Goals from Alejandro Zendejas and captain Folarin Balogun lead the United States menS national team to a 2-0 victory over Japan in a kind at Columbus, ohio’s Lower.com Field on Tuesday.

Following Saturday’s 2-0 loss to South Korea, the USMNT quickly bounced back with a more proactive attack through an experimental 3-4-3 formation. In a frist half that included 63% possession, the home side created danger through high-pressing full-backs Max Arfsten and Alex freeman. After a clever dribble from Arfsten in the 30th minute, the 24-year-old launched a cross that found Zendejas, who impressively volleyed the ball into the back of the net.

The USMNT continued their attacking influence in the second half.

In 64th minute,the Americans doubled their lead after a pacey run from Christian Pulisic led to an assist for Balogun’s goal. Despite Japan shaking things up with second half subs that wrestled back some of the momentum, the 2-0 result was cemented by the final whistle for the home team that had a late second wind in the dying minutes of the match.

Looking ahead in their ongoing World Cup preparation, coach Mauricio Pochettino and his U.S. roster will take part in friendlies next month against Ecuador on Oct. 10 and Saudi Arabia on Oct. 14.

USMNT Player Ratings: A step Up in Performance Against Canada

GK Matt Turner, 7 — A solid performance between the posts. Turner wasn’t overly tested, but he made the saves he needed to and looked comfortable commanding his area.

DF Antonee Robinson, 7 — Provided a consistent outlet on the left flank, both defensively and in attack.Robinson’s energy and willingness to get forward where key assets.

DF Cameron Carter-Vickers, 8 — A commanding presence in the heart of the defense. Carter-Vickers was strong in the air and made several important clearances.

DF Chris Richards, 7 — partnered well with Carter-Vickers, offering a solid defensive display. Richards demonstrated good positioning and tackling ability.

DF Shaq Moore, 6 — A quiet performance from the right-back. Moore didn’t offer much going forward and was occasionally caught out of position defensively.

MF Weston McKennie, 6 — An improvement after his shaky debut last week. Although his decision-making may not be at an elite national team level,McKennie still dished out some important clearances.

MF Max Arfsten, 8 — Looked much more comfortable in an advanced role. Wasn’t the strongest during defensive moments, but that may not matter much when you consider his attacking presence that created the assist for the first goal.

MF Cristian Roldan, 6 — A mixed bag from the central midfielder that was able to win back possession, but also didn’t regularly win his duels in the heart of the XI.

MF Tyler Adams, 7 — it wasn’t a vintage Adams performance, but it was still a big improvement from last week. Some crucial interventions in the midfield and plenty of accurate passing.

MF Alex Freeman, 7 — Granted, Freeman wasn’t superb defensively and could have done a better job with his distribution, but he should hold his head high with the ground he covered on the right flank and his overall involvement in the attack. A promising 90+ minutes.

FW Christian Pulisic, 9 — Roamed around, created his own opportunities with recoveries, dropped deep, and then clinched the well-earned assist for Balogun’s goal.