Last week, The US Men’s National Soccer Team lost to Mexico in the Gold Cup Final. It was ultimately a meaningless game in a meaningless tournament. It doesn't affect World Cup qualifying at all, and the Gold Cup being played every two years doesn’t lend it much prestige. Nonetheless, this tournament was a great moment in the development of this US squad, and it revealed a lot about the roster. Coming into the tournament, the US looked pitiful. They lost a friendly to Venezuela 3-0, lost 1-0 to Jamaica before that, and didn’t show any heart in either of those defeats. The US reaching the final in the Gold Cup, normally a given, seemed out of reach for this generation. A group with a few stars but not enough talent elsewhere on the field. However, the team came together and played good football, and in the process restored some credibility to a national team that has looked lost at sea for years. Here are my thoughts on each of the players who played significant minutes for the US at the Gold Cup.

Goalkeeper

Zack Steffen

Zach Steffen was a bright spot for the US in goal. He is filling the boots of Tim Howard ably, already looking like a vocal leader from the back. He had a few shaky moments in the group stages but grew more comfortable as the tournament went on. He was calm in possession with the ball at his feet, able to play out from the back to beat the press or send it long accurately. Every US fan should be happy that he is leaving the MLS for Europe to continue his development abroad.

Defenders

Nick Lima

Nick Lima is ultimately a depth option once DeAndre Yedlin is back from injury, but he didn’t make any glaring mistakes, but didn’t do anything to stand out either. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Reggie Cannon later in the knockout rounds.

Reggie Cannon

Reggie playing at all in this tournament was unexpected, as Nick Lima seemed to have fully earned Berhalter’s trust at the RB position. On the field, Reggie exceeded expectations. He had a good first touch, a quick step to beat defenders, and played some dangerous crosses into the box. Granted, he was playing almost a free role in attack – with Tim Ream at left back tucking in into a back three in possession, Cannon didn’t have to worry about being out of position on the counter. Ultimately, Deandre Yedlin will be the starter at this position when he is healthy, but it was good to see some promising moments for the future in this position.

Aaron Long

I was incredibly impressed by Aaron Long's performances throughout this tournament. I was less impressed by his rat-tail haircut. Maybe that's why he has it, though - if it causes a single opponent to choke on his own spit in disgust, then it is worth keeping. Long looked athletic, good in the air, and confident on the ball. He played some great long passes over the top to Altidore and Pulisic. That kind of passing from a center back is something the US has desperately lacked for years. I know Omar Gonzales set a low bar for center backs for the US, but Aaron Long looked like an actually good center back, not just a player who is nominally better than Omar Gonzales.

Walker Zimmerman

Zimmerman looked okay in defense, but never really stood out. Ultimately, he is competing to be the number one backup for John Brooks once Brooks is healthy again, and Zimmerman played like a replacement-level player. In contrast to Long, Zimmerman looked like a player who is only nominally better than Omar Gonzales.

Matt Miazga

Matt looked physically impressive against Mexico, and he was one of the few players who raised his game in the final and rather than being intimidated by the moment. He had plenty of misplaced passes and overall didn’t have a great tournament, though. Again, he’s another player who is competing to be a backup for John Brooks.

Tim Ream

Tim Ream is another player I was surprisingly impressed with. He's not a natural fullback and will never have the pace to play that position against top wingers, but he used his positional awareness to mask his physical shortcomings. He never looked out of his depth defending wide. He also was the best passer in defense for the US, constantly playing progressive balls forward to spring Arriola or Pulisic in the channel or over the top of the defense.

Daniel Lovitz

Daniel Lovitz played like a standard MLS left back. He didn’t do much to impress and didn’t do much to disappoint either.

Midfielders

Michael Bradley

Michael Bradley seems like he has been 35 years old since the 2010 World Cup, yet somehow this time wizard is only 31. Don't let that fool you though- he's still out there jogging around and failing to complete ten-foot passes in midfield like an octogenarian. Bradley is older and slower than ever. However, despite all his shortcomings, I understand why he is still getting minutes. Against lesser opposition that sit back and defend, Bradley can do a great job recycling possession to keep the offense ticking. He isn't dynamic enough to play against top teams and gives the ball away in the midfield circle at least three times a match, but there isn't a player ready to replace him yet. That player will be Tyler Adams, but he missed this Gold Cup due to injury. I eagerly await the day Bradley is not called up for international duty.

