SEATTLE STADIUM — After the USA’s win over Paraguay, I admitted to being a prisoner of the moment with my player ratings. The atmosphere at Los Angeles Stadium was incredible, and the lowest rating I gave out was an 8. Well, it happened again … but the lowest rating was higher. That energy came from how the team performed in the first half. On both ends of the field, we cooked. From Sergiño Dest on the right wing to Folarin Balogun leading the attack, it was an impressive performance. It seemed like everybody had a good game against Paraguay last week, and this win against Australia felt similar. A huge part of that great first half was the timing of the goals. You get one in the 11th minute to set the tempo, and then you get another one in the 43rd minute right before you go into the locker room. Here are my player ratings for the win over Australia. (Ratings are from 1-10, with 10 being the best — and the most common rating for this one.) Starting XI On the set of “World Cup Now,” we were saying that Freese was going to eventually have to make a big save. That never came to fruition, but he sure played his part. Freese’s job as a goalkeeper, ultimately, is to keep a clean sheet. He came out of the 18-yard box to make a clearance with his head, which was his biggest contribution in the second half. Job done for Freese in goal. Freeman got his move to Europe back in January when he went to Villarreal in La Liga. He’ll be playing in the Champions League next year. At halftime, he played so well that I was wondering if he’d earn another transfer. Robinson’s role in this team is much different than Freeman’s. While Freeman is more like a third center back and sits back closer to Tim Ream and Chris Richards more often, Robinson’s job is more to provide width down the left wing further up the pitch. Together, they work well, and both were very good on Friday. These two complement each other well, just like the starting fullbacks. I thought both Ream and Richards were excellent against Australia. There were always going to be moments where the pair had to step higher up the pitch, and there were also going to be moments when they needed to be balanced defensively, whether it’s in one-on-one scenarios, in the 18-yard box or simply just putting out fires. The passing out of the back wasn’t as good as it was against Paraguay, less efficient. Also, before the tournament, I was wondering whether Ream could still anchor this defense. So far, hand up on that. It appears that I shouldn’t have doubted him. Tyler entered this game on a yellow card, which meant he would miss the game against Türkiye if he got one more. He didn’t put a foot wrong, though. Adams wasn’t late in any attempts to challenge the ball and read the game so well. There were a few moments early in the game where Tyler could have made a move forward, but he stayed disciplined and stuck to his job. That job was to stay in front of the USA defense and keep control of the midfield. That boy cooked tonight. Weston was everywhere, and he was everything. He is my man of the match. The way I describe Weston is that when he’s at his best, the national team has a different bounce to it. It’s his energy, his charisma, the leadership he brings. He plays on both sides of the ball and also adds a bit of intelligence to the midfield. His all-around game offers so much — his tackles, his will to win balls, and the way he drives this team with his charisma. Fantastic day in Seattle for Weston. At the last World Cup in 2022, the midfield was “MMA” for McKennie, Yunus Musah and McKennie. This year, it’s “ATM” — which also works because they’ve been cash money. Tillman has been excellent so far in this tournament and fits in seamlessly next to Tyler and Weston. The midfield has been a huge strength so far for this team, and I expect that to continue. Dest is a wild card for this team. He usually plays as a fullback, but he has really embraced this role further up the pitch on the right wing. Sergiño plays with a lot of expression and flair, especially when he’s on the ball. As Sacha Kljestian said on “World Cup Now,” the team looks so much more fun with him further on the field, taking on players. Sergiño wants to get the ball and take on defenders. When he gets possession, stand back and let him cook. Big spot for Pepi here, but he delivered in his first World Cup start. Pepi played more as a striker than Christian Pulisic usually does as a left-winger, even though that’s the place he took in the starting lineup, but he was all over the field. He easily could have had a goal and was in a position to finish the first goal if it hadn’t been put into the Australian net as an own goal before it got to him. Balogun has shown to be the most complete striker we’ve had and has lived up to everything we hoped he’d be when he committed to the USA three years ago. He has excellent hold-up play with a willingness to run into the wide channels and show off his pace. Flo made the first USA goal happen. He got the ball and was quickly past his defender down the left wing. From there, he got into the 18-yard box toward the end line. Australian center back Harry Souttar didn’t commit early enough to stop him. Ricardo Pepi has a tap-in if Cameron Burgess doesn’t put it in the top corner by himself. That will go down as an own goal, but Balogun made it happen.Latest Sports News from FOX Sports
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