The United States men’s national team picked up a vital three points on Thursday, beating Jamaica 2-0 in World Cup qualifying. Ricardo Pepi, the budding 18-year-old star, was the hero once again, scoring both goals as Gregg Berhalter’s side overcame the absences of Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and John Brooks. The victory moves the U.S. up the Concacaf table in qualifying and it gives the group a bunch of momentum ahead of Sunday’s tricky visit to Panama, which you can see on Paramount+.
So how did each USMNT player rate in this one? All ratings are out of 10, and the higher the number the better. A zero would be a first-minute red card. A 10 would be a dominant hat trick. Let’s get to it.
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USA player ratings
|
(GK) Matt Turner |
90 | Sure handed as always, but in truth he had very little to do. Clean as can be on the few crosses he dealt with. |
6 |
|
(DEF) Antonee Robinson |
90 | Struggled a bit to stay in front of his attacker, but he made some great runs down what was an open left flank. His crossing left a lot to be desired though. |
5 |
|
(DEF) Walker Zimmerman |
90 | Was always ready to cover for Sergino Dest when he was out of position, which was often. Did everything well and was a sure thing in his challenges. |
7 |
|
(DEF) Miles Robinson |
90 | Had very little to do. He didn’t even have to make a tackle in this game. Was strong in the air though and won most 50-50 balls. | 7 |
|
(DEF) Sergino Dest |
77 | A continued liability in defense that tries to be too cute. Lucky it didn’t cost the team. Got an assist though with a fine ball in. | 7 |
|
(MID) Tyler Adams |
83 | Completed 92.7 percent of his passes, doing exactly what he needed to do in attack, which was get the ball into space. Not flashy but super effective. | 7.5 |
|
(MID) Weston McKennie |
90 | Produced a positive display in his return and showed his leadership by helping Yunus Musah at times. Had the highest xA on the team at 0.35 and was a threat on set pieces. | 7 |
|
(MID) Yunus Musah |
77 | Struggled with his positioning when trying to play out of the back, but he was quick to play quality balls out to the right wing and get the attack going. Was much better in the second half and almost scored. | 7 |
|
(FWD) Brenden Aaronson |
68 | Quiet in the opening half. Didn’t quite have it early, taking poor touches when trying to beat his defenders. Improved in the second, just like his team, getting an assist with a perfect ball. | 7 |
|
(FWD) Ricardo Pepi |
68 | What more is there to say? Two goals on three shots, and he’s got USMNT fans dreaming that he’s a superstar striker in the making. He looks the part … but it’s early. | 9 |
|
(FWD) Paul Arriola |
90 | Had a good run in the first minute down the right and was taken down, but a red card somehow wasn’t given. Continued to get into dangerous positions. | 6 |
|
Gyasi Zardes (68′) |
Pepi | Really should have scored off the bench. Had the chances but sharpness was lacking. | 5 |
|
Tim Weah (68′) |
Aaronson | Looked fantastic in his second-half cameo, nearly giving Zardes a tap-in. He’s going to get serious minutes on Sunday. | 7 |
|
Shaq Moore (77′) |
Dest | Encouraging off the bench. His passing was smart, as was his defensive positioning. | 6 |
| Luca de la Torre (77′) | Musah | Solid 13 minutes where he completed every pass and even created a little bit of danger. | 7 |
| Kellyn Acosta (83′) | Adams | Had just five touches but almost got an assist in seven minutes. A player who brings depth. | 7 |
|
Gregg Berhalter |
5 | Can’t deny this result. Both teams were missing key pieces, but the U.S. took over when the team needed to. I’ve questioned fielding such young teams, but they’ve gotten the job done in the last two games. | 8 |