It was a dominant showing from the US men's national team on Wednesday night in St. Louis, cruising to a 6-0 win over Saint Kitts and Nevis.
While the 139th side in FIFA's World Rankings certainly isn't the most daunting opponent the Yanks will face in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, it was a competent and business-like performance, tying their best-ever Gold Cup win and giving them a solid lead atop of Group A.
Tied on points with Jamaica, they lead the group with a +6 goal difference heading into their final group match against Trinidad & Tobago on Sunday night (7 pm ET).
The Toronto FC goalkeeper gets an average grade through no fault of his own. Johnson didn't face a shot on goal, and hardly ever had to deal with the ball in threatening areas. He did wear the captain's armband for the first time at the international level, though, a nice touch for a player who has been a reliable presence with the team for many years.
Reynolds scored his first international goal in style, rocketing a volley in at the near post from range. His delivery improved as the night went on and nearly scored a second on a close-range volley, capping off his 22nd birthday with an impressive performance.
Like Johnson, Miazga was hardly troubled. He was calm in possession, but had essentially no defensive work to do.
Jones wasn't quite as involved as his counterpart on the right flank, but he was a consistent outlet in possession and picked out some enticing passes into the final third.
The 22-year-old NYCFC stalwart set the tempo in midfield, without needing to do any real defensive work. A routine outing.
The former Sporting KC homegrown was clean on the ball all night, completing a cool 91% of his passes, albeit against very little resistance. He was taken off at the half, but not before picking up two assists.
Two goals, two assists. A classy performance for the AZ Alkmaar playmaker, who ran the show for the Yanks. Sure, it wasn't against a top opponent, but Mihailovic continues to put in performances that warrant a place with the first-choice team.
The Club América attacker set up Bryan Reynolds' goal from a corner kick. Zendejas got in excellent positions all night, but was wasteful, taking too many touches and predictably cutting onto his favored left foot. Not a poor showing, but he certainly could have taken more from the game.
Ferreira finished smartly to stun The Sugar Boyz, capping off a four-minute rampage in which the US scored three times. Oh, yeah, and he also scored again. And again. He should've also had an assist, but a poor touch from Alan Soñora wasted a perfect ball from Ferreira. In all, not a bad night for the fastest player to reach 10 goals in program history.
The US were always monumental favorites against a nation with a population of just under 48,000. The 6-0 win was in no way unexpected, but they took care of business professionally. That hasn't always been the case with this team, and Callaghan has put his players in positions to succeed and let them take care of the rest. They'll go into their final group game with plenty of momentum and favorable odds to top Group A.
Substitutes
On at halftime, the Juárez midfielder got on the ball consistently but struggled to make an impact on a night when other attackers feasted.
After his heroics against Jamaica on Saturday, the FC Cincinnati striker was surprisingly quiet, touching the ball just six times in his 34-minute shift, failing to put either shot on target.
Morris brought a spark off the bench. The Columbus Crew homegrown demanded the ball and was efficient when he had it, completing 38 passes in 34 minutes and playing a big role in Mihailovic's second goal.
The Seattle Sounders midfielder made an instant impact, unselfishly laying the ball off to set up Mihailovic's second goal and generally causing problems for the Saint Kitts and Nevis defense.
Fresh off the birth of his second daughter, Gressel was lively in a 15-minute substitute appearance, getting high up the pitch and finding the ball in and around the box, and whipping in several enticing crosses.
