USMNT player ratings vs. Senegal: Live grades for USA team in 2026 FIFA World Cup tuneup friendly

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USMNT player ratings vs. Senegal: Live grades for USA team in 2026 FIFA World Cup tuneup friendly originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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The first chance to test themselves against World Cup opposition is here for the U.S. men's national team as they begin their ramp-up to the 2026 FIFA tournament with a friendly against Senegal on Sunday.

Mauricio Pochettino has made his final decisions on the USMNT roster for the coming summer competition and now is ready to challenge the players on the pitch.

This will be the first of two pre-World Cup friendlies for the United States before the tournament itself begins on June 11, with a game against Germany to follow on June 6.

The Sporting News brings you a live breakdown of each USMNT player's performance against 14th-ranked Senegal as the game progresses, as well as more detailed analysis after the conclusion of the match.

FOLLOW LIVE:Get minute-by-minute updates from USA vs. Senegal LIVE on site in Charlotte, NC

USA vs. Senegal live score

Location: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)

USMNT starting lineup:

USA (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Turner (GK — Brady, 46') — 16. Freeman, 22. McKenzie (Trusty, 46'), 13. Ream (M. Robinson, 46'), 5. A. Robinson (Scally, 46') — 4. Adams (Roldan, 46'), 14. Berhalter — 2. Dest (Weah, 46'), 7. Reyna (McKennie, 46'), 10. Pulisic — 9. Pepi (Balogun, 46')

USA substitutes: Freese (GK), Trusty, M. Robinson, Arfsten, Scally, McKennie, Aaronson, Tillman, Weah, Zendejas, H. Wright, Balogun. 

MORE:USMNT roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup | Why is the USMNT midfield so thin?

USMNT player ratings vs. Senegal

The United States began the match with a lineup that reflects the recent trend of Mauricio Pochettino deploying a team that plays a 4-2-3-1 in possession, and a 5-4-1 out of possession.

Five defenders were named to the lineup, but one — Sergino Dest on the right — moves high up the field when on the ball, and drops back to the defensive line when out of possession, with Alex Freeman tucking in as a third center-back.

A number of players, including Ricardo Pepi and Mark McKenzie, are not expected to be regular starters at the World Cup, but in the interest of squad rotation and keeping others healthy, Pochettino has decided to give some backups a chance to impress.

All ratings are on a 10-point scale

Starters

GK — Matt Turner: 7 

While Matt Freese is expected to be the No. 1 goalkeeper at the World Cup, 2022 starter Matt Turner got the start against Senegal to get him game action before Freese takes over. Replaced at halftime by Chris Brady.

Distribution has been his biggest weakness for both club and country, but was strong on the ball, not putting a foot wrong from short range and hitting well with his long balls too.

Turner showed impressive range and decision-making as he came out to challenge Sadio Mane in the 12th minute, a very nervy moment that saw Turner nearly concede a penalty, but smothered it in the end. Also almost started a promising attack in the process as well.

Made a couple of good saves towards the end of the first half as he protected his near post twice in quick succession, one on each side of the net.

This section will be updated with further analysis as the game progresses.

RB — Alex Freeman: 5

Played in a hybrid full-back/center-back role in this Pochettino system, playing as a central defender out of possession when Sergino Dest dropped to the right-back position. Failed to mark Nicolas Jackson properly in an early Senegal chance 15 minutes in, lucky that the Bayern Munich striker didn't finish well.

Strong defensively on Senegal corners, not allowing himself to be bullied. Made a few good interceptions stepping into passing lanes.

Completely lost Sadio Mane on the Senegal goal just before halftime, forcing Tyler Adams to try and recover late which he was unable to do. If he's going to let Mane go, he has to communicate a player is stepping across into Adams' space.

This section will be updated with further analysis as the game progresses.

RCB — Mark McKenzie: 5

Looked shaky in possession early, nearly putting the U.S. in a bad spot under Senegal pressing in the opening 10 minutes. Didn't communicate well with Alex Freeman while marking Nicolas Jackson on his missed chance 15 minutes into the match.

This section will be updated with further analysis as the game progresses.

LCB — Tim Ream: 6

Solid in possession through the first half, which has been his weakness at times. Senegal didn't test  him too many times, which feels like a mistake. The African side instead chose to attack the other two central defenders and the wide areas.

This section will be updated with further analysis as the game progresses.

LB — Antonee Robinson: 5

Didn't do much to shed the criticism of his passing, as he misfired a number of times on the left wing.

Got free for a wide-open shot in the 31st minute that was most certainly goal-bound before deflecting wide. Lost the ball and then let Habib Diarra run right by him on the assist for Senegal's goal late in the first half.

This section will be updated with further analysis as the game progresses.

DCM — Tyler Adams: 6

Didn't have a strong influence on USMNT possession as they largely focused their build-up out wide, but could be seen pointing and marshaling possession in one direction or another.

Defensively he made it very difficult for Senegal to play through the middle of the field, marking players completely out of the game. Tried to follow Sadio Mane on the first Senegal goal, but was unable to recover after Alex Freeman let him go.

