GPA of the USA National Team players during the first game of World Cup 2026

The Elite Player Grade Performance Average (GPA) objectively grades a player’s performance during the matches when they must perform at their best competing against the best players. The World Cup (WC) is the platform where all best players want to show their quality. The Elite Player GPA provides an objective grade of the quality of the players. For instance, in the WC2022, the analysis with the Elite Player GPA system gave a grade of 1.95 for Messi for all attacking actions, the highest GPA any player has obtained so far in a final championship game. Thus, the Elite Player GPA does justice evaluating the quality of a player.

In addition to the final between Argentina and France during the WC2022 in Qatar, I analyzed each of the players of the USA Men’s National Team (USMNT). I will be analyzing all games of the USMNT and providing reports of all. In some reports I will be analyzing the GPA of some of the top players from different nations.

In this article, I am going to focus on two players of the USMNT.

PULISIC and McKENNIE

In the first game of the WC2022 against Wales, Pulisic had a percentage accuracy of 78% and his GPA was 1.38 for his attacking technical actions, while McKennie had a percentage accuracy of 80% and his GPA was 1.37.

This year, during the first game of the WC2026 against Paraguay, Pulisic played only one half. His percent accuracy was 87% and his GPA was 1.74, while McKennie’s percent accuracy was 85% and his GPA was 1.67.

Both players contributed to the first goal of the USMNT against Paraguay early in the game unlocking the defense of Paraguay and giving the USMNT an early lead to play with confidence the rest of the first half and game. At half time, the USMNT was already leading 3-0, for a final score of 4-1.

MESSI, MBAPPÉ, PULISIC, McKENNIE

One would think that putting Pulisic and McKennie in the same sentence to compare them with Messi and MBappé is a little of a stretch. However, the Elite Player GPA allows objective comparison of players who play in similar positions and roles within their teams. The GPA is a grading performance system that shows young players, amateur, semiprofessional, and professional players the top grades of world class players. They can aim to become better aspiring to reach the grade of the best and perhaps surpass it one day.

The final of the WC2022 saw two top players playing against each other with their own national teams in the final game of the World Cup in Qatar. Messi and MBappé as captains of their Argentina and France national teams, respectively.

In the final of the WC2022, Messi had a percent accuracy of 88% and obtained a GPA of 1.95 in the full game (90+ minutes of regulation plus 30+ minutes of overtime). Mbappé had 73% percent accuracy and a GPA of 1.60.

The attacking GPA of Pulisic and McKennie during the first game of the WC2026 reached levels between the GPAs of Mbappé and Messi. While both these players have won world cups with Argentina and France, it is not out of the question now that the USA is producing players of high quality as illustrated by the very high GPA of their top two players. The fact that Pulisic plays for AC Milan and McKennie with Juventus, two top teams in Italy and Europe, it is a matter of time that we will see the USA being a candidate to win a World Cup.