USMNT Player Ratings vs Jamaica: Advances to Nations League Semifinals

On By Littum

The USMNT is back in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals with a chance to win a fourth straight regional title this spring, and by and large they have their biggest stars to thank for that.

( USA 4-2 (5-2) Jamaica: Three things we learned )

Mauricio Pochettino is pushing all the right buttons early in his USMNT tenure, getting the best out of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Antonee Robinson, among plenty of others, more than enough to win in CONCACAF 99 times out of 100. Unfortunately. , Monday’s win was the last time the first team will be together until the semifinal round in March, and oh so much can change over the next four months (for better or worse).

Matt Turner: 5.5 — Perhaps he could have held onto (or at least pushed wide) the initial shot that led to Jamaica’s second goal, but Turner was otherwise solid, making four saves in total.

Joe Scally: 6.5 — He is so good in possession that lapses on the other side of the ball can be overlooked for now, especially with Yunus Musah there to cover.

Mark McKenzie: 6th — It was a smart (and well-timed) run by Demarai Gray to score Jamaica’s first goal, but McKenzie ended up not looking great as the only one in a white shirt who was nowhere near anyone.

Tim Ream: 6.5 — Until someone deposes him, Tim Ream will just continue to play left-sided center back for the USMNT. He’s 37 years old with nearly 600 professional fights under his belt and still hanging on.

Antonee Robinson: 7.5 — There are free roles and then there is what Pochettino bestowed upon the Jedi on Monday. The left back used longer stretches to win and advance the ball on the right wing. I’m sure we’ll see it again as an opposition specific tactical tweak at some point.

Tanner Tessmann: 7th — The USMNT has a surplus of ball-playing defensive midfielders (a good problem to have), and Tessmann is head and shoulders above the rest (pun intended) when it comes to physicality. Tyler Adams may have to win back a starting spot from Tanner Tessmann.

Weston McKennie: 9 — Who is this guy? McKennie showed passing range (brilliant assist for the first goal) as well as pace and dribbling ability (leading vs before an oncoming assist for the second) we’ve pretty much never seen from him. The player we saw Monday night is more than good enough to play Robin to Pulisic’s Batman.

Pulisic gets help from Jamaica for his brace

Christian Pulisic’s shot is blocked in the net by a Jamaican defender to give the USMNT a 2-0 lead in St. Louis, Missouri.

Tim Weah: 8.5 — Well, welcome back, Timothy! The last time we saw you in red, white and blue, well… you remember. Kudos to Weah, but he kept his head down through it all and has been a bright spot for Juventus this season (4 goals, 1 assist) and had an equally stunning return to the USMNT, combining with Robinson and Pulisic to break free in hectares of space a number of times and before scoring in the second half.

Yunus Musah: 6.5 — A less than stellar outing as the bulk of the attacks came from the left, but Musah’s work rate and defensive awareness are quickly becoming vital to this team, making everything McKennie did tonight possible. Further to Pochettino’s credit, there is balance up and down the whole team.

Christian Pulisic: 8 — Given even more freedom than usual with Weah the widest man on the left, Pulisic had a hand in almost everything the USMNT did. Whether he got one or two goals almost doesn’t matter as his influence on this team grows with each stellar performance.

Pulisic nets in a stunning half volley for the USMNT

Christian Pulisic scores an impressive half-volley goal to extend the USMNT’s lead over Jamaica in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Ricardo Pepi: 7.5 — If you’ve ever seen him look more confident than he did when he tucked away the third goal, please show your evidence. Good club form carries over to the national team almost across the board, including the 21-year-old striker who already has 6 goals for PSV this season, on top of 3 goals in his last 3 USMNT appearances.