USMNT Winners and Losers: Justin Ellis delivers through an injury and Alex Freeman shines as Yunus Musah struggles in gritty win over Jesse Marsch's Canada

Following a hard foul midway through the first half, Ellis was down for a significant period of time. He hobbled towards the sidelines and, after a few minutes, hobbled back on. He never looked 100 percent after.

Yet he still got his goal, as even an apparent injury couldn't keep him off the scoresheet.

Ellis' goal was pure grit, as he crashed the back post to turn home an Alex Freeman cross. The celebrations were somewhat muted, largely because Ellis couldn't exactly sprint towards the corner flag. Yet, he soldiered on through the first half, ensuring the USMNT took a 1-0 lead and ultimately held onto it through halftime.

The goal was Ellis' second of the break, which means he now has twice as many senior USMNT goals as senior club goals with Orlando City. His dynamism up top has never been in doubt, but his ability to find the net has. He's now showing that he does, in fact, have that goalscoring touch, even in moments where it hurts to do so.

Given the nature of the rivalry, it was no surprise that the game was physical. There are ways to contain physical games, though, and referee Steven Madrigal didn't do much of that.

Fortunately, the game never really boiled over, but it was fairly disjointed. The USMNT, for example, suffered 13 fouls in the first half. That was the most in a first half since a 2012 match against Guatemala in World Cup qualifying. The sheer amount of fouls led to a game that had little rhythm, but the actual inconsistency of the foul calls themselves led to confusion about where the lines were being drawn by the referee.

Of course, the players deserve some blame for trying to walk that line physically, but it's up to the referee to maintain the game. Madrigal wasn't able to do it.

He gets better every game, and he was very, very good in this match.

The assist was the highlight, of course, as it was an example of the danger Freeman poses going forward. His ability to supercharge an attack was what got him into the USMNT picture in the first place, as his MLS breakout was defined by his attacking abilities. Those have never been in question, but they continue to evolve.

Now, when the USMNT have the ball, Freeman is becoming more aggressive, calling for the ball in dangerous areas and escaping them with ease. And, when the USMNT don't have the ball, he's continuing to dominate defensively. Canada's Jacob Shaffelburg, who was often matched up against Freeman, had no chance on either side of the ball. When Freeman plays like this, few players will.

Over the last few months, Musah has shown his quality as a central midfielder at Milan. Yet, he never stood out in the various roles Pochettino played him in this camp, with this game being his most perplexing.

The 2022 World Cup veteran was often set up out wide Tuesday, and he never looked close to comfortable throughout his 45-minute runout. He completed just eight of his 11 passes, and all three that he missed were fairly noticeable. Musah just looked a half step off the pace throughout, which was partly why the U.S. attack was so stagnant.

For all of the answers he's seemingly provided at Milan, there are still so many questions about Musah at the international level. This camp and this game did little to answer them as he fights to regain his USMNT spot.

It was a long wait, but based on the smile he had on his face, it was worth it for Campbell.

With his appearance in the second half, Campbell became the 13th and final uncapped player to see the field. Campbell had to wait longer than everyone due to a slight injury that hampered him all camp long, but 61 minutes in, he finally had his number called. With a hug from Pochettino, Campbell was on, making a USMNT debut that was longer-awaited than he would have expected.

The performance itself wasn't particularly remarkable. He didn't see much of the ball and didn't get to flash the attacking skills that have seen him break out at Elversberg in the Bundesliga. What matters is that he had that moment, though, where he stepped onto the field for his country.

It'll feel like a reward for a player who didn't have the easiest international break, but it was one that was worth it in the end as Campbell officially became a USMNT player.