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U.S. men's soccer team routs Ghana, 4-0, in Nashville friendly
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- U.S. men's soccer team routs Ghana, 4-0, in Nashville friendly
The current era of the United States men's national soccer team has been defined by the procession of young, talented prospects who are rising onto the international scene while already making an impact in Europe's top domestic leagues.
The U.S. is perhaps too young, and perhaps doesn't have enough of those players yet, to hang with the world's elite. But against anyone else, there's not much stopping them from taking flight.
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In its first-ever game at Geodis Park, the USMNT thrashed Ghana , 4-0, Tuesday night in a friendly to cap off its second international window of the 2026 cycle under coach Gregg Berhalter. The U.S. improved its all-time record in Nashville to 5-2-2 and won its third straight game against frequent World Cup foe Ghana, which it lost to in 2006 and 2010 and beat in 2014.
Here are takeaways from the USMNT's win.
Folarin Balogun is a difference-maker at striker
Ever since Balogun, who was eligible to represent the United States, England or Nigeria , committed to the USMNT in May, he's shown flashes of being its missing piece; a true No. 9 that could tie the rest of the attack together. Tuesday featured plenty of those flashes.
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Balogun was involved from the beginning, with a shot on goal in the second minute. He often dropped back towards the midfield to join in build-up play, and he joined with Sergino Dest on a nifty series of one-two passes down the flank, leading directly to Gio Reyna's 10th-minute goal which opened the scoring.
The Monaco forward found the scoresheet himself in the 22nd minute, making it 3-0 with a vicious left-footed finish after spinning away from Nicholas Opoku in the box.
The USMNT's forward line of Balogun, Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah was unchanged from Saturday's 3-1 loss to Germany , and all had strong games. Pulisic scored a penalty drawn by Weah in the 19th minute, and Weah had the assist on Balogun's goal.
Gregg Berhalter continues midfield experiments
Defensive midfielder Tyler Adams hasn't featured for his country since a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the World Cup Round of 16 last December due to a hamstring injury he suffered playing for Leeds United in March.
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Without Adams, whose tackling and coverage ahead of the back four make him one of the USMNT's most important players, Berhalter has tried to tinker the midfield. In the loss to Germany, Reyna played as a central attacking midfielder in front of Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah , and against Ghana, Reyna and Musah resumed their roles with Johnny Cardoso starting in place of McKennie.
Reyna, who returned to the USMNT against Germany after missing four months, was a revelation against Ghana. After scoring his first international goal in over two years, he scored on an indirect free kick from inside the box in the 39th minute.
The "MMA" midfield of Adams, McKennie and Musah was the most stable element of the U.S. team in Qatar due to its athleticism and energy. But Reyna, who came off the bench during the World Cup, gives the midfield a jolt of playmaking that the aforementioned trio lacks.
MORE: Hilariously short free kick among USMNT's four first-half goals vs. Ghana
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Calm second half
The United States rocketed out of the gate against Germany, taking the lead on a long strike by Pulisic in the 27th minute. But the four-time world champions flexed their muscle with three goals in the next 30 minutes, putting the game out of reach.
While the USMNT didn't have the pace to keep with Germany and suffered breakdowns in transition which led to goals, it didn't have the same problems Tuesday. The USMNT eased off the attack in the second half, but remained organized on defense and held Ghana to only one shot on goal.
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: USMNT beats Ghana, 4-0, in soccer friendly in Nashville
