The U.S. team cruised to a 6-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago thanks to five second half goals. ASN's Brian Sciaretta is here with his player ratings.

BY Brian Sciaretta Posted

June 23, 2019

12:00 AM SHARE THIS STORY



THE PLAYERS AND the coaching staff of the United States national team should all be pleased with the collective and individual performances for Saturday’s 6-0 rout of Trinidad & Tobago at the 2019 Gold Cup. With this game getting noticeable pregame hype given what happened between the teams in 2017, the U.S. players left no doubt about this game.

It is a tough game to rate because there really were no weak links for the game. Even when the U.S. team was scoreless through 41 minutes, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before the dam would burst on Trinidad & Tobago – and that is what happened.

In the second half, the U.S. team played with a lot of fire and grit that was missing in 2017 and came away with a lopsided laugher. Gyasi Zardes and Aaron Long both had two goals. Paul Arriola and Christian Pulisic would each have one.

THE STARTING LINEUP





Zack Steffen: The U.S. national team No. 1 keeper was in fine form and made all the saves that came his way – including a few tricky ones. Rating 6.0

Nick Lima: The right back from San Jose had a very solid game both in defending and getting forward into the attack. His assist on Zardes’ first goal (the team’s second) was first rate. Rating 7.0

Walker Zimmerman: The LAFC central defender was fairly quiet, which is fine for a central defender. He wasn’t tested that much but did well when he had to. Rating 6.0

Aaron Long: The Red Bull mainstay scored the team’s first and last goals and was solid in the air throughout for a cleansheet. His passing out of the back was generally on-point too. Rating 7.5

Tim Ream: The Fulham defender earned the start at left back and generally stayed back. A few of his passes managed to connect with midfielders in dangerous areas. Rating 6.0

Michael Bradley: The veteran had a very good game and his passes were extremely effective in the final third. His pass to Lima in the build-up to Zardes’ first goal was the single best pass in the game. Rating 7.5

Weston McKennie: The Texan provided a much-needed disruptive force in the midfield. He had five fouls but some were useful in breaking up chances. The team fed off his energy and he also had an effective game offensively with the ball as he connected with Arriola multiple times in dangerous areas. On the first goal, McKennie kept the play alive with hard work in a tight space before finding Pulisic who would assist to Long. Rating 7.5







Christian Pulisic: The Hershey native was the best player on the field with a goal and two assists. He was so skillful that he helped to pull the Trinidad & Tobago defense apart and open up the game. Rating 8.5







Tyler Boyd: The new addition to the team was energetic and active in the start. He narrowly missed on a second-half chance and had a strong shot from distance in the first half. Unfortunately for the New Zealand-born Boyd, he left before the fun began and five goals were scored after him being subbed out in the 61st minute. Rating 6.0

Paul Arriola: The DC United winger was effective getting into dangerous positions and managed to score a goal. He nearly had a goalazo but was denied by the crossbar. He was effective in 1v1 situations and getting into open space. Overall, he caused Trinidad & Tobago a lot of problems. Rating 7.0

Gyasi Zardes: Forwards need to score goals, and Zardes had two very nice ones. The first one was a tap-in but Zardes made a very nice play in the build-up before getting in position for the tap-in. Then on the second, he emphatically finished off a nice chance created by Pulisic. Zardes did what was needed and was an inch away from a hat trick. Rating 7.0









THE SUBSTITTUES



Jordan Morris: It was a tough task to replace Tyler Boyd but Morris came in and was extremely dangerous inside of his first few minutes. He got himself into dangerous positions and made plays that changed the game. He came in when it was just 1-0 for the U.S. team and had two assists as the U.S. team had five goals in his 29 minutes on the field. Rating 7.5







Jozy Altidore: The Toronto FC forward made some nice plays including a skillful pass to Morris who assisted on the fifth goal scored by Arriola. Rating 6.0

Reggie Cannon: The FC Dallas right back didn’t play enough to get a rating but was a key part of the build-up to the final goal on his pass from the right side of the field. Rating NR