The U.S. men's national team defeated Chile 4-2 in an international friendly in St. Louis on Tuesday, September 29.
Mauricio Pochettino named another young lineup that averaged just over 23 years of age. The theme of this window has been a new era of youth taking over and this starting group lived up to that billing.
Sebastian Berhalter scored in his second straight match to get the scoring started in the 37th minute. A comedy of errors in the U.S. box allowed Chile to equalize just before halftime.
The visitors took the lead just four minutes after the break with a nice strike by Maximiliano Gutiérrez. Julian Hall only needed two minutes to bring the Americans level with his second goal in his second international appearance.
Chris Richards came
off the bench to put his team ahead in the 72nd minute. Before the final whistle, USMNT history was made as Borussia Dortmund's Mathis Albert became the youngest player to score for the team.
The USMNT returns to the field against Mexico on Saturday.
Let's take a look at how the U.S. players performed in the win:
USMNT player ratings
GK: Chris Brady - 4.5
It was an up-and-down 45 minutes for the Chicago Fire keeper. While he made a few nice saves, there was one very questionable decision and a mistake leading to a goal mixed in. A mis-punch backwards toward his own goal leading to Chile bundling in their first goal of the match wasn't even the most head-scratching play Brady was involved in. Earlier in the half, he chose not to come out of his goal in what appeared to be an obvious chance to prevent a scoring chance. Instead he elected to stay in his net and allow a one-vs-one chance. To his credit, he made the save, but that doesn't make the decision a good one.
RB: Frankie Westfield - 4
One of the few young players to get a chance and look a bit out of his depth. This is not to say he's a bad player at all. He just didn't have a great showing as his international career gets off the ground.
CB: Neil Pierre - 6
His physical presence is truly stunning along the back line. Someone with that size being defensively sound and also acceptable technically is a fascinating mix. Not to mention how young he is. He has an incredibly bright future ahead of him.
CB: Miles Robinson - 5.5
He continues to be mistake-prone in the back. You have to wonder how many more chances he'll receive.
LB: Antonee Robinson - 6.5
Jedi was Jedi: solid defensively and a pest going forward. He had a golden chance to score a goal, but couldn't finish with his right foot. He's still one of the most important players in the pool.
CM: Adri Mehmeti - 5.5
It was a big chance for the Red Bulls midfielder, but he wasn't able to control the match like he does in MLS. The future is still bright for him, it just wasn't the most impactful start for him.
CM: Brooklyn Raines - 6
Steady and reliable. He didn't have any glaring mistakes as one of the few players to play the full 90. He clearly has some potential as a calming influence in midfield.
CM: Sebastian Berhalter - 8.5
Berhalter's progress continues to be an arrow pointing straight up. He's becoming a vital player for this team and someone Pochettino counts on. He's even starting to add goals on a consistent basis along with being the best set-piece taker in the player pool.
The run from Dest.
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) September 30, 2026
The dummy from Hall.
The finish from Berhalter!#USMNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/vdRuaVej6B
RW: Sergino Dest - 6.5
He was all over the attack and got an assist to show for it, playing the pass that Berhalter eventually put in the net. It's becoming clear that Pochettino values him more as an attacker than as a defender.
LW: Gio Reyna - 7
It was a typical Gio Reyna performance: understated but impactful. He did the little things to help the team create chances. It was his cross that Hall turned in for the second goal of the match. He may not jump out as a vital player, but when he's in form, the attack is usually doing very good things.
ST: Julian Hall - 8.5
The 18-year-old dual national was involved in two goals while on the field. The first was a beautiful and intelligent dummy to allow a square pass to run to Berhalter for the finish. The second saw him get on the end of a looping cross and glance a header into the back of the net.
Two games for Julian Hall.
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) September 30, 2026
Two goals for Julian Hall! #USMNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/Pc1ucRS3CK
If there's one criticism of his performance it's his lack of killer instinct when getting quality chances. He was unable to convert a couple of one-v-one chances, but you have to credit him for some exceptional runs to get those opportunities.
Sub: Brian Schwake - 5.5
Had little to do in his half other than picking the ball out of the net after a great goal.
Sub: Chris Richards - 7.5
He's simply the most irreplaceable player in the player pool right now. He came off the bench, locked down the defense, and scored a header off a corner kick.
Sub: Alex Freeman - 6.5
Got involved a bit in the attack and looked dangerous. His confidence keeps growing.
Sub: Tyler Adams - 6
Didn't touch the ball much but he got in the faces of every single Chile player in a late mass confrontation. No notes.
Sub: Auston Trusty - 6.5
Credited with an assist on Albert's goal. He didn't have much to do on the defensive end.
Sub: Malik Tillman - 7
Even in his few minutes, he made a real impact with his quality. Chile had no answer for him as he dominated the space in front of their box and helped cause problems.
Sub: Damion Downs - 5
Didn't have much impact after entering the match.
Sub: Mathis Albert - 7
The 17-year-old becomes the youngest USMNT goalscorer ever. It wasn't the most clinical of finishes, but it's clear he's a top talent.
BAR DOWN AND IN FOR MATHIS ALBERT! 💥#USMNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/gF5OvCaiqh
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) September 30, 2026
Sub: Cavan Sullivan - 8
Was on the field for 10 minutes and seemingly beat 10 players on the dribble. The kid is absolutely electric on the ball.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USMNT vs. Chile player ratings: Albert makes history in wild win
