A young, inexperienced United States national team was not expected to do much against France, one of the favorites for the 2018 World Cup, but it managed to turn out an impressive performance in a 1-1 draw.
Despite France controlling large stretches of the game, and Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann not finishing solid chances, the USMNT performed well against superior opposition.
The USMNT goal came courtesy of Julian Green , who pounced on a Djibril Sidibe mistake and delivered an excellent shot to beat Hugo Lloris and give the visitors a shock lead.
Kylian Mbappe managed to pull the hosts level late in the second half, but Les Blues were unable to find the winner as they leave for Russia following the friendly draw.
While Mbappe got the goal, he found life difficult thanks to the efforts of center-back Tim Parker, who was there to break up attacks and was a big part in a strong performance by the USMNT back line.
It won’t count for much this year, as the USMNT will now head home after missing out on the 2018 World Cup, but it is a nice feather in the caps of this young squad as they look to build off their success in this contest and take that momentum with them as they return to their clubs.
G Zack Steffen, 8: Did not have to stand on his head despite France’s control of possession. However, he was there when called upon and sure-handed as well. Nothing he could do on the goal made a great save on a rebound chance by Ousmane Dembele at the death.
D Shaq Moore, 6: Had his issues defensively, as Mendy and Hernandez both gave him problems. But his dangerous cross not dealt with by Sidibe led to the USMNT goal.
D Cameron Carter-Vickers, 7: May have a touch fortunate to avoid a penalty in the first half but for the most part defended well. He was the closest to Mbappe on the goal, but couldn’t really be faulted on it.
D Matt Miazga, 7: Like his partners on the back line, had plenty to do. France did not score while he was on the field, however, and he deserves credit for that. Unlucky to be forced off after clashing heads with Giroud.
D Tim Parker, 8: Made good clearances when the USMNT was under pressure and had plenty questions asked of him. He answered nearly all of them well and was the best defender on the night.
D Antonee Robinson, 7: Used his pace to great effect and was better at identifying runs than he did against Bolivia, against much better opposition.
M Wil Trapp, 7: Had a lot to do with having to track runs from Griezmann and Mbappe. Was composed the rare times he had the ball, and was efficient in his passing.
M Tyler Adams, 7: Did a lot of little things with a lot of interceptions and clearances. His passing however, was the worst of the midfielders and does deserve some of the blame for the USMNT struggling with possession in the early going. Improved as the game went along.
M Weston McKennie, 7: Ran a great deal but did not get to see a lot of the ball. Missed a few tackles, but overall, a solid performance in difficult circumstances.
F Julian Green, 7.5: Struggled in the early going with few touches and had an early giveaway that Pogba hit the post on. However, more than made up for it with his effort on the goal, beating Sidibe to the ball and hitting a well-struck shot on target. Aside from the mistake early on, was actually very tidy with his passing.
F Bobby Wood, 6.5: Struggled with the timing of his runs all game, but did contribute to the build up of the first goal by spraying it out to Moore. Understandably lacked service.
Substitutes:
D Eric Palmer-Brown, 6: Came in for Miazga and was not as good on the ball, but made some clearances. Solid performance given the difficulty of opposition.
D DeAndre Yedlin, 6: Came on for Moore and never really got involved in anything offensively. However, seemed to handle threats down his side a little better than Moore.
D Jorge Villafana, NA: Came on in late and didn’t do anything wrong as he helped the USMNT close out the draw.
M Joe Corona, 5: Came on for Green as was less involved offensively, making just a handful of passes. Made a dangerous run forward but couldn’t put his chance on goal, and then lost Thomas Lemar for a France chance late.
F Josh Sargent, 5.5: Had just two passes in the entirety of his time in the field, though he did have a part in the build up to Corona’s chance in the second half.