In front of 26,500 fans in New Jersey, the United States once again showed a weakness that’s been hanging around for too long. They create plenty, but when it comes to finishing, the goals just don’t come. South Korea walked away with a 2-0 win, a scoreline that highlighted the gulf between effort and efficiency. The Americans took 17 shots and came up empty. The Koreans only needed five attempts to close out the match, leaning on the class of Son Heung-min, the newest star in MLS with LAFC, and the reliability of goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo, who turned himself into the hero of the match.
Korean efficiency and American waste
The first half summed up the contrast between the two sides. Son threatened right away. Even though an early move was called back for a foul, you could sense he wouldn’t need many looks to make his mark. Sure enough, in the 18th minute Lee Jae-sung lifted a long ball, Son brought it down with a clean touch and finished coolly to put Korea ahead. The U.S. back line was caught flat-footed, just watching the LAFC forward show what a sharp finish looks like.
From there, the Americans pushed forward. Pulisic wanted the ball at his feet, pressed high and tried to connect with teammates. Berhalter let fly from distance, Weah squandered good looks in the box, and one promising play was wiped out for offside. Every time, though, Jo Hyeon-woo was there. The Korean keeper grew more confident with each stop, frustrating the U.S. attack. When it seemed the equalizer might finally come, Son stepped in again. This time he set the table, spinning near the box and slipping a pass to Lee Dong-gyeong, who buried the second. Two clean chances, two goals. South Korea already had the game in their hands.
Pressure without reward and an unlikely hero
After halftime the U.S. looked different. Substitutions gave them fresh legs and a bit of urgency. Richards, Freeman, Roldan and Balogun came on, and the tempo picked up. They started pushing higher and nearly scored through set pieces. In the 74th minute Berhalter swung in a free kick, Richards got a touch on it, but Jo came up big once more. Minutes later Pulisic tried a direct shot from a free kick, but it flew over the bar.
Stoppage time brought Balogun’s moment. Twice he had the goal at his mercy, first with a slick volley and then on the rebound, but Jo denied him both times. The keeper closed the match with five saves and left no doubt he was the standout player. At the other end, Freese kept the score from getting worse with a strong late save on a header. Still, the scoreboard told the story — South Korea’s dominance was never really in doubt.