The United States shocked France with a 1-1 draw in an international friendly Saturday.
Former heralded wunderkind Julian Green opened the scoring late in the first half with a shot towards the near post to become the first player to score against France in USMNT history. Les Bleus responded in the 78th minute thanks to a strike from Kylian Mbappe.
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While this game does not officially count for anything, France was listed as having around a 90 percent chance of winning the World Cup, per Accuscore, while the U.S. did not even qualify.
It’s time for some overreactions.
1. Paul Pogba is officially overrated.
Depending on who you ask, Pogba is either the most talented or overhyped midfielder on the French national team. Tyler Adams made sure that Pogba’s doubters had more firepower for their argument. The New York Red Bulls midfielder absolutely smothered the Manchester United star for a majority of the match and kept him from having any direct effect on the scoreboard. If Pogba can’t get past a 19-year-old American MLS player, what hope could he possibly have to get past European club-level talent in Russia? None, that’s the answer. Not a great look for a $105 million player.
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2. France should move on from Hugo Lloris.
Julian Green’s opening goal was a thing of beauty. The only problem was where the shot was located. The near-post should be the easiest possible area to cover for a keeper at any level, let alone one who’s considered one of the best in the world. This isn’t FIFA '14. This is real life. There’s no excuse for that. Green has been rather disappointing in his USMNT career, but somehow made this elite keeper look like an amateur. This would be a little more acceptable if Lloris did not already have a history of bad mistakes at the international level. With the World Cup around the corner, he might be too much of a liability to start.
3. Denmark and Peru should be the new two favorites to come out of Group C
Denmark and Peru both played international friendlies Saturday. Denmark defeated Mexico at home 2-0 with Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen scoring one goal and assisting on another. Peru drew 0-0 against Sweden in an away game, but led the game in possession and shot count. Each team ended their respective pre-tournament campaigns on a high note with more talent than the United States brought to France. The doubts should certainly be creeping in towards the minds of Les Bleus of life outside of the knockout stages