COMMERCE CITY, Colo. - So, 1-1. Not a bad result for the USMNT. They struggled in the opening stages, and could have few qualms in going down 1-0. But Mauricio Pochettino's men rallied. The shapes started to form, the players kicked into gear. Suddenly, there was a team here. The draw could have been a win with a couple fortunate bounces.
Still, this is less about the scoreline and more about the performance - if only because that's the real positive to take from the game. Sure, Weston McKennie was excellent. Tim Weah, Malik Tillman and Tanner Tessmann all showed why they should be in with a shout every time the U.S. play. Christian Pulisic, dealing with an aggravated ankle, still came in as second-half sub.
And Folarin Balogun showed why he leads the race to be the starting striker. In short, these were mostly good things from a mostly good performance. And perhaps that's exactly what was required here. Australia are next, and they're pretty good, too - sitting in the top 25 of FIFA's world rankings and coming off a 1-0 victory over Canada.
GOAL US writers break down the USMNT friendlies in the latest edition of... The Rondo.