The U.S. Men’s National Team faced off against Uruguay this Sunday, June 5th. The hopes are high as the U.S. has not performed well on the world stage in the past. They did not qualify in 2018 and never finished higher than 8th during the previous 7 tries. It’s fair to say that the United States is eager to see their team succeed in the World Cup for once. Let’s see how they fared against Uruguay in their most recent match.

Let’s start off by pointing out that the final score was 0-0. This is concerning as the United States didn’t have the firepower to take down a solid team like Uruguay. They edged Uruguay in time of possession, as they controlled the ball for 54% of the game. This will only take them so far, as goals are far more important than simply controlling the ball. Uruguay had more shots (12-9) and shots on goal (4-3). Uruguay also had more crosses and (14-9) and both teams had 4 corners. Overall, it appears as though the U.S. played fairly well, but not well enough to win.

There are more positives than negatives to take away from the match, as the U.S. did have some bright spots. They didn’t lose, which is very important, but they also didn’t draw a yellow or red card and were able to manage their fouls, committing 12 total. They are controlling the ball well and are putting up a fight against a good team like Uruguay. The defense needs to step up and allow less shots on goal, but a clean sheet is nothing to complain about. They didn’t appear outmatched though, as they held their own and played a competitive game.

After analyzing the match, I’m still not convinced that the U.S. Men are a formidable team yet. They need to knock off tough opponents like this if they hope to be taken seriously. There are some positives but far more negatives.Even while watching the match live they just don’t appear to be a formidable force yet. There are more friendlies to be played, but for now there is a lot left to be desired.