The U.S. men’s national team picked up an impressive 2-1 win over Paraguay on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Mauricio Pochettino’s new five-back setup proved to be the answer as the team looked dangerous in attack for the duration of the match.
A fourth-minute goal from a returning Gio Reyna got the Americans off to a flying start. Unfortunately, they were hit on the counter five minutes later when Alex Arce equalized.
The U.S. continued to control the match in the second half and was rewarded with a Folarin Balogun go-ahead goal in the 71st minute.
Let’s take a look at how the USMNT performed in the great victory:
As a reminder, here’s the Pro Soccer Wire player rating scale:
1: Abysmal. Literally any member of our staff would have been able to play at this level.
6: Adequate. This is our base score.
10: Transcendent, era-defining performance. This is Carli Lloyd vs. Japan in the 2015 World Cup final.
GK: Matt Freese – 6
Really had little to do other than picking the ball out of the net on a goal he could do little about. He was credited with two saves, but they were as routine as they come. The job seems to be his to lose heading into 2026.
LCB: Tim Ream – 5.5
He was beaten a few times for pace, which has become a recurring theme lately. Luckily, he’s got athleticism around him to help cover up his age and lack of mobility. Still, he’s the most valuable leader the player pool has and shows it often.
CB: Miles Robinson – 6
Robinson helped make the physical tone that Paraguay tried to impose. He was a steady influence as the anchor of the back three and never really put a foot wrong defensively. His pace and emergency defending helped cover up some holes that the opposing attackers found.
RCB: Joe Scally – 6
Deployed in an interesting and unfamiliar role, Scally struggled a bit early positionally. He and Dest had some spacing issues that Paraguay exploited on the equalizing goal. As the match went on, he settled in and provided some good moments in the build-up.
LWB: Max Arfsten – 7
One of the more dangerous players for the U.S. in attack. The wingback role suits him perfectly. A very nice assist on Reyna’s opening goal. He seems to have the inside track to a starting spot if Antonee Robinson isn’t available.
CM: Cristian Roldan – 6
A steady influence in the midfield. He seemed to be more secure with his passing than in recent performances. While nothing he did was extraordinary, he did he job he was asked to do.
CM: Tanner Tessmann – 6.5
His level of play continues to improve each time he puts on the U.S. shirt. While there may have been a few sloppy moments, for the most part, he was very solid in possession and defensively.
RWB: Sergiño Dest – 6
As lively as ever going forward, he is a headache for any team to deal with. His ventures up the field left the right side of the field vulnerable at times, and Paraguay took advantage in the first half.
CAM: Gio Reyna – 8
Gio took advantage of his first NT minutes since March with an influential performance that will have many clamoring for him to be involved more. His lovely header in the fourth minute opened the scoring. You would’ve never guessed it was the first headed goal of his career. Aside from the goal, he was integral to the build-up play and pulled the strings on several key attacks. He was unlucky not to be awarded an assist on Balogun’s go-ahead goal after the pair combined brilliantly before Reyna’s pass deflected before being turned into the net.
CAM: Brenden Aaronson – 5
Back at his old stomping grounds, Aaronson had one or two moments of inspiration in the final third, but still lacks the final product at the international level.
FW: Folarin Balogun – 7
It was a pretty anonymous shift for the striker until he finished off a great attacking sequence with his 8th international goal minutes before subbing off. The goal should do wonders for his confidence going forward, but overall, it was not his best performance.
Sub: Diego Luna – 6
Provided a nice spark off the bench and seems to be filling into the super sub role nicely. Should’ve had an assist, but Pepi had a shot blocked off the line. That could be his way onto the World Cup roster.
Sub: Alex Freeman – 5
Helped kill off the match, including being at the center of a mini-brawl with the whole Paraguay team at the end of the game. Other than that, he wasn’t involved much.
Sub: Ricardo Pepi – 5
Got a huge chance to finish off the match after coming on, but couldn’t get the ball into the net. He’ll need to take those chances when they come if he hopes to get more minutes.
Sub: Timothy Tillman – 5.5
A clean shift off the bench to help secure the win. He had a few good moments in possession and doesn’t look out of place at this level.
Sub: Aidan Morris – 5
Did the needed dirty work in his 22 minutes to see out the win. A couple of clearances and a blocked shot probably go unnoticed, but he’s continuing to prove he’s worth consideration for playing time.
Sub: Sebastian Berhalter – 5
Hardly touched the ball in his 10 minutes off the bench. His role seems best suited as a setpiece specialist, and there weren’t any opportunities for him after coming on.
