The U.S. men’s national team broke through Trinidad and Tobago’s 10-man defense late to secure a 3-0 win in Austin, Texas, on Thursday and send the Yanks just 90 minutes shy of this summer’s Copa America.
It should have been over long ago, but Gregg Berhalter’s front three struggled to offer much until Ricardo Pepi came off the bench and began an eight-minute, three-goal run that took control.
[ RECAP, VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: USMNT 3-0 Trinidad and Tobago ]
Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest were fantastic in the win, and Giovanni Reyna wasn’t far behind the duo as Berhalter’s plan to control the game by playing out wide was a good one (when betrayed by his starting wingers).
It was a good win for the Yanks, even if the scoreboard shows an excellent performance from T&T, and a disappointing evening for a trio of players who would have expected better against this opponent.
The Americans are still 90 minutes away from qualifying for the Copa America. These 90 minutes begin on Monday at 7 p.m. ET You can watch it here (Stream November 20 at 7:00 p.m. ET via Peacock in Spanish).
USMNT player ratings compared to Trinidad and Tobago
START XI
Matt Turner: 7 – Can you play 90 minutes and get an N/A? 10 touches. Ten. ONE EVERY NINE MINUTES.
Antonee Robinson: 9 – This was partly due to the light hair, but Jedi looked like Giovanni Reyna, who played the final third at quarterback for most of this game. How good is this guy? Goal, assist, 94 touches, five chances created, 13 passes into the final third and seven recoveries.
Tim Ream: 8 – On the rare occasions that T&T got the ball out of their half, Ream ensured the tempo quickly returned to the Soca Warriors third. His passing from distance was on point and he almost scored from a set piece. Good day to the captain.
Cameron Carter-Vickers: 8 – The Celtic defender is a bad, bad man. At 25, he’s clearly heading towards his peak.
Sergino Dest: 8 – Berhalter deserves major praise for the game he designed for his full-backs, as Dest’s day is only overshadowed by Robinson. Dest had 118 touches of the ball and had four chances. His crossing was a little off.
Yunus Musah: 7.5 – Another player with over 100 touches, Musah and McKennie are too much for most CONCACAF seasons.
Weston McKennie: 8.5 – Another guy with more than 100 ball touches. Ten recoveries. Tried to force his strikers through with pure energy.
Malik Tillman (Off 66′): 6 – Three shots on the day, including a header on goal. Not his best day.
Giovanni Reyna: 7 – He ran all over the pitch to support his full-backs but was a bit shy of shooting in the first half. Shoot, Gio!
Kevin Paredes (Off 66′): 5.5 – Clean enough with the ball, but no adventure. Shortly before the substitution, he sailed over the goal with an attempt that hit the post. He’ll have better days in his shirt.
Folarin Balogun: 6.5 – He got his assist late and it’s valuable, but he’s clearly not at his best. Four shot attempts that day.
Subs
Brenden Aaronson (66th minute): 7 – Instant energy, as you would expect from an Aaronson. A chance to take the lead was missed.
Ricardo Pepi (66th minute): 7.5 – I can’t get a bad grade for a breakthrough goal, but Pepi probably could have scored three times in his cameo.
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