The United States men’s national team went deep into its pool for an off-window friendly against Slovenia in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday.
USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter called up a very young squad of MLS players, with most of the side’s limited caps coming across the back line as the manager and his the federation’s Olympic coaches eyeballed young talent.
[ MORE: USMNT vs Slovenia recap ]
Captain for the day Miles Robinson led a group of backs that bore most of the familiar names on the day, as DeJuan Jones and Shaq Moore combined with Robinson to boast 51 of the 72 caps held by the squad heading into the match.
The bad news? The Yanks were blanked. The good news? No one looked poor nor uncomfortable in Berhalter’s system.
So how did they look? Pretty decent taking into account the rust of a team largely exiting the offseason and the opposition being an unknown group of depth players from a mid-range UEFA nation.
USMNT player ratings versus Slovenia
Patrick Schulte: 7 — Three saves, two of which were quite impressive, though he’ll be replaying the Slovenia goal. It wasn’t an error, but he might’ve been able to better thwart the shooter.
DeJuan Jones: 7.5 — Celebrated his new New England contract by showing leadership and impetus on the flank. Won the lion’s share of his duels and had a half-dozen touches in the Slovenian box.
Miles Robinson: 7 — Steady enough from the new FC Cincinnati man. Passed well and was strong in the air.
Sean Zawadzki: 7.5 — A bit slow on the Slovenia goal, but an otherwise very good debut for the 23-year-old center back, who was ambitious with his long balls and credited with seven defensive actions on a day he had more touches than anyone (141).
Shaq Moore (Off 61') : 6.5 — Hammered a shot that Vekic did well to save and was active in 50/50s. Moore was tidy in possession passing but couldn’t turn his crossing opportunities into danger.
Josh Atencio (Off 61') : 6.5 — A quiet enough day on the left side but showed his long passing range and seemed to digest what Berhalter wanted out of his wide men.
Aidan Morris: 8 — Showed confidence, vision, and composure in attempting more than 100 passes on a ton of touches. Sent more than a dozen balls into the final third, collected 11 recoveries, and nailed all six of his long passes.
Timothy Tillman (Off 89'): 7.5 — Drew four fouls and carried the ball well while also handling some corner kicks, creating two chances, and putting a shot on target.
Diego Luna (Off 77'): 7 — The most ‘fun’ player on the pitch along with Tillman, but the stats show a player who showed gusto and verve but couldn’t quite complete his dribbles. The 20-year-old Real Salt Lake forward created two chances.
Bernard Kamungo (Off 61') : 5 — A complicated day for the FC Dallas youngster, who gave the ball away in midfield en route to Slovenia’s goal but also showed a knack for getting into dangerous areas. Forced a big save out of Igor Vekic.
Brian White (Off 62') : 6 — Limited to just 17 touches in his first cap, as the Yanks struggled to get the ball to their target man.
SUBS
Jack McGlynn (On 61'): 8 — A lot to like here, as his leadership was visible and he put 10 balls into the final third and he was credited with three created chances.
Esmir Bajraktarevic (On 61'): 8 — Created a solid chance for himself but pumped it high and central, but it was more impressed the vision he showed in setting up others. Deserved an assist for his delivery to Tolkin alone.
John Tolkin (On 61'): 5.5 — Credit for getting into very dangerous places but he absolutely should’ve had the equalizer.
Duncan McGuire (On 62'): 6.5 — One of the touches of the day with his chest trap of a big diagonal pass. That shot was blocked for a corner. Two shots on nine touches.
Caleb Wiley (On 77'): N/A — Got into advanced spaces in what was little more than a cameo.
Aziel Jackson (Off 89'): N/A
