ST. LOUIS -- The U.S. men's national team scored four goals on Tuesday night. The second and fourth goals will be the ones most discussed.
They came from teenagers Julian Hall and Mathis Albert, providing more reason for the excitement and optimism that have defined this camp.
The duo helped the USMNT defeat Chile 4-2 in a back-and-forth friendly, securing a second consecutive win over South American opposition. All eyes have been on this group's young stars. Once again, they delivered.
Hall scored the U.S.' s second goal, a fantastic header from a Gio Reyna delivery that leveled the score at 2-2 in the second half. It came after the striker had generated, but failed to finish, multiple chances. The goal was deserved, then, for a player whose head never dipped and whose energy never waned.
Albert's goal was icing on the cake. With just moments remaining, the 17-year-old Borussia Dortmund starlet smashed home his first USMNT goal. His shot hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced in, sparking one last celebration on a night that had already offered plenty. With it, Albert became the youngest scorer in USMNT history in the modern era.
While Hall's resilience and Albert's big goal will grab the headlines, Sebastian Berhalter was the clear Man of the Match. The Middlesbrough midfielder scored one and assisted another against Peru in the USMNT's first game of the window. On Tuesday, he did it again. Berhalter scored the opener, then teed up Chris Richards for the eventual winner just moments after Mauricio Pochettino introduced a wave of substitutes.
Once again, Pochettino played plenty of kids in this one. Hall was among the starters, as were fellow rising stars Neil Pierre, Adri Mehmeti, Frankie Westfield and Brooklyn Raines. All had moments to build on. All had moments to learn from, too.
That is the theme of this camp, after all, and once again, the USMNT got it right. Young stars performed, veterans stepped up and, ultimately, the U.S. found a way to win.
GOAL rates the USMNT's players from Energizer Park...







