AUSTIN, Texas – The US men’s national team played their final home match before the Qatar 2022 World Cup on Friday evening, beating Grenada by a 5-0 scoreline at Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium to kickstart their Concacaf Nations League title defense.
A four-goal showing from FC Dallas striker Jesus Ferreira stole the headlines, but there’s far more for manager Gregg Berhalter and his staff to digest beyond the No. 9 battle.
Here’s how the participants fared on a sweltering night in Texas, which followed two prior friendlies – a 3-0 win over Morocco and a 0-0 draw against Uruguay, two fellow World Cup-bound nations – earlier this June international window.
Robinson had some flashy runs and drew at least one foul that put the US in an advantageous place. The Fulham left back contributed overall to what limited defensive effort was required.
Long was serviceable when tested in defense. The New York Red Bulls center back had one scary moment on the other end, getting clotheslined by Grenada goalkeeper Jason Belfon in a first-half attempt on goal.
Like Long, CCV didn't have much to do, but contributed to the defensive effort throughout his full shift, and had a late, impressive tackle to show maybe he's a good option as a last man back. Earlier in the day, he secured a $12 million transfer from Tottenham to Celtic.
Cannon accounted well for himself in the match, though neither fullback figured into the offense as much as they might have desired.
McKennie got in a decent, one-half shift, but didn't notch the level of impact he customarily makes – particularly against this caliber of opponent. The Juventus midfielder doesn't appear back at 100% following his broken foot.
De la Torre showed his capabilities with some impressive first-half runs through green shirts, and got arguably the deftest assist of the night on Arriola's goal.
Arriola kept the goal-a-match pace he rode through May, leading him to be named MLS's Player of the Month. The FC Dallas attacker was threatening early, making multiple runs from his right wing position, and sprung Ferreira for the opener.
Early on, Ferreria had some hard luck and missed opportunities, but once he got it clicking with a 43rd-minute goal that showed good composure, he exploded for a second-half hat-trick and provided a reassuring performance in a position of dire need (No. 9).
Morris put himself in some good positions early in the match but mishit at least one early header opportunity and didn't make the impact he's found at junctures in his US career.
Berhalter made generally solid lineup choices to start and followed that with sensible substitutions, allowing the US to cruise to an expected result. (And, as a bonus that's becoming increasingly fun for fans, he got in some great behind-the-back bounce passes as well.)
Substitutes
Even in his limited time on the field, spelling Long at the half, Zimmerman showed why he's far and away the best US defender, thwarting what few attempts at offense the Spice Boys tried to mount.
Tillman had a few flashes in his time on the field, showing why the Bayern Munich youngster is so highly regarded. It was just his second cap since filing a one-time change of association from Germany.
Bello had a routine sub outing defending against a team that wasn't consistently getting forward. The Atlanta United product picked moments to range ahead.
Aaronson got an abbreviated run-out out wide, assisting on Ferreira's final goal. The newfound Leeds United signing also had a special play in which he posterized a Grenada defender en route to a tight-angled lob shot that nearly found the mark.
