Sebastian Berhalter started the scoring with a thunderous goal and Alex Freeman added a pair of first-period goals as the United States swept Uruguay in a 5-1 friendly victory at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday night.
The United States took a surprising lead in the first half when Berhalter fired a set-piece past Uruguayan goalkeeper Cristopher Fiermarin.
And the surprises kept coming for the Americans, who were playing without some of their biggest stars such as Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams.
Ten minutes later, Freeman beat Fiermarin with a towering header off a corner kick for his first American goal, then scored again as he tiptoed through the Uruguayan defense and fired in from point-blank range to make it 3-0.
The goals kept coming for the United States as Diego Luna finished off a good team move down the left flank with a first shot before Uruguay finally got on the scoreboard with a beautiful overhead kick from Giorgian de Arrascaeta that sent the visitors to the locker room trailing 4-1.
American coach Mauricio Pochettino seemed irritated by the late goal when he spoke to TNT during a halftime interview.
“We need to maintain our intensity and concentration,” Pochettino said. “That can't happen. Now we have to control the emotions and control the second half. That's the most difficult thing.”
Pochettino made nine changes to the line-up that beat Paraguay 2-1 on Saturday, with Sergiño Dest and goalkeeper Matthew Freese the only two players to return to the XI.
Giovanni Reyna, who scored in his first start for the United States since the summer of 2024, was one of those left out of the lineup, but replaced Luna in the 61st minute with his team still leading 4-1.
Uruguay were down to 10 players shortly after Reyna took the field when Rodrigo Bentancur received a straight red card for a sliding tackle that caught Berhalter in the lower leg.
The Americans took advantage of the extra man when Reyna set up fellow substitute Tanner Tessmann for his first goal in an American jersey to extend the lead to four goals.
The result marked the first time the United States scored five goals against a team that won a World Cup or any team from South America and helps Pochettino's team finish a tumultuous calendar year on a high.
The Americans have won four games, including three in a row, during the five-game unbeaten streak against teams heading to the World Cup.
Next year, the United States will play two friendlies in March, likely against Portugal and Belgium, and then two more in late May or early June before hosting the World Cup in their own country along with Canada and Mexico next summer.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this summary.
