AUSTIN — The US men's national team locked down a 2-0 win over Jamaica on Thursday night to open their October window of World Cup qualifying matches.
It's a credit to the players that no one dipped below a baseline score, though the two standouts were obvious and many of the other players put in solid if not spectacular work.
United States Men's National Team Player Ratings
While the Revs (and now the Yanks) first-choice 'keeper wasn't overly challenged by Jamaica's attackers, he did make a crucial save toward the end of the half and kept a clean sheet – the first test of any goalkeeping evaluation.
Not every choice he made was sound and not every ball placement was true, but the assist for the decisive goal was spot on and his hustle and on-the-ball ability continue to impress.
Zimmerman was a late call-up to replace John Brooks, and did solid defensive work throughout the match, snuffing out the fires that the Reggae Boyz sought to spark in the final third.
Though perhaps a little less obvious in his work in the back four – and not as splashy as his breakout games in the Gold Cup – the Five Stripes defender contributed to the clean sheet ably. Perhaps this is now the USMNT's best center back pairing?
Robinson ran into some good positions in the first half, but had some misplaced and even wasteful crosses that blunted the USMNT's momentum.
Weathering a wicked elbow to the face, the former New York Red Bulls d-mid showed his importance to the team, protecting the back four and anchoring the midfield.
McKennie's return from national team purgatory went well enough. While he wasn't the difference maker that he can be in the transition from defense to offense, he did provide some moments of spark and put in a full shift.
The long-anticipated competitive debut for the Valencia midfielder should be encouraging to American fans. He showed pace and smarts, and could thrive in this base 4-3-3 formation given some more reps.
Aaronson best showed his playmaking abilities on the second assist, was unlucky to not draw a PK on his run stopped by a Jamaica foul, and looked comfortable pulling strings from out wide.
This rating's not higher only because it took him until the second half to fully get into the flow of the match, but once he did, he showed why he might be the best striker on the national team right now, getting into spaces and finishing well.
With Arriola, you get a lot of determined running and an assortment of shot selections. His night got off to a great start, and with a different ref, his run on goal could have led to Jamaica going down a man with his immediate hustle. While he didn't end up directly contributing to a goal, he was key to the offense's momentum eventually rolling to two goals.
Berhalter's lineup was refreshingly uncomplicated: Play in a base 4-3-3, put your hot striker up top with quick wingers on either side and anchor your backline with maybe the best center back pairing you brought with you. Contrast this with the approach to the Honduras match and it looks all the better. While it took a while to get the goals, they came with faith in who he brought with him to the dance, and then he made subs at match-appropriate times.
Substitutes
Zardes had two prime chances to fully put the game away and fell short on both of them. His movement did, to his credit, trouble Jamaica's Andre Blake in the late moments.
Weah picked up where Arriola left off, pressuring the Jamaican defense and coming tantalizingly close to an assist during his time on the field.
When Dest went down with what appeared like muscle cramps, the Tenerife fullback ably filled that gap. He's a capable solution in what's likely the USMNT's deepest position (right back).
The young midfielder plugged in and put in a serviceable shift, though he possibly benefitted from the refs' "let 'em play" attitude with attempted stops that were decidedly fouls.
Acosta came in as a late-match sub to help hold things down in the back, and his calming presence allowed for that.