This section will be updated with further analysis as the game progresses.

CM — Sebastian Berhalter: 6

With the battle for the second starting central midfield spot next to Tyler Adams in full swing, Sebastian Berhalter was deployed against Senegal with a chance to impress. Berhalter is likely battling Cristian Roldan for that spot, but Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna could factor into this position as well, with Tanner Tessmann left off the roster entirely.

Got cooked by Ilman Ndiaye as the Everton midfielder ripped a 30th-minute shot. Was a physical presence in midfield, winning fouls and providing a good possessional option. Got beat by Ndiaye again on his 36th-minute drive to the net, and almost conceded a stupid penalty by grabbing the opponent's shirt to slow him down; thankfully for the U.S. he didn't manage to connect.

This section will be updated with further analysis as the game progresses.

MORE:A thin midfield leaves USMNT dangerously exposed in 2026 World Cup journey

RW — Sergino Dest: 7

Sergino Dest was deployed in the hybrid Tim Weah role, where he will maraud forward when the U.S. has the ball, and drops back to right-back along a five-man defensive line when out of possession.

Was heavily involved down the right early, scoring the game's first goal with a high-IQ back-post run and thumping finish. Completed a beautiful, aggressive dribble with the final move of the first half where he managed to beat the offside trap and smoked two Senegal defenders in an assist to a shot by Ricardo Pepi.

This section will be updated with further analysis as the game progresses.

ACM — Gio Reyna: 6

Should have pounded on a cutback across the face of goal, but let it go believing a teammate was behind him. Need to have a more killer instinct for a World Cup.

Was relatively invisible in the first half, although that seemed to be more tactical than anything else, as much of the 

This section will be updated with further analysis as the game progresses.

LW — Christian Pulisic: 9

In the midst of a brutal stretch of poor form through the second half of the club season with AC Milan, USMNT star Christian Pulisic needs a reversal in fortunes if he is to lead the American attack on home soil. A goal or assist today would go a long way towards allaying fears of World Cup struggles.

Was dispossessed early in a one-on-one attack of Senegal right-back Krepin Diatta, but showed good attacking impetus. Played a lovely move with Ricardo Pepi on the opening goal, driving forward and feeding an inch-perfect cross to Sergino Dest for the strike.

Scored himself in the 20th minute, making a beautiful run through the middle to receive a vertical feed and find his first USMNT goal since 2024. Beautifully rounded the goalkeeper in the process, keeping his cool and finishing from a very tight angle.

Cooked Krepin Diatta on the dribble in the 39th minute and got space for a shot.

Even got back and defended when needed, looking energized by his strong performance.

This section will be updated with further analysis as the game progresses.

FWD — Ricardo Pepi: 9

Always known as a strong presser and good finisher, he isn't exactly known as a great passer, but his wonderful hockey assist to Christian Pulisic on the opening goal showed ingenuity and creativity to unlock the Senegal back line.

Delivered a lovely assist to Pulisic for the second goal, a perfectly-weighted vertical ball that unlocked the Senegal back line. A wonderful early performance for Pepi, given freedom to roam on both flanks.

His presence in the middle of the penalty area caused a ton of problems for Senegal, as he continued to unlock chances for opponents. Pepi headed down a cross to Antonee Robinson for a shot in the 31st minute that was goal-bound but blocked behind for a corner.

This section will be updated with further analysis as the game progresses.

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USMNT substitutes vs. Senegal

46' — Chris Brady: 5

Came on for Matt Turner at halftime, all but confirming that Matt Freese is the starting goalkeeper for the USMNT at the World Cup. It was smart for Mauricio Pochettino to bring on his third-stringer for his international debut, as you don't want him making his first national team appearance in the World Cup, should it come to that.

Made a big error on Senegal's second goal as he failed to reach a bouncing ball at the top corner of the penalty area, hesitating while coming out to challenge.

46' — Auston Trusty

Came on at halftime for Tim Ream.

46' — Miles Robinson: 4

Entered at halftime for Mark McKenzie. Made a horrible error early on as he gave Senegal a counter-attack with a truly dreadful back-pass that was pilfered right out of his pocket, and then couldn't track back in time to prevent the eventual goal.

46' — Cristian Roldan

Entered at halftime for Tyler Adams.

46' — Malik Tillman: 7

Entered at halftime for Gio Reyna. Made an instant impact with a beautiful press that won the ball in the final third, and his pass to Folarin Balogun was so insane, it ended up seeing Balogun offside because the U.S. forward wasn't expecting it.

46' — Folarin Balogun: 6

Entered at halftime for Ricardo Pepi. Delivered an outrageous ball for Tim Weah just minutes into the start of the second half. Seemingly scored the third U.S. goal shortly after coming on, with a clinical finish, but ended up offside as he didn't have the sharp enough focus to stay behind the final defender marking Malik Tillman.

USMNT coach vs. Senegal

Mauricio Pochettino: Grade pending

This section will be updated with analysis following the conclusion of the match.

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