Rude World Cup awakening! USMNT player ratings after draw with Saudi Arabia

5:31 PM EDT 9/27/22

GOAL breaks down how players fared in the final pre-World Cup friendly

For the second time this international window, the U.S. men's national team limped through a lifeless 90-minute performance.

And, with the World Cup less than two months away, there's reason to be worried about that fact.

Following a 2-0 loss to Japan to open the window, the U.S. improved ever so slightly in a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia. The performance was a little bit better against a team that was a little bit worse, but it was nothing that will inspire confidence as Qatar looms.

There were a few players that looked solid enough, although there weren't many that truly stood out. And, as the clock ticks, there are still so many questions that don't have answers after what essentially felt like a waste of an international break

With that said, here's a look at how USMNT players fared against Saudi Arabia:

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Matt Turner

Relatively solid, making a few key saves including one just seconds into the game. Distribution wasn't perfect, but, overall, another good outing for a player that probably should start in Qatar.
Rating: 6/10
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Sergino Dest

Playing on the left, it wasn't anything special from Dest. He did what he usually does in terms of getting into the attack, and he did what he usually does in terms of having a few shaky defensive moments.
Rating: 5/10
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Aaron Long

Another rough outing for Long, who probably shouldn't start in Qatar. Nothing catastrophic leading to a goal, and the U.S. did maintain a clean sheet so you can't hit him too hard, but distribution was poor once again.
Rating: 5/10
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Walker Zimmerman

Much better this time around. Passing was significantly improved as he hit several good long balls, although he would be better served playing next to a batter passer than Long.
Rating: 6/10
DeAndre Yedlin

Among the brighter performers. Yedlin was super active down the right side, even if he couldn't find the final ball. Overall, a performance that shows why he should be in Qatar as Dest's backup.
Rating: 7/10
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Tyler Adams

A typical Tyler Adams performance. Ran all over the place, made several tackles and covered a lot of ground without another holding midfielder next to him. That said, it would have been nice to see a bit more ambition when on the ball.
Rating: 6/10
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Kellyn Acosta

Nothing spectacular or truly memorable from Acosta, who is very much a depth piece heading to Qatar. He's good enough to be a reliable backup, but wasn't able to really impact the game this time around.
Rating: 4/10
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Weston McKennie

Better than last game, but that's not saying much. Still a bit too turnover prone and looked nothing like the McKennie USMNT fans know and love.
Rating: 4/10
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Christian Pulisic

Combined well early, but was never really able to create anything. Faded big time as the game went on and missed some opportunities to find space as he dropped too deep.
Rating: 4/10
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Gio Reyna

Played just 30 minutes before being replaced by Arriola. Described as a "precaution", but it was frustrating to see Reyna limp down the tunnel once again with the World Cup coming so soon.
Rating: 5/10
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Ricardo Pepi

Not the performance he needed. Pepi was completely ineffective, touching the ball just 13 times during his minutes on the field as his path to Qatar is even more uncertain than it was one week ago.
Rating: 3/10
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Substitutes

Paul Arriola: Made a huge tackle, but wasn't crisp after replacing Reyna. 5/10
Jesus Ferreira: More energy than Pepi, but no goal threat. 5/10
Joe Scally: Perhaps the biggest winner. Shined after coming on in the second half. 7/10
Mark McKenzie: Several bad giveaways. Still in the hunt for Qatar. 4/10
Malik Tillman: Only a few minutes. Would have been nice to see more. N/A
Brenden Aaronson: We know what he's about. Decent cameo. N/A
Gregg Berhalter

This wasn't the performance the USMNT needed. Berhalter bemoaned the lack of confidence, but there was also a lack of effort. Call it what you like, but the U.S. look nothing like a World Cup team, let alone a World Cup contender.
Rating: 4/10