An experimental US national team side put on a largely flat showing in a 1-0 friendly loss to Jamaica at Audi Field on Wednesday night.
With less than two weeks to go before the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup, one could argue that the contest was an exercise wasted. Gregg Berhalter's exploratory formation and lineup provided a dreary lack of positive data as the Reggae Boyz scored an exceedingly rare win on US soil by a Caribbean team.
Zack Steffen (5.5) — The prospective Manchester City backstop experienced a shaky start. Steffen could have easily been caught wandering off his line, and scant moments later, courted potential disaster with a dawdle on the ball in front of his goal. Eventually, he rallied to make four saves look routine and read a dangerous low cross well.
Matt Miazga (5) — It was probably not the outing he wanted while sporting the armband. Miazga fell victim to a couple of fire alarm episodes at the back and was far less than insistent with challenges, all of which won't get you anywhere against hard-chargers Jamaica. After a vanilla opening frame on the ball, he was able to pass through the lines a bit in the second half.
Omar Gonzalez (7) — If anyone in the starting lineup made a proper Gold Cup case, it was Gonzo. The fresh Toronto FC pick-up covered good ground to fill in the blanks whenever Jamaica tried to transition quickly and came up with a strong area shot block. He even threw in some gut-busting passes out of the back in the first half.
Tim Ream (5.5) — While not as nervy at the back as Miazga, Ream was at least as reactive. It wasn't his finest passing night, but the Fulham veteran generally supported rushes up the flank well enough.
Paul Arriola (5) — The D.C. United winger started the game looking as if he was ready to tax Kemar Lawrence. It didn't last long, and Arriola fell invisible for a good hour until his cut-back teed up a nice chance for Djordje Mihailovic. He also wasn't a great help defensively, so it was a largely flat showing overall.
Wil Trapp (3.5) — The Columbus midfielder has been gaining momentum with his US performances, but this one halted that. It was far too simple for Jamaica to get through and play from Zone 14. Meanwhile, Trapp's usual incisive passing game rarely surfaced and an early second-half giveaway caused trouble.
Jackson Yueill (6.5) — In a 59-minute debut cap, the Quakes midfielder sprayed the ball around helpfully using shrewd angles and weights. Yueill was less involved defensively, but it was still an encouraging first look.
Antonee Robinson (5) — Like his opposite, Robinson began the contest with his wheels in gear, but was unable to complete any plays in the final third and petered out going forward. Although it took a long while for Robinson to get active in his own end, he eventually came up with a few important stops.
Cristian Roldan (5) — The Seattle ace did some good things racing into attack during the first half, including a few tasty deliveries into the box. However, Roldan was much less useful getting forward after intermission. He also committed the troublesome turnover that led to Jamaica's winner.
Djordje Mihailovic (4) — The young playmaker had his moments linking play between the midfield strip and Jamaica's area. Unfortunately, Mihailovic was unable to pull anything off once he got to the box. There were bad decisions, nervous handles and a weak shot from a decent position.
Josh Sargent (6) — The Werder Bremen strike prospect displayed some handy hold-up touches in the early going, but was left stranded up top for long stretches of the match. Late in the game, Sargent made a difficult turn in the area to test the Jamaica keeper.
Coach Gregg Berhalter (4) — One can't really judge this one on game plan or management, because the game was basically a speculative look-see ahead of Gold Cup. Setting occasion aside, the 3-6-1 middle box set Berhalter went with mostly failed to click offensively and Jamaica had it much too easy playing through central park. In the end, he almost certainly learned a lot less than he wanted.
Subs:
Jonathan Amon (5) — The speedy winger tried to get his motor revved a few times, but was unable to solve Alvas Powell.
Nick Lima (5.5) — The San Jose right back was unable to get much going on his forward jaunts, and a couple of his stray passes set Jamaica running. On the other hand, Lima did pile up a half-dozen defensive stops in a half-hour.
Duane Holmes (7.5) — The revelation of the night. Holmes marked his USMNT debut with quick attack decisions, solid delivery and even a bit of brave battling defensively. You can take it with a 24-minute grain of salt, but I'd expect to see more of him before long.
Joe Gyau (6) — Back in the US frame after nearly five years, Gyau looked willing and able to run for the touch line and attempt service.
Cameron Carter-Vickers (4.5) — The young Tottenham defender looked shaky on the ball in his 18 minutes, committing a bad giveaway in each half.
Daniel Lovitz (-) — Nothing more than a cameo.
