USMNT Player Ratings: Folarin Balogun a rare positive in disastrous South Korea loss

The US Men's National Team were dire in a 2-0 loss to South Korea on Saturday. Defensively disorganized and limp in attack, this was the latest in a string of discouraging and concerning performances. Heading into the 2026 World Cup, this is not a positive trend, and questions about the overall player pool and ability of Mauricio Pochettino to right the ship are mounting.

Let's dive into the individual performances

Recap: Diego Luna brace sends USMNT to the Gold Cup final

A first-half brace from Diego Luna was enough for the United States to survive and advance to the Gold Cup final, beating Guatemala 2-1 in a typically tight Concacaf affair. The XI Head coach Mauricio Pochettino didn’t make a single change to the squad that beat Costa Rica in penalties.

SixOneFive SoccerBen Wright

Matt Freese - 6.5

The NYCFC shot stopper wasn't at fault for either of the goals, and had a spectacular 1-v-1 stop to deny Heung-min Son. He was generally composed with the ball at his feet, but probably would have conceded a penalty in the buildup to Jae-Sung Lee's goal if Korea hadn't eventually scored it.

Stock: Unchanged

Max Arfsten - 5.5

The Columbus Crew wasn't individually liable for any of the goals, but didn't really impact the game going forward, which is the main reason he was on the pitch anyway.

Stock: Unchanged

Tim Ream - 5.0

Tim Ream was at least generally aware of how South Korea were pulling the USMNT apart. He was just unable to prevent it. The 37-year-old did his best to organize the backline, but he himself wasn't great, either. He was a step slow when trying to catch Son offside for the first goal, and while he was left in a bad spot for the second, he didn't cover himself in glory. The fact that he's still so clearly a top two center back in this pool is a major red flag.

Stock: Down

Tristan Blackmon - 3.0

This was a debut to forget for Tristan Blackmon, who was in some way at fault for both goals. He let Son get in behind far too easily for the opener, and lost him again in the box for the second. Making his first cap, he certainly wasn't helped out by the more experienced players around him, but individually he was really poor.

Stock: Down

Sergiño Dest - 5.0

Back from an ACL injury, Sergiño Dest had a few fun moments going forward and at least looks capable of some creativity in possession, a trait that is becoming rarer by the second in this pool.

His defensive awareness, though, remains disastrous. He was completely blind to Son sitting in a pocket of space between himself and the center backs, deaf to Tim Ream's direction, and sloppy in his attempt to recover. It wasn't an isolated instance, either. He's great when he's not asked to defend. The moment he's asked to do the stuff that, you know, gave the position of "defender" its name, watch out.t

Stock: Down

Sebastian Berhalter - 5.5

Sebastian Berhalter covered plenty of ground. He wasn't efficient, though. To his credit, he generally tried to make up for the lack of defensive work from other midfielders (more later), but it ended up pulling him out of position too often. His progressive passing from the run of play isn't a strength, and he wasn't able to get the ball through Korea's press.

Eventually he started taking set pieces, and put in some decent deliveries, but overall it wasn't an inspiring performance from the Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder.

Stock: Unchanged

Tyler Adams - 4.5

This was a really concerning outing for Tyler Adams. The 26-year-old has built a career out of working hard defensively, winning back possession, and being hard to play against. He was none of that on Saturday. His off-ball positioning was all over the place, consistently picking the wrong spots and completely unable to close passing lanes. He looked gassed before halftime and wasn't able to recover when beaten. His passing certainly wasn't up to snuff.

Ideally this would be an isolated off night, but it feels like part of a larger trend of sub-par performances for the usually consistent midfielder. It's really concerning to see this close to a World Cup.

Stock: Down

Christian Pulisic - 5.5

The AC Milan winger was generally anonymous. He had a few fun moments of interchange with Diego Luna, but also tended to pick up the same pockets as Luna and the pair got in each other's way several times. He wasn't effective when he got on the ball, and his set piece delivery remains shockingly bad.

Stock: Down

Diego Luna - 6.0

Diego Luna at least tried some stuff. Does that earn him some points?

