Three takeaways as Pepi lifts USMNT to Nations League win at Jamaica
Mauricio Pochettino's first competitive match in charge of the U.S. men's national team wasn't pretty, but it was successful.
On a terrible pitch in Kingston, the USMNT walked away from Thursday's Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal first leg with a 1-0 win.
Ricardo Pepi's fifth-minute goal would stand up, thanks in part to a penalty save from Matt Turner 10 minutes later. Chances were at a premium for both sides in a disjointed affair, but the U.S. saw out the match with the result it needed.
Before the scene shifts to St. Louis on Monday for the second leg, here are three takeaways from Thursday's match in the Caribbean.
Pepi shows he can be 'the man'
The narrative was set well in advance of kickoff on Thursday: This was Ricardo Pepi's big chance.
The striker didn't take long to seize his opportunity with both hands.
With his main competitors Josh Sargent, Haji Wright and Folarin Balogun all injured, the starting role against Jamaica was essentially Pepi's by default.
Just five minutes into the match, Christian Pulisic found a pocket of space and slipped Pepi in behind the Jamaica defense. The PSV striker took it from there, pinging a scuffed shot in off the far post to open the scoring.
Pepi didn't offer too much more from there, exiting the match after 72 minutes with just 20 total touches. But his two touches in the fifth minute decided the game.
For a player who said before the match he was ready to be "the man" for club and country, this was another piece of evidence that he may be right.
Turner taketh, Turner giveth
It's been a rocky road for Matt Turner at the club level, but the goalkeeper continues to show why he's earned Pochettino's trust early in his coaching tenure.
The goalkeeper has played just once at Crystal Palace this season, but made his third appearance in three games under Pochettino on Thursday.
The 30-year-old didn't begin the game on a positive note, as he conceded a penalty on a sequence when the entire USMNT defense didn't exactly cover itself in glory.
But Turner bounced back immediately with a sensational penalty save on Demarai Gray, another signature moment after a spectacular double save against Panama last month.
Turner was faultless the rest of the game, as he continues to keep an iron grip on the USMNT No. 1 shirt despite his lack of club minutes.
Pulisic takes a beating
The match got increasingly contentious as the second half wore on, and most of the rancor came from Jamaica's treatment of Christian Pulisic.
Jamaica clearly aimed to rattle the in-form AC Milan star in any way possible, getting multiple late shots in at a highly frustrated Pulisic.
Damion Lowe plowed Pulisic over with an unnecessary 61st-minute challenge and when Joel Latibeaudiere caught the forward with a late tackle 10 minutes later, an inevitable scuffle broke out.
It was a scene foretold in the most recent episode of "Behind the Crest" from U.S. Soccer.
Pulisic ended up playing the full match, a development that seemed unlikely at various points of the night. After he was sent home early to preserve his legs in October, it will be interesting to see if he can go 90 minutes again on Monday.