The United States National Team defeated Uruguay 5-1 on Tuesday, November 18 in a friendly played in Tampa, Florida, with goals from Sebastian Berhalter, a brace from Alex Freeman, Diego Luna and Tanner Tessmann.
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino beat his compatriot Marcelo Bielsa, coach of Uruguay, even with a secondary eleven, in which he made nine changes from the team that had beaten Paraguay 2-1 on Saturday.
United States crushes Uruguay
The United States took the lead in the 17th minute when Sebastian Berhalter scored his first goal for the national team from a strategic play.
Berhalter played a short free kick from the edge of the area to Serginho, who returned it to him for an exquisite curling finish.
Alex Freeman also made his scoring debut with a brace. The first came in the 20th minute, with a great header from a corner kick by Berhalter.
The second came just eleven minutes later. Freeman broke into the left side of the box, beat three Uruguayan players and left Cristopher Fiermarín with virtually no chance, but he was helpless.
The United States made it 4-0 in the 42nd minute thanks to Diego Luna, who shot from inside the box after Timothy Tillman’s cross was deflected just wide by a Uruguayan defender.
With the score against them, Uruguay reacted and began to generate danger in the final minutes of the first half, scoring their first goal in stoppage time thanks to a magnificent bicycle kick by Giorgian De Arrascaeta after a defensive error by the United States.
The fifth for the United States came in the second half, with Tanner Tessmann’s goal-scoring debut, heading in a cross from newcomer Gio Reyna.
The United States ended this FIFA day on a high note with victories over Paraguay and Uruguay, two teams that have qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
Pochettino’s men have also gone five games unbeaten.
Pochettino fielded an eleven full of substitutes on paper, without Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Gio Reyna, Folarin Balogun or Malik Tillman, among others.
The coach is giving opportunities to players from MLS clubs – such as strikers Freeman, Luna and Berhalter – a rarity in years past, when players from international leagues used to carry the weight of the national team.
Marcelo Bielsa, on the other hand, started with a very competitive team, with Ronald Araújo, Mathias Olivera Rodrigo Bentancur, Manuel Ugarte or De Arrascaeta.
Filed under: U.S. crushes Uruguay
With information from EFE
