In a hard-fought performance, Christian Pulisic’s first-half goal saw the United States overcome Iran and advance to the Round of 16. Once again, the Americans dominated the first half, but a poor second half nearly saw the underdogs find a late equalizer. Despite allowing several chances as the match came to a close, the backline was in fine form, and the American forwards ran wild against the Iranian defense.
Matt Turner – 7
While Iran put just one shot on target, Turner did well claiming loose balls in the 18-yard box.
Tim Ream – 8
Once again, Ream was in fantastic form for the United States. He dominated the Iran offensive front and passed the ball exceptionally well.
Cameron Carter-Vickers – 7
Like his partner, Carter-Vickers took care of business on the backline. With Walker Zimmerman relegated to the bench, the longtime prospect stepped up and calmly intercepted passes and kept the ball moving efficiently.
Antonee Robinson – 7
Opposite of Sergino Dest, Robinson stretched the field, often playing high and wide. Early on, he gave Ramin Rezaeian problems with his creativity, but the defender was able to curb his influence as the match progressed.
Sergino Dest – 8
The 20-year-old had one of his best matches in a U.S. jersey. He was dynamic on the right wing and played a beautiful cross to Pulisic to open scoring for the favorites.
Tyler Adams – 8
From his position in the defensive midfield, Adams’ quality again reared its head. The captain was a force for his country, winning tackles, retaining possession and helping build attacks from the back in an Ismael Bennacer-esque performance.
Yunus Musah – 8
While Musah played a free-roaming midfield role, many of his touches came on the right wing. He combined well with Dest and played several key passes into the attacking third for the forwards.
Weston McKennie – 5.5
McKennie was not at his best, taking a few poor touches in the midfield. While other American players were stepping up and taking charge, McKennie was quiet, lacking his usual influence.
Christian Pulisic – 8
Despite Iran’s compact defensive structure, Pulisic was able to turn in a clutch first-half performance. After a frustrating start to the match, he found space between the opposing centre-backs and scored a close-range volley on a cross from Dest. Unfortunately, the winger left the match with an injury at halftime.
Timothy Weah – 7.5
From the right wing, Weah was again a creative force. Against Milad Mohammadi, he created ample space while looking to cut inside. In the first half, he sparked several quality chances for the Stars and Stripes.
Josh Sargent – 6.5
The striker had some decent moments, creating a few chances with his hold-up play. However, he again failed to put the ball in the net on three shots.
CHRISTIAN PULISIC.
OF COURSE ? pic.twitter.com/tNev7aNcUX
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 29, 2022
Substitutes
Brenden Aaronson – 6
The midfielder, who has been fantastic for the U.S. off the bench, came on at halftime for Pulisic. From the midfield, he showed off his strong technical ability, but his performance was somewhat inconsistent.