The US national team essentially eased their way into the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying thanks to a suitably dominant 6-0 rout of hosts St. Vincent & the Grenadines on Friday afternoon.
Jurgen Klinsmann's boys came out for blood, forcing play forward until the hosts cracked to allow three goals in the final quarter hour of the opening frame. After the interval, they suffered a drowsy spell until subs Sacha Kljestan and Christian Pulisic came on to blow the game wide open.
Brad Guzan (6.5) - Though the netminder had precious little to do much of the afternoon, he comfortably made a couple of saves and a few area command plays. Guzan was let off the hook not long after the break by an offside flag, though.
DeAndre Yedlin (6.5) - The right back was very disruptive defensively in the opening half hour, added a couple of helpful recovery plays in the second half and scattered 15 positive passes in or into the Vincy Heat end throughout the match. On the down side, the fresh Newcastle catch committed a cynical yellow card foul and fluffed his big crossing chance.
Geoff Cameron (6) - The Stoke City stalwart had a couple of shaky communication incidents in the first half, but rallied to tidy things up after intermission. On the ball, Cameron also pitched in with a handful of long switches.
Matt Besler (7) - The proud new papa handled business smoothly at the back and added his first USMNT goal with a clever finish from a broken restart play.
Kellyn Acosta (6.5) - Though his final third work leaves much to be desired, Acosta made every effort to push into attack. Defensively, the converted midfielder racked up four pass interceptions and a pair of tackles to repeatedly put the visitors on the counter.
Kyle Beckerman (7) - The Real Salt Lake midfield ace constantly worked high, giving the hosts nowhere to go on the break. While Beckerman did misfire the odd pass, he also spent most of the game supplementing the US attack with fine possession work.
Graham Zusi (6.5) - It was a solid outing from Zusi, who linked well to the forwards without ever producing end product. His off-the-ball work slowed several home side rushes.
Alejandro Bedoya (7.5) - With Michael Bradley suspended, it was Bedoya who acted as the tempo master. The Philly Union addition performed this task very well, spraying to both flanks throughout his 66 minutes of action.
Fabian Johnson (6.5) - The 'Gladbach winger never quite enjoyed the right bounce to get himself on the score sheet, but he notched an assist on the opener and his lead passing was troublesome.
Bobby Wood (7) - After muffing an early chance, the new Hamburg forward started the rout with a curling finish as cool as cucumber sorbet. As usual, his movement repeatedly unsettled the opposing back line.
Jozy Altidore (7.5) - It was a well-rounded showing from the in-form Toronto FC striker. Altidore buried his spot kick with ease, earned his side a few danger free kicks and constantly kept the attack moving with hold-up passing. His persistence kicked off the scoring sequence on Wood's winning goal.
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann (7) - The boss said he was not taking this opponent lightly, and his team came out bearing that attitude. There would be no slog against a lesser foe on this balmy night.
Subs:
Sacha Kljestan (7.5) - Welcome back, to say the least. Even though the man he replaced was excellent, Kljestan's entrance still changed the game. An easy goal and two helpers among seven positive final-third passes is quite the output for 24 minutes of work, even against a weak foe.
Christian Pulisic (8) - In tandem with Kljestan, Pulisic helped pull the visitors out of their second half sluggishness. He used a pillow soft touch to tee up his first goal and stayed calm under pressure to fire home his second, with an assist in between. If he doesn't start Tuesday, Klinsmann should be questioned.
Jordan Morris (6) - Though he didn't see the ball much around the area, he certainly occupied defenders to aid the last two US scoring plays.
