Ellis, Berhalter Earn Top Marks as Pochettino's New-Look USMNT Rout Peru

Justin Ellis and Sebastian Berhalter stood out as U.S. national team manager Mauricio Pochettino fielded a new-look lineup in a rout of Peru, the team's first match since the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup.

In post-match player ratings, Ellis was reportedly given a mark of 9 out of 10 and Berhalter a perfect 10, reflecting the impact both had on a lopsided result for the Americans.

A new look for the USMNT

Pochettino used the friendly to experiment with personnel, turning to a squad that looked notably different from the group that competed at the World Cup. The strong showings from Ellis and Berhalter will likely strengthen their case for regular involvement going forward, as the manager continues to reshape the player pool following the tournament.

Ratings pieces such as this one are typically used to gauge which individual performances stood out in a match, and the near-perfect scores awarded to both players indicate they were considered the standout performers of the afternoon by evaluators.

The result offers an early signal of how Pochettino intends to shape the squad as the program moves into its next phase after the World Cup.