USA vs Uzbekistan live score, updates, highlights as USMNT leads friendly early on Tim Weah goal

By | September 9, 2023
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After Anthony Hudson and BJ Callaghan bridged the gap over the summer, Gregg Berhalter returns as head coach of the USMNT for a second stint in charge as the United States meet Uzbekistan in an international friendly.

Berhalter stepped away following the 2022 World Cup, as his contract had expired, but after winning a second four-year cycle via a full coaching search, he now returns to lead the way.

With the U.S. set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the next three years are of the highest importance to the federation’s long-term health, and this match has the feeling of a new beginning even as the old boss returns to the helm.

74th-ranked Uzbekistan will provide stiff competition, as the Asian nation fell just short of World Cup qualification in each of the last two cycles.

The Sporting News is following the USA vs Uzbekistan match live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.

MORE: Full USMNT roster for September friendlies vs Uzbekistan and Oman

USA vs Uzbekistan live score

  Score (1H) Goal scorers
USA 1 Weah (4′)
Uzbekistan 0 –

Starting lineups:

USA (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Turner (GK) — 2. Dest, 4. Richards, 13. Ream, 5. A. Robinson — 8. McKennie, 6. Musah, 14. de la Torre — 21. Weah, 20. Balogun, 10. Pulisic.

Uzbekistan (3-5-2 right to left): 1. Yusupov (GK) — 5. Ashurmatov, 23. Aliqulov, 15. Eshmurodov— 3. Alijonov, 7. Shukurov, 11. Urunov, 9. Hamrobekov, 4. Sayfiev — 10. Masharipov, 14. Shomurodov.

USA vs Uzbekistan live updates, highlights, commentary

USA vs Uzbekistan: First Half

12th min: Uzbekistan has hardly had a touch on the ball, with half as many passes as the United States thus far.  They look to break but Chris Richards makes an excellent sliding tackle to stop the move in its tracks.

4th min: GOAL! USA! WHAT A RIP BY TIM WEAH! He opens the scoring in emphatic fashion, with an absolute howitzer from a tight angle. Christian Pulisic’s ball into the penalty area is deftly brought down by Weston McKennie, and amidst pressure from no less than four defenders with his back to goal, he manages to hold possession and feed Juventus teammate Weah.

The right winger then unleashes a laser that surprises Utkir Yusupov and ripples the net!

3rd min: It’s a sleepy start from both teams thus far. The U.S. has held most of the possession, but Uzbekistan are mucking up the midfield and keeping numbers behind the ball. Christian Pulisic is an early target for the U.S. in the buildup, but he can’t find a way through. Antonee Robinson blasts a shot from distance miles over the crossbar into Row Z.

Kickoff: Gregg Berhalter’s second tenure as USMNT head coach is under way! It’s his first match in charge since defeat to the Netherlands in the 2022 World Cup Round of 16.

It appears that CityPark will not be sold out this evening, as the approximate 22,500 capacity is not expected to be reached. Not close, even, with a report that only 16,000 are expected to attend.

USA vs Uzbekistan: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more

5 mins to kickoff: Just prior to kickoff, U.S. Soccer held a ceremony on the pitch to honor those from St. Louis to play for the USMNT. An incredible 76 players from St. Louis have earned at least one cap for the U.S. senior squad, which is the highest of any city in the United States, and third-highest amongst markets.

Nine percent of all players to ever play for the United States national team have hailed from St. Louis! Tonight’s captain Tim Ream is from St. Louis, a fitting tribute. A true United States soccer hub!

15 mins to kickoff: Weston McKennie tells the TNT broadcast that it’s “good for everyone” that Gregg Berhalter is back at head coach. While some fans disagree, the squad has backed Berhalter every step of the way, almost unanimously. It’s easy to do when Berhalter is on staff, but they were supporting their World Cup head coach even while his future was in doubt.

30 mins to kickoff: The legend of Tim Ream continues to grow. Now 35 years old, the Fulham defender has earned the captain’s armband at a match in his hometown of St. Louis. Ream told The Sporting News back in the aftermath of the 2022 World Cup that he’s targeting a spot on the 2026 roster, despite his advanced age.

After bagging another Premier League goal just before departing for USMNT duty, would anyone doubt him at this point?

45 mins to kickoff: A fun little lineup nugget for the United States: there are three different pairs of European club teammates in the USMNT XI today. Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah are now together after both joining AC Milan this summer, Tim Weah also joined Weston McKennie at another Italian club Juventus, and longtime Fulham teammates Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream start together again.

This has never happened before in USMNT history. In fact, they’ve only ever had two European club teammate pairs on the field twice before, the last being 2012.

1 hour to kickoff: The USMNT lineup is out, and it’s exactly how Gregg Berhalter predicted yesterday. The only position in question was the No. 6, and Luca de la Torre shakes off his slight calf injury to get the start. We could still see Tanner Tessman come in at some point. Tim Ream, the squad’s elder statesman, wears the captain’s armband.

For Uzbekistan, their lineup is mostly as expected too, but a few tweaks hint at a formational change. They appear to be starting three center-backs, indicating a three-back line as Abdulla Abdullaev enters the fray.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: One interesting storyline over the next few months for the U.S. national team will be to sort out the midfield. At the moment, when at full strength, Gregg Berhalter has four viable starting options for three midfield spots: Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, and Gio Reyna.

Adams and Reyna are currently recovering from injuries, so they will not feature today, but the narrative still lives. With Luca de la Torre or Tanner Tessman set to play the No. 6, Musah will feature in a No. 8 role, while McKennie will play a sort of No. 8/10 hybrid. Musah has excelled at the No. 6 before, but his deployment at the No. 8 even while Adams is out injured could mean that Berhalter sees him at that spot regardless, and that the real battle could be between McKennie and Reyna down the road.

