USMNT player ratings: Weah shines as Pochettino changes aid win over Jamaica
The U.S. men's national team took a big step forward Monday night, with a 4-2 second leg win over Jamaica sending the team through to the Concacaf Nations League semifinals and securing a spot in the 2025 Gold Cup.
Just as importantly, the USMNT performed at a high level, with head coach Mauricio Pochettino fielding an innovative starting 11 that saw Tim Weah (who would score the fourth for the U.S.) and Antonee Robinson offer particularly strong showings. Christian Pulisic scored the opener and had a second strike eventually ruled to be an own goal, while Ricardo Pepi made it three straight USMNT matches with a goal as the Reggae Boyz had no answer in the first half.
Despite Demarai Gray's second-half brace, the U.S. never truly had to worry en route to a 5-2 aggregate win, with the USMNT showing the possession dominance, competitive intensity, and pressing nous that Pochettino has said will typify his style. In other words, this was the performance U.S. fans had been waiting for since this summer's coaching change.
As a reminder, here’s our scale for these ratings:
- 1: Abysmal. Literally any member of Pro Soccer Wire’s staff would have been been able to play at this level.
- 6: Adequate. This is our base score.
- 10: Transcendent, era-defining performance. This is Maradona vs. England in 1986.
GK: Matt Turner - 6.5
Turner ended up not having all that much to do for the first 50 or so minutes, but he did make choices in passing that drew applause from Pochettino, who sprung up off the bench to show his approval for Turner finding an outlet that wasn't simply booting it towards midfield. Given Turner's erratic play on that front, it's a welcome development if it continues.
Both Jamaica goals involved errors further up the field, and if anything Turner's save on Renaldo Cephas was a good one in the sequence that became Gray's second. Beyond that, it was largely quiet, as Jamaica converted the only two serious looks they got and gave the Crystal Palace man little else to handle.
RB: Joe Scally - 6
Scally got his angles all wrong on Jamaica's second, essentially escorting Cephas into a dangerous position and letting the Ankaragücü attacker cut onto his favored right foot. Yes, it's not great that Scally ended up with no help on the sequence, but this was also a real "what not to do" for fullbacks who end up in that scenario.
Balancing this out, Scally was sound in possession, which mattered given that Jamaica's posture and the USMNT's dominance of the ball meant the right back ended up with 105 touches. Critically, Scally made sure to keep the tempo high and keep his passes from being too obvious, avoiding any serious giveaways.
Overall, a mixed bag for the Borussia Mönchengladbach defender.
CB: Mark McKenzie - 6
McKenzie had a whopping 102 touches, completing 95% of his passes as the USMNT successfully used new angles to avoid any pressing triggers and move through the lines with serious efficiency.
That's the good news. The bad news was, again, a tendency to lose track of runners. He didn't seem very alert on what could have been a Shamar Nicholson goal early in the second half, but the Spartak Moscow forward was both denied by Turner and also caught well offside by the officiating crew. Moments later, Nicholson was onside as a long ball dissected the back line, and McKenzie needed Tim Ream to intervene before recovering to complete the job.
Strangely, McKenzie was not credited with any defensive actions, which may have some root in Jamaica preferring to get into battles with Ream instead, but was also down to the Toulouse defender being a bit passive on the day.
CB: Tim Ream - 7
Ream's passing was superb, with a 99% passing accuracy (84-for-85) proving fundamental for Jamaica's inability to slow the USMNT's rhythm as was the case in the first leg. When he had windows to go long, Ream found his man every time, and when the choice was closer, the Charlotte FC defender kept the ball ticking over, and the U.S. found the exit into the midfield with ease.
The veteran did very well in the 52nd minute, sprinting a long distance to slow Nicholson after an inspired pass from halftime substitute Richard King caught McKenzie napping. Ream chipped in two interceptions, two tackles, blocked a shot, and generally answered the call against Jamaica's best striker.
