United States men's national team struggles in a friendly defeat against South Korea, intensifying pre-World Cup pressure

The U.S. Men's National Team faced a 2-0 defeat against South Korea in a friendly match held at Sports Illustrated Stadium, marking the first such encounter since 2017.

The South Korean team played aggressively, moving the ball quickly and forcing the U.S. goalkeeper out of position at times. Son Heung-min scored for South Korea in the 18th minute, and Lee Dong-gyeong added another goal in the 43rd minute.

The U.S. team struggled to create offense throughout the game. Tim Weah had a shot that went wide right in the 43rd minute, and Sebastian Berhalter had the best chance for the U.S. team in the first half, with a long shot that forced a diving save from the South Korean goalkeeper. The U.S. team managed only one shot on target during the first half and finished the match with a total of five shots on goal.

Christian Pulisic participated in Saturday's match after opting not to participate in the Gold Cup. The U.S. squad featured a large number of MLS players.

Despite the loss, confidence was expressed by national team alumni in the future of the program. One alumnus commented, "They're going in a good way. They'll continue to find the right ways to push themselves, push each other as they get closer to the World Cup."

Prior to the match, the Red Bulls honoured Michael Bradley, a native of Princeton, N.J. The U.S. men's national team is playing a second friendly this month against Japan in Columbus.

It's important to note that there are no specific publicly available sources listing which players of the U.S. men’s national soccer team were in the squad for the friendly match against South Korea on the indicated Saturday who did not participate in the Gold Cup final in July 2025.

United States men's national team struggles in a friendly defeat against South Korea, intensifying pre-World Cup pressure