Feb 3, 2017; Chattanooga, TN, USA; United States midfielder Chris Pontius (23) and Jamaica defender Damion Lowe (3) battle for a header during the second half at Finley Stadium. United States won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Cesc Fabregas Could be on His Way to Major League Soccer

Cesc Fabregas Could be on His Way to Major League Soccer by Matthew Nelson

The USMNT won 1-0 against Jamaica in Chattanooga, TN on Friday evening. Here is how the game went and how each of the players fared.

The USMNT played their second game of January camp on Friday evening. As is customary in the January camp, there was a good amount of squad rotation so everyone would get a chance to impress.

The red, white, and blue came out strong to seize possession, and they never really let Jamaica get on the front foot. In the end, Jamaica was forced to play a lot of counter attacking soccer. The USA finished with 69% of the possession, and that was important along their path to victory.

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The only goal of the night was scored by Jordan Morris in the 59′ after a beautiful setup by Benny Feilhaber. Some players impressed, and others seemed to be lacking a little. Here are some highlights and player ratings.

Goalkeeper & Defense

GK: Luis Robles (6.5)

Robles really did not have to do much, but he did a good job handing some of the crosses that came his way.

RB: Graham Zusi (4.5)

Zusi looked pretty good when he was able to get out wide and overlap Pontius. From there he could hit crosses like he was used when he played RM. Unfortnately, many of his crosses didn’t have someone on the other end, and he showed a terrible lack of speed when he was beat on the counterattack.

CB: Steve Birnbaum (6)

Like with Serbia, Birnbaum was not really tested, but he did a good job getting a head on some of the free kick and set plays the USMNT ran.

CB: Walker Zimmerman (7)

Zimmerman was only making his first cap, but he played like a seasoned veteran. He won many of his arial duels and provided some good passes when playing out of the back. Like Birnbaum, he was never truly tested.

LB: Jorge Villafana (6.5)

Villafana was beat a few times in the first half, but he settled in very nicely. He did a great job working with Lletget joining the attack, but many of his crosses missed their target. Overall, a solid game is his first start for the USMNT.

Midfielders

CDM: Dax McCarty (7)

Dax did a great job holding down the area in front of the defense. He made some interceptions, smart passes, and almost got a goal off a header. The only thing keeping him from a higher rating was his short night at only 62 minutes.

RM: Chris Pontius (5)

Pontius played smart, but his ability let him down multiple times. He made a number of solid runs and found himself in some good positions, but he was not able to make the killer pass or shot all night. As a result, the ball started to find its way up the other side of the field many times.

LM: Sebastian Lletget (7)

Lletget had another good game for the USA in his first start. He looked dangerous on the left side and had very good link-up play with the guys around. I would have liked to see some better deliveries on his crosses, however. Look for his name to be one of the 23 for the next WCQ.

CAM: Benny Feilhaber (8)

Benny did exactly what he was asked to do all night. He found pockets of space and linked up with people. It culminated in a beautifully set up assist to Jordan Morris.

Strikers

ST: Jordan Morris (7.5)

Jordan looked dangerous all night, and it all paid off when he got his goal in the second half. He did well in possession and made a number of great runs. The only thing keeping him from a higher rating was the fact that he wasted a couple dangerous chances that could have allowed him to have a brace. He needs to be a little more clinical in his finishing to make a consistent impact at the international level.

ST: Juan Agudelo (5.5)

Agudelo showed some hustle and had pretty solid hold up play, but that was pretty much it. He did not do much to help break down the bunkering Jamaica defense, and he didn’t get many sniffs at goal.

Substitutes

SUB: David Bingham (6) on for Luis Robles at half

Like Robles, Bingham didn’t really have much to do. He avoided making any mistakes, though, so that something.

SUB: Michael Bradley (6) on for Dax McCarty in the 62′

Bradley didn’t have a huge impact on the game. He did a solid job manning the number 6 role for half an hour, and that gets him an average grade. He does look noticeable more comfortable in the role he is playing for Arena than he did with JK.

SUB: Darlington Nagbe (7) on for Benny Feilhaber in the 62′

In his short stint on Friday Nagbe looked dangerous again. He was good in possession, and he basically just picked up where he left off against Serbia. He is another name I would expect for the WCQ squad in March.

SUB: Brad Evans (5) on for Graham Zusi in the 68′

Evans did not really have to do much, and the one time he got a solid look at hitting a cross, he didn’t make great contact. The few times he had to play defense, however, he was solid.

SUB: Alejandro Bedoya (4.5) on for Chris Pontius in the 74′

Bedoya had a tough time really getting involved in the play. As a result, he did not really make an impact, and it was easy to forget he was on the field the last 15 min.

SUB: DaMarcus Beasley (N/A) on for Jorge Villafana in the 86′

A nice cameo for the long-time USMNT player.