USMNT Top Three Performers in the Group Stage

By Billy McGee - @iambillymcgee

Photo courtesy of Cisco's Art/TopBin90

The USMNT finished Group D at the top with six points after defeating Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0, and ending the group stage with a 3-2 loss to Turkiye. They will be matched against Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight in the Round of 32 as they look to advance further in the tournament. Several players impressed across the three games; here's our top three performers from the group stage.

Folarin Balogun - The 24-year-old striker was the leading scorer for the U.S. in the group stage, scoring both of his goals against Paraguay, becoming just the second USMNT player to score multiple goals in a World Cup game. Against Australia, he wasn’t able to find a finish, but was still a pest for the opposition, with six touches in the opposition box and being given a yellow card. Balogun didn’t appear in the game against Turkiye, as the USMNT had already won the group before the game.

Weston McKennie - McKennie was the only player to start all three games of the group stage for the U.S., and although he didn’t record a goal contribution, he gave good performances in each game. Against Paraguay, he created the joint-most chances (3), had nine touches in the opposition box and went a perfect 3/3 on successful dribbles. Against Australia, he once again created three chances, the most in the match, made four passes into the final third and was not dispossessed a single time. In the final match against Turkiye, he took the joint-most shots (3), putting one on target, made 10 passes into the final third and went a perfect 5/5 on accurate long balls.

Alex Freeman - The 21-year-old defender was a crucial part of the team in the group stage, helping provide a strong back line, starting in the first two games, assisting a goal in the 4-1 win over Paraguay and getting on the scoresheet with a goal of his own against Australia. He was very active on the ball in his two starts, having over 90 touches in each game and also contributing to the distribution from the back, going 8/13 on accurate long balls and making 20 passes into the final third across the three games he played in. Freeman could grow into a star player for the USMNT in the coming years, if this World Cup is any indication of what he will become.