Weston McKennie

Weston McKennie is the second most talented player on this roster behind Christian Pulisic, but Weston's development will be more important than Christian's for the future of the team. Having an elite attacking talent is obviously great, but that attack needs a midfield to keep possession and provide an environment where the attackers can flourish. Argentina is the perfect example of what happens when you have elite attacking players but a weak midfield. McKennie is such a versatile player he could just as easily play an attacking midfield role, but where the US needs him most is in a deeper or box-to-box role alongside Bradley. He played noticeably deeper against Jamaica and Mexico than he did in the group stages, and he was the best player on the pitch against Jamaica. He scored one goal with a late run from deep and played the hockey assist pass for another. He had a great Gold Cup, I can't wait to see more from him.

Christian Roldan

Disclaimer – I live in Seattle and am a huge Sounders fan. With that being said; my absolutely 100% unbiased opinion is that Christian Roldan is the best midfielder in the MLS. Like I said, totally unbiased. Do I still have any credibility with you readers at all? The problem for Roldan is that he was subbed on at right wing multiple times, which is obviously not his natural position and doesn’t highlight his talents. I would love to see him deeper, possibly in a midfield three next to Adams and McKennie one day. Roldan isn’t quite as dynamic a player as McKennie and doesn’t quite have the passing vision of a younger Bradley, but he can still be a valuable player for this team.

Paul Arriola

On paper, Paul Arriola is a very average player. For the US, he is the ultimate MAXIMUM EFFORT player and that transforms him into a great player. Every team needs someone who is a complete gym rat, pure hustle and energy- think Matuidi for France at the World Cup. Arriola seems to be that player for the US. He was almost playing a wing-back role at times, defending deep to help protect Tim Ream from more pacey attackers, but then he would show up in the box thirty seconds later trying to get on the end of a cross. He may not be the most talented player on the team, but he plays his heart out every match, and it’s great to have a player like that.

Jordan Morris

Jordan Morris should be a more athletic, talented, and overall better version of Paul Arriola, but he hasn't quite shown that yet. He has displayed similar energy levels and defensive effort as Arriola, but he hasn't quite figured out how to make it click offensively. He isn’t afraid to shoot or attack open space with the ball, and he did take the initial shot that Pulisic scored the rebound from against Jamaica. He needs to show more of that, though, as he disappeared from games from time to time. The potential is there for him as he continues to get his groove back after a long out with an ACL tear. And yes, Morris is another Sounders player, so please note that this summary is also completely unbiased.

Tyler Boyd

In the first match of the group stage, Tyler Boyd looked like one the best players in attack for the US, but he slowly faded as the tournament progressed. Sure, it’s great to score a double against Guyana, but he will be disappointed to not even come off the bench against Mexico. Boyd was replaced by Jordan Morris in the starting lineup for the semifinal and the final, as Morris offered more in defense and was more direct with the ball on offense. It seemed like Boyd was trying to play more of a classic 10 role for the US, but that caused some overlapping in space with Pulisic. Boyd has a lot of potential for the US, but he needs time to find his role in the attacking third and gel with the rest of the team

Christian Pulisic

I don't think it is an exaggeration to say this: Pulisic is already the most talented player to ever play for the US His skill level now as a 20-year-old is higher than Landon Donovan's or Clint Dempsey's ever was. Now to be clear, that doesn't mean I think he's a better player or more important player than either of those two were. His talent level is higher, but he needs to turn that talent into results- results like beating Mexico in a meaningful competition or qualifying for the World Cup. And he hasn't done either of those yet. Pulisic was the best player for the US at this Gold Cup, but he disappeared for most of the second half against Mexico. He also struggled to make an impact against a well-organized Curaçao team that gave the US a lot of trouble in the quarterfinals. The next step for him to take is to show up when the US needs him most by taking over games against tough opposition.

Forwards

Gyasi Zardes

Gyasi might have the worst first touch of any player to ever play international soccer for the US, much less play significant minutes in the Gold Cup and make an appearance in the Final. Yet somehow, he scored the goal of the tournament. I don't understand how he keeps getting callups and minutes. He's not the kind of MLS player that the US should be calling up. I never thought I would say this, but Gyasi's first touch makes me look back fondly on the days when Chris Wondolowski was missing wide open net sitters from five yards out.

Jozy Altidore

Jozy has been the best striker for the national team for more than ten years now. There was never a chance that Gyasi Zardes was going to take that title from him at this tournament, but I was worried that he would look a step or two slower than the last time I'd seen him play. That was not the case- Jozy clearly looked like a player battling injuries and not quite at full fitness, but he still looked as explosive and powerful as ever. The just-wide miss against Mexico was classic Jozy, including the ankle breaking crossover he did to set up the shot. By the time the next World Cup rolls around, players like Timothy Weah and Josh Sargent will hopefully be ready to start for the US and Jozy can slowly be phased out. But until that happens, Jozy is doing a fine job.