USA and Wales tied 1-1. Wales took a long time to get a point against the United States in their very first Tournament match since 1958.
The Stars and Stripes were better than the Dragons in the first half, but when Kieffer Moore came on in the second half, things changed, and he helped the Dragons get back to a tie.
After a slow start, the USA came close to taking the lead twice in the first nine minutes. First, Joe Rodon’s strong header toward his own net hit goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. Then, seconds later, Josh Sargent missed a great Tim Weah cross with his head.
After 36 minutes of a boring game, the USA deservedly went right ahead. Yunus Musah beat Ethan Ampadu to a loose ball, and Christian Pulisic ran into the space left by Joe Rodon’s advance, passing the ball to Weah, who poked it past Hennessey.
Ben Davies’s header from a corner by Harry Wilson was Wales’s only real chance in the first half, and Rob Page’s team went into halftime behind.
Moore came on for Dan James to start the second half, and right away the Dragons were more aggressive. Matt Turner almost dropped a corner on Chris Mepham’s head from another corner.
Turner had to make his first save on another header from Davies, this time after a free kick from Wilson. Moore’s shot from the next corner just missed the goal as Wales stepped up their game.
After Walker Zimmerman’s foul on Gareth Bale resulted in a penalty kick for Wales, the LAFC striker calmly buried the ball into the top corner.
Brennan Johnson’s quick thinking on a throw-in led to the penalty. In the last few minutes of regular time, Johnson hit Turner with a shot on the counter, which made Turner make a smart save.
After more than ten minutes of extra time, the game was over. The two teams are now in second and third place going into the second matchday. The USA will play England next, while Wales will play Iran.
1. USA (4-3-3)
Matt Turner, GK, 6/10. Though I didn’t have much to do, I almost gorged myself on a nook because I was so bored. Did a good job of preventing the last goal.
Sergino Dest, RB, received a 5/10 for his lacklustre performance.
CB Walker Zimmerman (3/10): Generally imposing, however he slipped carelessly past Bale.
Briefing Book: Tim Ream, 6/10/2010 Was booked for a somewhat cynical foul, but otherwise excelled wonderfully.
Antonee Robinson, a left back, received a 6/10 for his free-wheeling performance.
Tyler Adams, DM, 6/10/2010 Excellent dictation early on, but got lost in the shuffle as Wales started to get into it.
Yunus Musah, Central Midfielder, 7/10 (He was able to get out of jams and make forward progress thanks to his winger skills).
Chief Modifier: Weston McKennie – 7/10 – More frequently than not joined Weah along the right flank instead of Dest. Exhibited tremendous vitality both on and off the field.
Tim Weah, RW (7/10) The inspiration for early American innovation was recognised with a win. His father’s accomplishments were worthy of his Ballon d’Or.
Josh Sargent, centre fielder: 6/10 (Dropped deep to effectively draw Rodon out of position).
Christian Pulisic, LW, 7/10 (Long Range) Even if it wasn’t his finest game ever, Pulisic was still the United States’ top player. He was especially effective while driving straight at Wales.
Substitute Brenden Aaronson (for McKennie at 66): (5.5/10)
Replacement Player: DeAndre Yedlin (5/10) (Dest, 74).
Sargent was replaced in the 74th minute by Haji Wright, who received a 4/10 rating as a substitute.
Kellyn Acosta came in as a substitute for Jonathan Musah in the 74th minute and recorded a 4/10.
Gregg Berhalter, the United States national team’s manager, received a 5/10 for his halftime adjustments, which did not prevent a comeback by Wales.
2. Wales (3-5-2)
GK: Wayne Hennessey is 5/10. Got the job instead of Danny Ward because he didn’t do much wrong.
CB: Chris Mepham (7/10): Mepham was Wales’ best defender. On the hour mark, he made a great slide tackle that kept Pulisic out of the game.
Joe Rodon, the USA’s cornerback, got a 5/10 for pushing up and trying to win the ball in the first game. After the break, he got better, just like most of his teammates.
CB: Ben Davies – 6/10 – A bit sloppy with the ball, and their forwards looked slow compared to the Americans’.
Connor Roberts got a 5/10 because he felt better after Moore came on, but it was still hard for him to do his job.
CM: Ethan Ampadu got a 6/10 because he made some bad decisions in the middle of the field but worked very hard and defended well.
Aaron Ramsey: 6/10 – Took no responsibility in the first 45 minutes, but stepped up a bit when Moore gave him someone to play off of.
CM: Harry Wilson got a 6/10 because he sometimes drifted out to the wing to make overloads. His set piece was beautifully done.
LM: Neco Williams got a 5/10. He tried hard to keep running in the USA, but his technical skills weren’t as good as his physical ones.
CF: 7/10 for Gareth Bale In the first half, he didn’t do much, but when Moore joined him, he looked a lot more dangerous.
CF: Dan James got a 3/10 because he was easily pushed off the ball during his 45 minutes on the field.
Kieffer Moore came on for James in the 46th minute. He was Wales’ best player and a big reason why they played better in the second half. caused a lot of trouble for the USA.
Brennan Johnson came on for Williams in the 79th minute.
Sorba Thomas came on in the 90th minute for Wilson.
SUB: Joe Morrell (90′ for Ampadu) – N/A
Rob Page, the manager, got a 6/10 because his decision not to play Moore right away was questioned, and Wales’ terrible first half showed that Page’s critics were right. At least he made it out to the field.
Kieffer Moore was the best player in the game.
USA and Wales tied 1-1 the match was very exciting.
