Recap: United States 4 - 0 Ghana

Gregg Berhalter and the USMNT end October's slate of games with a big win over Ghana!

The United States Men’s National Team took the field at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, as they closed this window of international friendlies against Ghana. The US came into Tuesday’s contest looking to bounce back after suffering a 3-1 loss to Germany in Hartford.

Gregg Berhalter made three changes to the lineup from Saturday. Former Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner started in goal as Kristoffer Lund, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, and Sergiño Dest comprised the backline. Yunus Musah, Johnny Cardoso, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, and Tim Weah formed the midfield, while Folarin Balogun served as the lone striker.

Dest got the offense rolling in the 10th minute as he sprung a ball forward to Balogun on the right flank. Balogun sent a cross centrally, but it was cleared. The clearance fell right to Gio Reyna, who buried the ball into the back of the net to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead.

Ghana’s Gideon Mensah made a massive mistake in the 18th minute as he committed a foul on Weah inside the box that awarded the U.S. a penalty kick. Pulisic stepped up and sent the penalty centrally and into the back of the net to double the lead.

A golden opportunity for the U.S. in the 22nd minute as a turnover in Ghana’s defensive half resulted in Tim Weah gaining possession. Weah sent the ball centrally to Balogun, who easily slotted the ball into the net to make it 3-0 USA.

A strange series of events occurred in the 38th minute as Pulisic drove up the left flank and looked to send a ball centrally. Nicholas Opoku slid and gained possession before awkwardly sitting on the pitch while maintaining a hold of the ball. Balogun attempted to dispossess Opoku before the referee blew the whistle and signaled for an indirect free kick for the U.S.

Balogun, Pulisic, and Reyna stood over the ball as the trio soon played hot potato with the ball. Pulisic cut the ball back for Reyna, who wound up and sent a shot toward the top right corner. Reyna’s strike took a slight deflection off a Ghanan defender, but it deflected into the net as the U.S. extended their lead to four.

Mohammed Kudus nearly drew one back for Ghana in the 41st minute as his shot from outside the box took a deflection off a defender and altered the ball’s trajectory. It wasn’t a challenge for Matt Turner as he quickly adjusted and got to the ball.

There were three changes before the start of the second half as Ricardo Pepi, Brendan Aaronson, and Weston McKennie came on for Florian Balogun, Gio Reyna, and Christian Pulisic. The 65th minute saw Lennard Maloney make his USMNT debut as he replaced Johnny Cardoso. Another change in the 72nd minute as Cameron Carter Vickers replaced Chris Richards. The final United States change came in the 75th minute as Luca de la Torre came on for Yunus Musah.

After a disappointing loss to Germany in their October opener, Gregg Berhalter and the United States ended the international campaign with a triumphant 4-0 victory.

The USMNT returns to action a month from now as they continue CONCACAF Nations League action as they travel to Austin, Texas, on November 16th at 8:30 PM ET on TNT to face Trinidad & Tobago.