USA vs. Honduras, 2022 World Cup qualifying: Man of the Match

All aboard the hype train! Ricardo Pepi kicked off his senior USMNT campaign by leading a vital World Cup qualifying comeback effort as the United States came from a goal down to thump Honduras 4-1. After a dismal first half for the team, Pepi would assist Antonee Robinson on the tying goal in the 48th minute before picking up the game winner in the 75th and adding a second assist on Brendan Aaronson’s clincher in the 86th. Robinson and Aaronson were the second and third place vote getters, but it was Pepi who picked up his first SSFC Man of the Match award in the victory.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, and there were some warts in this one as John Brooks, who played a major role in the team coughing up the goal to Honduras in the first half, barely scored above a 4.0 and James Sands, who was slipping around so much he looked like he was trying to play barefoot, saw the lowest rating with a 3.8. Sands and the three players who were subbed at halftime (Bello, Sargent, and Brooks) were the four players to score below a 5.0.

From a coaching perspective, you could see the 4.82 rating as harsh following a 4-1 victory. Or you could see it as generous after the team came out in the first half and looked unprepared.

Here are all the ratings from the match, as judged by the SSFC community:

Ricardo Pepi - 8.73 (adjusted 8.35 - but really should it be adjusted?)

Antonee Robinson - 8.18 (7.94)

Brenden Aaronson - 7.89 (7.76)

Sebastian Lletget - 7.03 (7.00)

Miles Robinson - 7.01 (6.94)

Matt Turner - 6.96 (6.90)

Tyler Adams - 6.92 (6.89)

Christian Pulisic - 6.67 (6.64)

DeAndre Yedlin - 6.66 (6.64)

Cristian Roldan - 6.16 (6.16)

Mark McKenzie - 5.78 (5.81)

Kellyn Acosta - 5.68 (5.70)

George Bello - 4.55 (4.69)

Josh Sargent - 4.36 (4.65)

John Brooks - 4.15 (4.45)

James Sands 3.80 (4.31)

Gregg Berhalter - 4.82 (5.36)

Referee Fernando Hernandez Gomez - 5.68 (5.97)

Let us know in the comments section below if you’re ready to hop on the train or if you have other thoughts on the community rankings.