USA 2 -1 Jamaica, 2017 Gold Cup: Player Ratings

All hail the Kings Of CONCACAF. What a time to be alive right? The United States played a solid game having a 4-4-2 duel with a team willing to sit deep and wait to hit out on their speedy counter and it was on full display tonight. But it would be the USMNT who would prevail.

Tonight Jordan Morris was the hero, though early in the second half it didn’t look that way. Morris took a brief nap which allowed Jamaica to score, but he redeemed himself on the other end of the pitch netting the game winning goal.

Tim Howard: 7.0

Another solid night between the sticks for Timmy Howard. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to pick up the clean sheet but that was far from his fault. He’s looked good in the knockout rounds and is by far our number one going forward. Like there was any doubt about it.

Jorge Villafana: 6.5

He did really well tonight in linking up and interacting with Darlington Nagbe, though when Nagbe moved more centrally, he was on his own and didn’t have the outlet he had for most of the match. That happened when Clint Dempsey came on. He also wasn’t very good on the crosses into the box tonight.

Omar Gonzalez: 6.0

What to say about Omar Gonzalez that already hasn’t been said about him. He was very vanilla on the night. Though he did have a chance to break the tie in the 70th minute, he was at a screwy angle and couldn’t curve the ball inside the post with his head. I really don’t see him as the third center back going forward, but Arena will most likely prove me wrong.

Matt Besler: 7.0

Matt Besler didn’t do anything to hurt his standing with Bruce Arena tonight. In my opinion, he should be the third choice center back going forward. He’s more likely to take control and lead the backline than would Gonzalez. Besler is really good at what he does and should be rewarded for it.

Graham Zusi: 6.0

To be honest, I had him rated lower at halftime. But, he somewhat got his stuff together in the second half. It still doesn’t excuse getting him getting smoked down the wing on a regular basis. The Graham Zusi experiment is another thing that needs to come to an end.

Kellyn Acosta: 7.0

Kellyn Acosta played aggressively all night by being a bit more up the pitch than his partner Michael Bradley, who sat deeper in front of the center backs. He’s had a lukewarm tournament but Bruce is showing that the kid can play in big games. He’s still got a little way to go, but the more camps and more minutes he gets, the better he gets. And he’s good already.

Michael Bradley: 8.0

Michael Bradley once again showed why he’s the captain and a sure fire starter until his legs fall off. It was another solid night from Bradley, who guided this team through the knockout stages and on to glory. He was the outlet tonight for everyone it seemed, though it did put him in some dangerous situations that he was able to bail himself out of. Also, he was the Golden Ball winner.

Darlington Nagbe: 8.0

Another great night from Darlington Nagbe, and he excelled in two positions. He started out the night playing on the left and ended it centrally. When he moved to the center of the pitch, he took command. He made a mess of the Jamaican defense on multiple occasions. He controlled the ball and kept the ball. All in all, it was a Nagbe kind of night.

Paul Arriola: 7.0

One thing I loved about his game tonight is that he would just pop up in space when no one was looking. He was a bit more forward tonight, leaving Zusi to handle things for himself and we saw how that went. He had two shots tonight, one on target. He could end up 23 man roster material depending on his club situation. He’s had a good tournament, should have some confidence when he returns to his club.

Jozy Altidore: 8.0

Dat free kick doe. Nagbe got fouled outside the box and instead of Bradley taking it - Jozy Altidore stepped up and put in the back of the net just before halftime. While you want him in front of goal for most of the match, he drifted more to the midfield to get his touches at times while Jordan Morris played farther up the pitch. He had two shots on goal tonight, scoring on one of them.

Jordan Morris: 8.5

What an interesting night and tournament for the kid. I had him rated at a 5.5 at halftime after he fell asleep on the back post on that Jamaican corner and being mostly invisible. But, he was determined to make up for that mistake, and he did in a big way. There was a scramble in the box, ball came to Dempsey who got a touch stopping the ball almost dead cold and Morris took it and laid in a nasty strike to put the United States up for good, 2-1. The goal was his third of the tournament and the tournament winner.

Subs:

Clint Dempsey (for Kellyn Acosta 55th min): 6.5

While there were no late Deuce heroics he did change the dynamic of the team. With him coming on and moving Nagbe into the midfield facilitated the goal later on. That’s what he brings to the table. He might not always get on the score sheet, but he can change a game just with him being on the pitch. I fully support the way Arena has decided to deploy Deuce.

Gyasi Zardes: (for Paul Arriola 76th min): 6.5

Wow, he came to play. It looked like he could take on the world when he came on for Arriola. He caused havoc for the short time he was on the pitch, giving the Jamaican defense one more player to worry about.

Dax McCarty: (for Darlington Nagbe 92nd): N/A

Dax McCarty was brought in simply to mop up. He wasn’t on the pitch long enough to warrant a score.

What did you think? How did you rate the players? Dive on into the comments...the water’s fine!