Musah’s performances today and down the road, therefore, will be watched closely. It’s a good problem for Berhalter to have!

1 hour 30 mins to kick: Today’s venue is CityPark in St. Louis, a soccer-specific stadium built for MLS club St. Louis City SC which seats around 22,500 fans. It broke ground in 2020 and was opened less than a calendar year ago, with a November 2022 friendly between St. Louis City 2 and Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen serving as the arena’s first official event.

1 hour 45 mins to kick: One of the biggest things from Gregg Berhalter’s pre-match press conference was that he indicated his goal in the upcoming World Cup cycle is to “change soccer in America forever, both on and off the field.”

The players seem to be on the same page, as Weston McKennie indicated.

“We set out on a mission four years ago to change the way the world views American soccer,” McKennie said. “Now our motto is to change soccer in America forever.”

2 hours to kickoff: Gregg Berhalter will likely at some point — either tonight or Tuesday — give time to Inter Miami midfielder Benja Cremaschi, who is deciding whether to commit to the United States or Argentina on an international level.

Christian Pulisic says he’s been impressed with Cremaschi both watching Inter Miami and in training, and Berhalter will want to give him a chance in a U.S. kit as he looks to ward off Cremaschi’s club teammate Lionel Messi who is no doubt looking to recruit the 18-year-old as well.

USA vs Uzbekistan lineups & team news

Christian Pulisic, who has begun life at AC Milan with a bang, leads the attacking unit for the United States, Gregg Berhalter confirmed before the match. Folarin Balogun will be deployed at striker, but will come off at halftime as he is yet to play at club level this season after securing a move to AS Monaco just days ago. Ricardo Pepi has ridden the bench for much of his early time at PSV, but he will get a chance to shine in the second half.

The most notable absentee for the United States is Gio Reyna, who was not called after only just returning to Borussia Dortmund training, still recovering from a leg fracture suffered on summer Nations League duty. Also unavailable for selection due to injury are Tyler Adams, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Josh Sargent, and Alejandro Zendejas.

It’s thought that Inter Miami midfielder Benja Cremaschi will see time in this international window, but he will not start against Uzbekistan, as Berhalter has decided to go with Luca de la Torre in midfield. De la Torre has proven fit enough to start despite pulling up with a slight calf injury, and with Tanner Tessman tipped to be his possible understudy, the Venezia midfielder still could play a part this evening.

Cremaschi’s club teammate Drake Callender has been called up to the September U.S. squad but will not take part in this match, only joining camp on Sunday after he plays for Inter Miami on Saturday against Sporting KC.

USA starting lineup (4-3-3): Turner (GK) — Dest, Richards, Ream, A. Robinson — McKennie, Musah, de la Torre — Weah, Balogun, Pulisic.

USA subs (12): Horvath (GK), McKenzie, M. Robinson, Scally, Lund, Paredes, Tessmann, Tillman, Cremaschi, Cowell, Aaronson, Pepi.

Uzbekistan’s most experienced player is 28-year-old striker Eldor Shomurodov who is at Serie A side Cagliari, on loan from Roma, and captains his international team. He has 37 goals in 66 caps for the White Wolves, including nine in his past 11 appearances, and is one of only two players in this squad to boast double-digit international goals.

The other is playmaker Jaloliddin Masharipov, who was briefly club teammates with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr last season but has yet to find a new home after his contract expired this summer.

There isn’t much youth in this Uzbekistan squad, but 22-year-old midfielder Oston Urunov provides some promise, already with 15 international caps and three goals to his name.

Uzbekistan starting lineup (3-5-2): Yusupov (GK) — Ashurmatov, Aliqulov, Eshmurodov— Alijonov, Shukurov, Urunov, Hamrobekov, Sayfiev — Masharipov, Shomurodov.

Uzbekistan subs (12): U. Ergashev (GK), B. Ergashev (GK), Azmiddinov, Nasrullaev, Abdullaev, Turgunboev, Ganiev, Iskanderov, Ismoilov, Saitov, Abdikholikov, Mozgovoy.

How to watch USA vs Uzbekistan

This international friendly between the United States and Uzbekistan will be televised in the U.S. on TNT as part of the new long-term broadcast deal with U.S. Soccer.

It will also be shown on Telemundo and Universo in Spanish.

All three channels are available to stream via Fubo in the United States.

MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA

  TV channel Streaming
USA TNT, Universo, Telemundo Fubo, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Universo NOW

USA vs Uzbekistan betting odds & lines

As a World Cup knockout-stage participant, the U.S. is understandably favored as they host 74th-ranked Uzbekistan in St. Louis.

The U.S. has tasted defeat just once in four matches against Asian opponents under Gregg Berhalter, dropping a 2-0 friendly result to Japan two years ago in Germany. They beat Qatar in the 2021 Gold Cup and topped Iran at the most recent World Cup, while drawing Saudi Arabia in a pre-World Cup friendly.

Uzbekistan was not far off from World Cup qualification two tournaments ago, failing to reach the playoff stage on goal differential in the 2018 cycle. This past World Cup, they missed out after finishing second behind Saudi Arabia in their second-round group.

  USA
win		 Draw Uzbekistan
win		 Both teams
to score Y / N		 Over / Under
2.5 goals		 USA
-1.5		 UZB
+1.5
BetMGM
(USA)		 -350 +450 +900 +130 / -185 -140 / +100 — —
Sports
Interaction
(Canada)		 -388 +402 +800 +118 / -185 -139 / +100 -118 -114

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