da premier bet： The U.S. wants to be one of the world's top teams, and they got a close look at what that looks like on Saturday

da aposte e ganhe： The opportunity was there for the taking. The U.S. men's national team were up a goal and moving towards halftime, having largely gone toe-to-toe with a giant in Germany. It was a bright start headlined by a stunning Christian Pulisic finish. The USMNT were, deservedly, ahead.

But that's the thing about teams like Germany: all they need is one moment to turn games. It's what happened on Saturday as the U.S. conceded just before the half and, Germany, to their credit, never looked back.

That's what good teams do: they seize chances and don't look back. It's something the USMNT is still learning, and Saturday will be another harsh lesson in just how far there is to go.

For years, the USMNT have been talking about wanting to be an international power, about wanting to be a team that's respected on a bigger stage. Well, they got a close look at a powerhouse on Saturday, and they were given a reality check that showed them that they still have much to learn.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Pratt & Whitney Stadium…

WINNER: Christian Pulisic

If Pulisic was brimming with confidence before this match, he'll be feeling even better after it.

The 25-year-old's goal was a stunner, no doubt. A fantastic run and an even better finish from the USMNT star, who scored a superstar-worthy goal. At the time, the USMNT were going at Germany, and the strike felt like it could be the start of something.

It wasn't. Germany turned it on from that moment and never really looked back, but that shouldn't diminish the fact that Pulisic, on his own, was pretty damn good in this match.

For years, the U.S. has waited to see what Pulisic could look like when riding a bit of confidence from the club level. His goal on Saturday gave a glimpse into what that look like, and the U.S. will be hoping that continues for a long, long time.

AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Chris Richards

Chris Richards may very well be the USMNT's centerback of the future, but he was unable to make the most of his opportunity to really solidify his place as the USMNT's centerback of the here and now.

Richards has been fantastic for the USMNT this year and had earned this chance to prove himself against higher-tier competition. Against Germany, though, he looked like a player struggling to get minutes in the Premier League at the moment.

Richards was somewhat exposed as he struggled to cope with a different level of attackers, but that's not a knock against him. Germany are, in fact, a very good team, but it was clear that their attackers were too much for the Crystal Palace defender.

Richards will go back to the drawing board after this one as he still finds himself in a very competitive centerback race. There will be more opportunities for him to lock up a starting spot before the Copa America, but he didn't do anything of the sort on Saturday afternoon.

Getty ImagesWINNER: Tyler Adams

It's not often a player's stock rises when he isn't in camp, but this match showed exactly why the USMNT needs Tyler Adams.

Without that dedicated No.6 in the XI, the USMNT was exposed by Germany, particularly on the first goal. Adams would never have allowed Germany to waltz around on top of the box like that, and he would have been instrumental in organizing the team around him as the game wore on and Germany's pressure continued.

The USMNT's big issue is that, as things stand, Adams is irreplaceable. They have yet to truly find a Plan B, even if there are a few in this camp that could benefit from a chance to earn a spot as his understudy.

Playing Gio Reyna as a No. 10 will work in some games, but Germany are too good of a team for that to work against. This match cried out for Adams, and, unfortunately for the USMNT, he wasn't there.

GettyLOSER: Sergino Dest and Joe Scally

It was not a good day for the USMNT fullbacks.

We'll start with Dest, who had the most highs and lows out of the two in a somewhat typical performance as he started the match inverted at left-back.

The attacking output was there. The defending? Not so much. Dest was burned by Leroy Sane on the first goal and held Niclas Fullkrug on for the second. For all the good he did getting forward, and there was plenty of good, Dest's defensive issues were once again exposed by a good team.

"To me, it's not so much about Sergino," Berhalter said. "It's about just not pinning them in well enough and then opening up the field or losing the ball too quickly and now he has to go back. We want him getting forward, we want him being aggressive, but when you lose the ball quickly, there's a lot of distance now to travel backwards."

Scally, meanwhile, struggled too much on the ball in his big chance at right-back. His passes were nowhere near good enough and he turned the ball way too much, which, ultimately, comes back to kill you against a team like Germany.