Peyton Miller Starts in USMNT Win Over Peru

The United States Men's National Team began the road to the 2030 FIFA World Cup with a 4-1 win over Peru.

The matchup saw Peyton Miller earn his first start for the senior national team while Brooklyn Raines was on the bench. Matt Freese started in goal with Alex Freeman opposite Miller. The center back pairing of George Campbell and Auston Trusty completed the backline.

16-year-old Cavan Sullivan started alongside USMNT veterans Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna in the midfield.

It didn't take long for the United States to find the back of the net, with Justin Ellis scoring courtesy of a Reyna free kick sent into the box. Ellis flicked it to the back post in the fourth minute to give the U.S. the early lead.

But Peru would strike back in the 15th minute. After a spell of possession, courtesy of a Campbell giveaway. Peru sent a ball into the box. Miller and Trusty lost track of forward Gianluca Lapadula, who won the header over the Revolution outside back and nodded the ball past Freese.

Miller would make up for the effort by jumpstarting the USMNT attack in the 21st minute. His pass found Tillman in the box, but the World Cup star failed to bury the chance. Sullivan tried to tap home the rebound but instead got shoves from Peru defenders for the physicality near Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.

Peru got another chance from a header in the 31st minute. Oliver Sonne leapt over Miller this time, but Freese was able to make the save.

Outside of the early chances, the USMNT struggled to create anything meaningful in attack. It concluded the first half with a great build-up that saw Adams rocket a shot on goal that was deflected out for a corner.

Tillman struggled throughout the first 45 minutes and missed chances he should have buried. Additionally, Trusty and Campbell didn't look too strong as a center back pairing. The search for a partner for Chris Richards still appears to be on.

Of the youngsters, Ellis did a good job burying his goal, Miller looked great in attack, and Sullivan brought a level of grit and skill that the team has been missing. Miller will need to work on his defending, but his positive play outweighed him getting dunked on twice.

At half, the only change the USMNT made was taking out Freese in favor of Diego Kochen. Miller got off to a good start, drawing fouls and aiding in the U.S. attack.

But the U.S. attack struggled to put the final pieces together. It could hold possession and enter the final third but struggled to get shots off and get the crucial go-ahead goal.

By the 60th minute, Peru had taken control of the game. It was building up possession and getting chances in the final third.

The U.S. responded by making numerous changes that included taking out Miller in favor of Antonee Robinson in the 61st minute. Miller's night ended with him creating one big chance and completing 36 of his 37 pass attempts.

Additionally, Mathias Albert, Zavier Gozo, Sebastian Berhalter, and Julian Hall replaced Ellis, Sullivan, Yunus Musah, and Reyna.

Albert made an immediate impact in the 63rd minute, drawing a penalty, albeit it looked like a slight dive. Tillman took the penalty, and Gallese guessed right, but the shot blasted off his fingertips and into the back of the net in the 67th minute.

The goals would keep coming as Hall would score in his USMNT debut. Berhalter sent a cross into the box that skirted past the Peruvian backline and found Hall at the back post, and the Red Bull attacker tapped it home in the 72nd minute.

Raines would make his debut in the 77th minute, replacing Tillman, while Frankie Westfield replaced Freeman. The final changes of the match came in the 87th minute as Adams and Campbell were replaced by Adri Mehmeti and Neil Pierre.

Berhalter and Robinson would cap off the match with a beautiful goal. Robinson played a perfect through ball that Berhalter got onto, and the former Vancouver Whitecap blasted a shot into the back of the net in the 90th minute.

Largely, the United States had more bite in the attack once the changes were made. Whether that is due to the youngsters who were brought into the game or the veterans remains to be seen. Hall was one of the better insertions into the game, while Berhalter had a stellar performance as a more veteran player.