LB: Antonee Robinson - 7.5
The Fulham defender has long been the main source of USMNT width along the left, but on Monday was used very differently. The U.S. continued to leave three at the back in possession, but Robinson slashed inside, posting up alongside Tessmann and McKennie while Weah stayed high on the touchline.
That weaponized his ability to cover so much ground so quickly, and his forward-thinking choices meant that the USMNT tilted play towards the Jamaica goal pretty much any time he got involved. It's a look that is the first meaningful distinction between how Pochettino and Gregg Berhalter use one of the team's key figures, and it set the stage for an authoritative win.
"Jedi" set the tone early, combining with Weah in a move that ended with a shot off the post, and eventually got an assist by finding Pepi for what proved to be the match-winner at Energizer Park.
We do have to ding Robinson for getting his angle wrong as Matt Turner could only parry Cephas' shot into a dangerous spot, with Gray pouncing to finish, but overall it was another standout performance from arguably this team's most reliable player.
RCM: Weston McKennie - 7.5
McKennie, playing a line deeper than he did in the first leg, showed what he can do from that area of the field. The Juventus man punished Jamaica's lack of pressure on the ball with an inch-perfect service over the top that put Andre Blake in a bind, allowing Pulisic to score the opener.
McKennie may have had (another) off night in terms of his defensive duels (Sofascore credited him with winning just two of seven on the night), and the Texas native had an assist chalked off thanks to Concacaf's own-goal ruling, but take nothing away from McKennie: he bossed this game in a position that suits him more. The 26-year-old's 51-for-56 passing looks good, but in a context where he kept the team moving forward and never let Jamaica settle into a comfortable defensive block, it's even better.
LCM: Tanner Tessmann - 7.5
The Lyon midfielder has seized a chance with the USMNT, showing serious chops as a tempo-setting fulcrum in central midfield. Despite Jamaica's best efforts, Tessmann's only missed pass was an attempted long ball, with the other 73 all finding their intended target. That's how you put a team on the back foot.
Tessmann was superb throughout the sequence on the second goal, opening the field up early in the move before playing a gorgeous dummy just before Pulisic fired home with the help of a deflection.
Defensively, Tessmann contributed two tackles and an interception, but more crucially, that pass wide to stretch the field was a recurring experience. Based on this evidence, a Tessmann-McKennie midfield duo is worth a few more looks, because there's serious potential that could be used in a lot of different situations.
RW: Yunus Musah - 7
With the USMNT set-up leaning heavily towards the left flank, Musah didn't see as much of the ball as Weah or Robinson, but when he did he was effective. Case in point: rather than being caught with blinders after Pulisic took a heavy tackle, Musah saw how Jamaica had left the back post totally exposed, picking Weah out for a thunderous 56th-minute goal.
Like Tessmann, Musah misplaced just one pass on the night, chipping in two tackles and quietly helping to set the stage for an attack that routinely opened Jamaica up, regardless of the Reggae Boyz being in a 4-2-3-1 or the 5-4-1 that manager Steve McClaren switched to in the second half.
AM: Christian Pulisic - 7
Pulisic was a factor in the move leading to Weah's shot off the post, and then offered a tremendous run from deep before shuffling his feet for a tricky finish to give the USMNT a critical early lead.
Dodgy celebration aside, Pulisic was able to find weak points in Jamaica's set-up throughout the first half, forcing an own goal in the 33rd minute and providing danger as part of the USMNT's press.
There were issues with Pulisic's performance: he lost possession 16 times and won just 25% of his duels. His defending on Demarai Gray's first goal was far from ideal, as Isaac Hayden shook him with ease, but in the attacking third he was a huge problem for Jamaica, particularly in the first hour.
Pochettino's success in finding the balance with Robinson and Weah on the left opens up this No. 10 role for Pulisic, and it lets him become the team's primary goal threat. The USMNT may have just found the recipe.
LW: Tim Weah - 8
Weah may have been in an unusual position to start, but he showed a wonderful combination of patience and vision to come inside and eventually hammer a fourth-minute shot off the post.
