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

For the first time in program history, the United States men’s national team tied Brazil. Gregg Berhalter challenged his team after the lopsided 5-1 defeat 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 opening game for Brazil, it was Christian Pulisic’s first-half free-kick equalizer 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 think about how the team performed:

Goalkeeper: Matt Turner

Distribution aside, Matt Turner was excellent. He made eleven saves – the most of any American goalkeeper since Tim Howard’s fifteen Belgium at the 2014 World Cup – and it felt like every stop was as breathtaking as the next. Maybe Turner needed a match to shake off the rust from not playing regularly Nottingham forest. More of that and the USMNT might have a real shot at the 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 you have defensive assignment Vinicius Junior. In combination 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 straight away and he will go into the tournament with confidence.

Rating: 7

Center defender: Chris Richards

Had a weird moment where he received a yellow card but it was revoked during a check to see if it was red, but Richards was largely solid. There were too many moments where Brazil shot on goal, but that had more to do with the lack of a shield Tyler Adams for the defense then it was down to the performances of Richards and Tim Ream, who were where they needed to be most of the time.

Rating: 6

Center defender: Tim Ream

Calm in his decision making without Ream’s passing ability. There are quite a few situations that the USMNT can’t get out of because they were adamant about playing from the back. If this had been a competitive match, Brazil might have gone harder on the centre-backs, but they did what they had to do.

Rating: 6

Left behind: Antonee Robinson

After one of his shakiest games in a USMNT shirt against Colombia, Antonee Robinson responded well against Brazil. He stepped forward when called upon to attack to create most of the team’s chances with three along with Weston McKennie. But even as he did so, Robinson did not neglect his defensive responsibilities Rafinha clearly visible during the game.

Rating: 7

Midfielder: Yunus Musah

Yunus Musah rattled the crossbar with a goal in the first half and was unlucky not to score. While he is still raw in many areas of his game, he is perhaps the most unpredictable member of the USMNT midfield after Reyna. Musah was able to dribble from tight angles and win the ball back, keeping Brazil on their toes and deserving a goal.

Rating: 6

Midfielder: Gio Reyna

It wasn’t a vintage Gio Reyna game, but in some ways that’s a good thing. Because there wasn’t much to see during the World Cup QatarSince his time off at the World Cup in Qatar, he has worked on improving his defensive work rate, and it has shown. He made a tackle and recovered with four balls as he was a constant pest in midfield. It is clear that Reyna has to be on the field against top teams. And if Tyler Adams isn’t fully 100% present for the Copa America, Reyna will be one of the first names on the team list.

Rating: 6

Midfielder: Weston McKennie

McKennie did a little bit of everything as he showed up on offense and defense. While it feels like he could have done more with the ball at his feet, he still faced Brazil – a tough task for any player. McKennie is at his best when he has more of the ball, but he made as much as he could with the chances he had.

Rating: 6

Forward: Tim Weah

Weah was divided between concentrating on defense and being involved in attack. Weah has done a good job of showing what he has learned playing as a wing-back. He was still able to test Alisson with two shots on target. You want Weah to be unleashed in attack once the tournament starts.

Rating: 5

Forward: Ricardo Pepi

In his first start in 2024, Pepi had the thankless task of pushing Brazil into making mistakes by playing from the back. Even though he didn’t register a shot, that doesn’t mean he didn’t make an impact. Berhalter will have to make tough decisions about what to do Uruguay as a striker during the group stage. Balogun should still be favored in matches where the Americans are favored.

Rating: 5

Forward: Christian Pulisic

Earned a free kick and buried it in the net after a bit of trickery from the USMNT to fool Alisson. Some inventive finishing and strong work rate from the team captain could have seen Pulisic get a brace and an assist if this was a weaker opponent. Although there was room for improvement, this set a good example for Pulisic in a rebound game.

Rating: 7

Substitute: Folarin Balogun

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

Rating: 5

Alternate: Tyler Adams

After dealing with a back injury to end the season, it’s good to see Tyler Adams back on the field. Cleaned up in a small role, hopefully he can build on that at the Copa America.

Rating: 5

Replacement: Brenden Aaronson

Almost had a winner in the match but was denied by Alisson from close range. Exactly the kind of performance you want from the bench.

Replacement: Johnny Cardoso

Came to slow down the game and was often on the ball. He didn’t put a foot wrong in an important performance from the bench.

Rating: 6

Replacement: Sjaak Moore

Made some mistakes to keep Brazil off balance and also spelled Scally.

Rating: N/A

Manager: Gregg Berhalter

Berhalter received the necessary response from his players after the 5-1 beating. They pressed and looked much more driven. This had shades of the World Cup draw England where the USMNT absorbed the pressure and achieved a point against all odds. This isn’t a team that can’t compete against Brazil without some luck. Accepting that and doing what they could to hold Brazil was positive.

Rating: 7