The US national team put on a display that equal parts solid and vanilla in posting their first win of 2017 with a 1-0 decision over friendly visitors Jamaica on Friday night.
With several green and long lost internationals in the lineup, the home side were largely mistake-free. Still, the USMNT were only able to muster a single goal by Jordan Morris, who bagged the winner after nice combo play with Benny Feilhaber.
Luis Robles (5) - The starting netminder had very little to do in his half of work. The one time Robles was called into duty, he did well to paw down a centering feed, but parried it straight at an onrushing opponent. That's a big no-no and he was very lucky not to concede on that play.
Graham Zusi (5.5) - The winger-turned-right back experiment started well, especially when he was working up the flank with the ball. However, his weaknesses at the position were eventually exposed a few times, as he was beaten for pace and by an overlapping opposite.
Steve Birnbaum (5) - It was mostly a walk in the park for the D.C. United defender, who was rarely pressed into action. He gets dinged for losing his man in front of goal on the aforementioned Jamaica near-miss.
Walker Zimmerman (6.5) - Though he appeared a little nervous in the opening minutes, Zimmerman shook it off to enjoy a very solid debut. The FC Dallas defender battled hard all night and pitched in with a pair of helpful early second-half blocks, one on a shot and one on a cross. His mark would be little higher were it not for a couple of late giveaways in the US end, but he largely moved the ball along safely.
Jorge Villafana (7) - The revelation of the night was the faultless outing put in by the original "Sueño MLS" winner. Villafana was never beaten defensively and he made himself extremely comfy jumping into the attack. He also played a nice pair of crosses into the Jamaica box, one with each foot. He has quickly entered the conversation on who should start at left back against Honduras in March.
Dax McCarty (6.5) - It was a decent display from the new Chicago Fire man, who was making his first USMNT start in over six years. McCarty was quite good overall in the first half, and his splitting pass started the sequence that led to winning goal. Other than getting his pocket picked near midfield just after the break, it's hard to think of a complaint about his outing.
Chris Pontius (6) - The Philly Union ace did all the little things for 74 minutes, but never really put a stamp on the game. It wasn't even a case of lacking aggressiveness, as Pontius battled strongly for a header on goal, won a dangerous free kick and generally looked to play positively. Somehow, though, he'll need to do more when given the chance.
Benny Feilhaber (6.5) - Other than on his first corner kick delivery, the Sporting KC playmaker actually struggled in the first half, with a few bankrupt touches halting US attack pressure. Of course, players in his position are typically judged by production above all, and Feilhaber expertly set up the lone goal with not one, but two beautiful lay-offs to Morris on the winning play.
Sebastian Lletget (7) - Though his influence slightly waned after intermission, Lletget was the home side's top performer in the opening frame. He repeatedly, insistently led the US up the left flank before working at two other stations in the second half, and nearly curled home a beauty from a well-drawn corner kick play.
Juan Agudelo (5.5) - There were two distinct sides to Agudelo's performance on Friday night. From a pressure standpoint, he never let up, constantly harassing Jamaica into fumbles as they tried to get out of their own end. On the ball and in the area, however, the New England Revolution forward was sloppy and surprisingly easy to push around.
Jordan Morris (7) - See Feilhaber, Benny. Morris' touch in the final third looked in preseason form for about 55 minutes. Then, he worked some terrific two-man game with Feilhaber and deposited the winner. After the goal, the Seattle youngster's all-around effort picked up.
Coach Bruce Arena (6.5) - As with the Serbia friendly, the boss didn't push any Earth-shattering buttons from a tactical standpoint and the team certainly could have been more deadly at the offensive end. Arena did get a better look at several newbies, and gets a little extra credit for being the one to finally give Lletget and Villafana their chances.
Subs:
David Bingham (6) - The halftime goalkeeping sub had even less to do than Robles.
Michael Bradley (6.5) - The captain kept the game's flow under control during his 28-minute sub shift.
Darlington Nagbe (6.5) - The Portland handyman continued to demonstrate that he is a big plus in possession and got back to make five total defensive stops in the US end in under a half-hour.
Brad Evans (6.5) - Though he only worked 22 minutes, Evans let everybody know he was out there. He started with a fine recovery play at the back, and then showed great intent to push into attack.
Alejandro Bedoya (6) - As usual, Bedoya was fairly handy linking play and tracked back. That said, he still needs to sharpen his decisiveness in the final third to take proper advantage of the good rushes he instigates.
DaMarcus Beasley (-) - A mere cameo for the veteran left back.
