USA Player Ratings vs Turkey: Berhalter Shines
Mauricio Pochettino rolled the dice with his lineup and got a chaotic night in return. A bruising meeting with Turkey offered a few bright sparks, a thumping reminder of old frailties, and one very loud statement from the edge of the box.
Here’s how the USA rated.
Matt Turner – 4
Given a surprise start, Turner needed a big performance to reignite his case over Matt Freese. He didn’t get it. Beaten by all three shots on target, he never produced the kind of game-changing save that can tilt a World Cup night. He did sweep well off his line a couple of times and joins a small club of US goalkeepers with multiple World Cup starts, but that’s a line for the history books, not the highlight reel. On this evidence, his grip on the No. 1 shirt is loosening.
Joe Scally – 5
Stationed as the more conservative option compared to Sergiño Dest or Alex Freeman, Scally still found the game racing around him. Turkey’s second goal exposed him badly: dragged out of position once, then again, as the move unfolded. When he did get forward, his crossing rarely troubled the defense. A functional performance, but not the kind that locks down a spot.
Mark McKenzie – 5
The opening goal cut straight through him. McKenzie was bypassed too easily as Turkey struck first, and his long passing never really clicked, with several ambitious balls failing to find their targets. He did manage to keep play funneled into midfield, allowing the full-backs to push on and carry more of the progression load. A poacher’s finish from a corner briefly offered a different kind of headline, only for the flag to go up. A nearly night, and not in a good way.
Miles Robinson – 5
Nervy early on. Any time the ball wandered into his zone in the opening stages, Robinson looked a half-step off, uncertain in his decisions. He settled as the match wore on, but the numbers tell a blunt story: he led the team in phases lost, according to Futi, both through loose passing and hesitation in possession. This was rust, not authority.
Auston Trusty – 7
Out wide, he still looks slightly out of costume as a wing-back or full-back. Inside the box, he looked exactly where he belongs. Trusty rose to meet a corner and buried the USA’s opening goal, a classic defender’s header that cut through the noise and gave his side a foothold. Beyond the finish, he offered himself as a passing outlet, helped the team escape pressure, and tracked back with real discipline to choke off Turkey’s joy down their right. The sting came late, with what appeared to be a left ankle injury forcing him off. His performance deserved a cleaner ending.
Sebastian Berhalter – 8
This was his stage. Berhalter arrived in this squad on the strength of his set-piece delivery, and he justified that faith in emphatic fashion. First came the assist, his corner dropping perfectly for Trusty to power home. Then came the moment of the night: a crisp strike from the edge of the area, another entry in what is quickly becoming his signature catalogue of long-range finishes. Off the ball, he did labor at times with defensive responsibilities that won’t show up on clips, but with the ball he was the clear hub. By far the USA’s most progressive passer on the day, he kept dragging his team forward when others chose the safe option.
Weston McKennie – 7
Armband on, responsibility accepted. With Cristian Roldan out, McKennie had to go again and did so with his usual edge, if not his usual chaos. This was a slightly more measured version of the midfielder: fewer wild forays, more steady nudges to keep teammates switched on when the match turned scrappy. He found room for a few efforts on goal, though only one tested the keeper. Not a spectacular outing, but a captain’s shift all the same.
Gio Reyna – 5
The lack of recent extended minutes showed. Reyna roamed, constantly presenting himself as an option, but too often chose to recycle possession rather than thread the kind of line-breaking pass that changes games. He still ended with the second-most box-entry passes on the team, behind only Berhalter, which underlines his quality on the ball. Yet the performance felt muted, like a player still searching for rhythm and daring.
Tim Weah – 5
Pochettino again pushed him to the left, trusting in his “dominant eye” to make the inverted role work. The theory didn’t translate here. Weah, one of the group’s seasoned figures, produced too many loose passes, heavy touches, and ineffective dribbles. On a night when the USA needed incision from wide areas, his flank rarely cut Turkey open. Effort was there; execution was not.
Brenden Aaronson – 5
All energy, not enough end product. In his first World Cup start, Aaronson did what Aaronson does: ran, pressed, stretched the pitch to the right, and constantly tried to pull defenders out of shape. The defining moment, though, was the miss. Presented with an unobstructed look at an open net, he failed to convert, a chance that will replay in his mind and in the analysis room. The work rate remains elite. The finish deserted him.
Ricardo Pepi – 5
His movement was clever. Pepi repeatedly dragged Turkey’s center-backs into deeper pockets, trying to open space for runners. The problem came where it matters most for a No. 9: in the box. He struggled to find meaningful touches in dangerous areas and saw his only shot skew off target. For a striker heavily linked with a big-money move to Fulham, this was a subdued audition.
The USA leave with a few answers, a stack of doubts, and one new certainty: if this team wants to punch at World Cup level, Sebastian Berhalter’s left foot might need to be at the center of it.