He was the only player who wasn't afraid to run at defenders, and tried to execute a few quick passing combinations. He seemed to be playing at higher tempo than anyone else, and it didn't often work. Even out of possession, Luna was generally the only midfielder interested in pressing. It was admirable, but without and help in the press or cover behind, he ended up running around aimlessly and leaving space behind.

Stock: Unchanged

Tim Weah - 4.5

The Marseille winger was mostly uninvolved. He struggled to get on the ball, and when he did, he was far from efficient with the end product, skying a shot and curling another wide. Eventually came off with what Mauricio Pochettino later described as cramps.

Stock: Down

Josh Sargent - 3.5

Sargent was completely uninvolved, touching the ball just 17 times and failing to register a shot in his 60-plus minutes. This was a wakeup call to everyone, who (like me) had been calling for more involvement for the Norwich striker. He hasn't scored a goal for the USMNT since 2019.

Stock: Down

Substitutes

Chris Richards - 6.5

The Crystal Palace defender ended the summer as the best center back in the pool, and his 30-minute cameo backed that up. He settled the defense once they shifted to a back three, was good in possession, and threatened South Korea's goal from a few set pieces.

Stock: Unchanged

Folarin Balogun - 7.0

The AS Monaco striker hasn't been fit or in form for what seems like years, and he's another who feels like has never really lived up to his billing for the US. Saturday certainly wasn't a silver bullet, but it was encouraging.

Folarin Balogun came on for the final 30-odd minutes and was infinitely more dynamic and connected than Sarget. Gamestate certainly played a part, but his movement was much more incisive and he got involved immediately, combining well with the rest of the attack and nearly scoring. All the striker concerns are still there, but Balogun at least earned a start against Japan on Tuesday.

Stock: Up

Cristian Roldan - 6.0

A late addition to the squad, the Seattle Sounders stalwart was reliable and unflashy in his late shift, succeeding in a lot of the areas where Adams struggled. Cristian Roldan won back possession, moved the ball from side to side, and even found a few late entry passes as the US pushed for a goal.

Roldan is arguably the best No. 6 in MLS, and while he's not a starter for this team, he deserves to be in the picture.

Stock: Up

Alex Freeman - 6.0

The Orlando City wasn't tasked with a ton defensively by the time he got on the pitch, but he got forward effectively and put in some teasing crosses. He looks like the firm number two behind Dest at this point.

Stock: Unchanged

Alejandro Zendejas - 7.0

Alex Zendejas was another late standout. The Club América winger came on for the final 20 minutes and made things happen whenever he got on the ball. He picked up possession in really enticing spots, was crisp with his touch and passes in the final third, and combined really well with the rest of the attack.

Zendejas created three chances, the most of any USMNT player. His club form with a really good América side has warranted more involvement with the USMNT recently. Hopefully this is the start.

Stock: Up

Jack McGlynn - N/A

Jack McGlynn came on for the final 11 minutes. The Houston Dynamo midfielder feels like Mauricio Pochettino's favorite "break glass in case of emergency" option off the bench, and while he had a few decent passes, it wasn't enough to make a real difference.

Stock: Unchanged

Manager

Mauricio Pochettino - 3.0

Oh boy. Where to start with Mauricio Pochettino?

The former Tottenham manager has coached 17 matches so far for the United States. He's lost seven. His win percentage of 52.94% is lower than Gregg Berhalter (59.46%), BJ Callaghan (71.43%), Jürgen Klinsmann (55.10%) and Bruce Arena (56.16%). In nine matches against teams in the Top 50 of the FIFA World Rankings, he's won twice.

Pochettino's roster selections are baffling. His tactical choices are simply weird. Nothing he's done screams of a man who is familiar with the player pool, aware of different players' strengths and weaknesses, or remotely close to stumbling onto a system that can get the best out of a group of players.

With every window that passes, Pochettino appears to be more and more out of his depth. And with every window that passes, the United States inch closer to a World Cup in which they cannot afford to fall flat and disappoint.

Pochettino showed up in the States with a tremendous amount of optimism and an unprecedented cache of name recognition, not to mention a fat paycheck to boot. Nothing he's done to date has backed that up.

Stock: Dowm