.

FW Folarin Balogun, 6 — He was playing a very good game in all areas, making good runs and pressing well, until the violent collision with Rochet in the 28th minute, which eventually led to his substitution.

Replacements

Forward Ricardo Pepi (49 minutes), 6 — A substitute in the first two games, Pepi attempted seven shots in 43 minutes. On Monday night, he attempted none in 49 minutes, but he completed 15 of 16 passes and created two chances.

FW Josh Sargent (18 minutes), NR — He completed just two of four passes with one shot attempt and one foul called.

FW Haji Wright (11 minutes), NR — He didn’t have many chances to make a difference, but he made one of his team’s eight shot attempts.

FW Malik Tillman (1 minute + stoppage time), NR — He stayed on the field just long enough to complete two passes.