There was instant chemistry between Weah and Robinson on the left flank, and that's the area the U.S. used to repeatedly tear open the Reggae Boyz's defense. Eventually that resulted in his reward, with Musah's cross picking the Juventus winger out for a ferocious finish to squelch a Jamaica comeback attempt.
It was a case of just desserts for Weah, who thrived in all facets. The 24-year-old misplaced just three of 39 passes despite consistently facing up and looking to take the kind of risks you have to take as an attacking player. In particular, Weah's ability to play one-touch cut Jamaica's physicality — something that bogged the USMNT down in the first leg — out of the game.
Overall, this was an excellent night of work from a key player.
ST: Ricardo Pepi - 7.5
Pepi was a willing runner in the early going, but wasn't a factor in the first two goals. That's completely alright though, because he effectively manufactured the third out of nothing, pressuring Jamaica into a poor pass to spark the move and then finishing it with a pinpoint strike.
Overall, Pepi was a bigger factor, winning all of his aerials and generally being far harder to mark than he was in the first leg. That activity level left plenty of space for the rest of the U.S. attack to operate in, and if Pepi's doing that and scoring, how do you pull him out of the lineup? It's going to take something special for Folarin Balogun, Josh Sargent, Haji Wright, or anyone else to displace Pepi if this is the baseline for the PSV striker.
Coach: Mauricio Pochettino - 7.5
Pochettino's changes to the lineup were devastating news for Jamaica, who had no answer for Robinson's new usage, Pulisic's roaming, the unexpected development that was Weah on the left, and on and on. The first half was effervescent, intense, and ruthless from the USMNT, and some credit has to go to the manager and his staff on that front.
TNT's report that Pochettino looks for "ocular dominancy" in choosing players for either flank may take up a lot of the oxygen in the room, but whatever opened the door up to Robinson playing an inverted role and Weah being a true winger on the left was inspired stuff. Similarly, the USMNT's attitude in the first half effectively put this tie to bed early, allowing a two-goal second half for the visitors to essentially be shrugged off.
The second half did contain those goals, and some lax moments from the collective, so we can't go higher than this 7.5, but this was promising stuff from the manager.
Sub: Brenden Aaronson - 6.5
Aaronson took over for Pulisic at the No. 10 spot, offering his normal pressing energy. The Leeds United midfielder made two tackles and tacked on two key passes, and might be unlucky to walk off without an assist. Aaronson was very tidy in possession, and helped make sure that the final 20 minutes went by without Jamaica getting a glimmer of hope for a comeback.
Sub: Gianluca Busio - 6.5
Busio stepped into McKennie's role in the 69th minute, and brought some bite off the bench. He won most of his duels, made two successful tackles, and even his two fouls were something of a statement that the USMNT is not going to be easy or let their intensity flag once a game is in hand.
Pochettino will surely notice that, and this window very likely did the Venezia midfielder's hopes for a bigger role some good.
Sub: Brandon Vazquez - 6
Vazquez once again got himself open multiple times as Jamaica sought some kind of purchase going forward, which is what you want for a forward coming off the bench. But again, the Monterrey No. 9's execution let him down, with one sequence ending with a miss and an offside flag, while he fired wide again a bit later.
It's a plus for Vazquez that he showed he can consistently get open in these moments, and he's on the same wavelength with teammates to enough of an extent that his movement results in chances. However, with the other forwards vying for these chances all in good scoring form, Vazquez probably needed to put one of these looks away to be sure he gets called back in next time around. We'll see where he stands come the next USMNT window.
Sub: Cade Cowell - NR
Cowell came in for Weah in the 77th minute, but that 13-minute cameo didn't amount to much. The Chivas winger collected just six touches and wasn't involved defensively, so he gets no rating this time around.
Sub: Alex Zendejas - NR
Zendejas came on for Musah in the 88th minute, seeing out the game's final moments without having a real chance to earn a rating here.