Dest, Weah, Reyna, & Balogun impress in 4-0 USMNT win over Ghana

THE UNITED STATES national team rebounded from Saturday’s loss to Germany with a convincing 4-0 rout over Ghana on Tuesday night at GEODIS Park in Nashville. The U.S. team scored all of its goals between the 10^th and 39^th minutes in a relentless offensive display before coasting against a Ghana team that was very poor on the night.

For U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter, it was a great way to end camp.

Gio Reyna scored the opening and final U.S. goals. The first came at the end of a furious rush up the field led by Sergino Dest. The PSV right back played Folarin Balogun into the box and his cross was blocked by Ghana’s Nicholas Opoku and fell right to Reyna for a close finish.

The second goal was a penalty after Gideon Mensah tripped Tim Weah in the box. Christian Pulisic took the ensuing penalty and hit it up the middle past Abdul Narudeen.

Three minutes after conceding a penalty, Ghana conceded again. Opoku was stripped of the ball deep in his own third by Weah who then fed Balogun in the middle for a calm but powerful finish from close range.

Then in the 39th, the U.S. team was a awarded an indirect free kick inside its own box on a violation from Opoku. Reyna tapped it to Pulisic, Pulisic tapped it to Reyna who powered it into the top shelf.

In the second half, the U.S. continued to control the game albeit with the intensity notched down a bit. The 4-0 scoreline held, and the U.S. concluded its October window with a win.

Here are some thoughts.

Dest & Weah lead the right side

The U.S. team best line of attack was the right side of the field. That is where a majority of the team’s scoring chances came from.

Neither Sergino Dest nor Tim Weah scored or directly assisted in this game, but they were the two best players in the game. Both carved Ghana apart attacking the right side by making effective dribbles, finding spaces for through balls, drawing fouls in the attacking third, and drawing attention from defenders to create space for others.

Timmy Weah Magic ???????? pic.twitter.com/NmAINZ96bq

— U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (@USMNT) October 18, 2023

Dest has had some quality moments on the left side, but he is far more comfortable on both sides of the ball while playing on the right side. After he struggled against Germany, this game was a good game for him to showcase his ability and head back to PSV more confident.

.@sergino_dest ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/kVdoVtBerw

— U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (@USMNT) October 18, 2023

As for Weah, he just needs to get on the field for Juventus. It doesn’t matter if he’s a right wingback for his club and a pure winger for the U.S. team. He can adjust fine. The question is just getting on the field.

Reyna caps strong camp

Reyna was very dangerous in this game, and he ended camp in a great position. In total, he played 90 minutes over two games and the U.S. team outscored its opponents 5-1 with him on the field. The U.S. team was outscored 2-0 without him on the field. That’s not by accident.

It’s more than the goals. Both of the goals he scored against Ghana were fairly lucky – a fortuitous bounce off a bad block and an indirect free kick inside the box are not highlight goals. But the revealing nature is what Reyna does for other players. He opens the game up offensively. He is that critical connection between the midfield and the attack that allows Balogun, Pulisic, and Weah to be far more dangerous.

 Finding Balogun

It was critical that the team find ways to make Balogun more dangerous. This was stressed repeatedly in camp. Berhalter said that most of Balogun’s goals at the club level come from great movements in the box that his teammates identify and are able to get him the ball. It’s harder to develop that chemistry at the international level because teams are not together nearly as much, but it can be done. It’s just a longer process.

The Ghana game was a big step in the right direction. Balogun’s goal wasn’t the best indicator of that because that was a bad turnover. But the opening goal was stronger evidence the team is finding out how to pick him up. Dest had a good idea where Balogun was going to be in the box and got it to him for the dangerous cross that was blocked to the feet of Reyna.

But a revealing stat is simply the total number of Balogun shots. In this game he had five shots in just 45 minutes of action. That is indeed a furious pace, made possible by teammates who are getting a better idea of how to get him the ball.

Ghana’s terrible night

The U.S. team played well, but it would also be fair to mention that Ghana was simply terrible in this game. It was more than just getting out-played. Ghana was making errors that were almost amateur in nature.

Mensah’s foul on Weah for the penalty showed a complete lack of awareness. It was unnecessary and Weah was in the box but was not in a dangerous position to create a scoring chance. Opoku had a nightmare performance and was at fault for the first, the third, and the fourth goals. Then conceding an indirect free kick from 10 yards was also completely unavoidable.

It wasn’t long into the first half when Ghana looked like they didn’t want to be there. They were fouling carelessly because they didn’t want to defend properly. Their fullbacks were constantly caught up the field and out of possession. And only once could they muster a shot that tested Turner.

always in good hands with @headdturnerr ???? https://t.co/mtTBjISF4j pic.twitter.com/H4N4npLJgg

— U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (@USMNT) October 18, 2023

Questions unanswered

The U.S. team played well against Ghana and made progress in key areas – such as making effective use out of Reyna and developing chemistry with Balogun.

But some key questions were left unanswered. For example, did Berhalter learn enough about central defense combination? The answer is probably not. The Germany game wasn’t great by any means, but central defense was also hung out to dry by the midfield. Against Ghana, Miles Robinson and Chris Richards (followed by Cameron Carter-Vickers) just did not have a lot to do. They were not bad at all. But Ghana’s poor outing left the central defenders with more of an incomplete grade.

There is also the question about playing without Tyler Adams. Adams was sorely missed against Germany as all three German goals came up the middle of the field. Adams likely would have been a huge help.

Johnny Cardoso got an unexpected start against Ghana. His 34/36 passing was a positive for the team, but again defense is the question at this position and Cardoso was untested. Lennard Maloney likewise had a lot of questions about what he could offer the team in terms of his foot speed, his progressive passing, his ability to hold the ball, etc. But the intensity of the game was completely dialed back when he came into the game for Cardoso in the 65^th minute. It was hard to tell either way.

Finally, Kristoffer Lund had a pretty good game as well at left back, but most of the attacking came up the right side. It’s hard to say yet that he is clearly the team’s backup left back behind Antonee Robinson but Berhatler is giving him a solid look.

Moving forward into November

The U.S. team will now only have CONCACAF Nations League games and January camp through the summer. Because of that, players will need to maintain a high level with their clubs. The U.S. team won’t be seriously tested until a possible Mexico game or Canada game in March.

For now, it’s worth keeping an eye on certain players. Can Weah find his way back into the starting XI for Juventus on a regular basis – and by extension can Weston McKennie remain as a central midfielder?

The lack of playing time for Richards is a huge concern and it hurts his ability to play consistently well for the U.S. team. Will he push for a loan or transfer in January? If so, what will be his chances to start with his new club? The same with Robinson who seems very likely to move in January as well. As with any player heading towards a move, there are natural risks associated with playing time.

Tim Ream continues to impressively hold off Father Time, but eventually he will lose that battle – like everyone does. The question is how much longer? He seems to be a player who goes month-by-month.

Then there is the long list of those outside of the team who are pushing to get into the mix. Brandon Vazquez has been great for Cincinnati and is pushing for a move this winter. How does he compete with Ricardo Pepi who plays limited minutes at PSV? The same with Josh Sargent when he returns from injury or Haji Wright.

Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, and Walker Zimmerman are still in the central defense pool. Perhaps one or two of them emerge as overage candidates for the Olympic team?

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