GLENDALE, Ariz. -- For the past two-and-a-half weeks, manager Gregg Berhalter has been building a foundation with the U.S. men's national team. It's a process that is 100 percent necessary, though it doesn't always make for compelling viewing. It's a process that at times consists of missed passes and blown assignments.

Yet on Sunday, the U.S. managed to not only begin the Berhalter era on a winning note, defeating Panama, 3-0, but it also had some bright moments. There were strong performances over much of the field, but of note were a trio of players making their international debuts. Djordje Mihailovic looked bright in a free attacking role, and scoring the first of the evening. Corey Baird delivered the assist on Mihailovic's goal, and was a consistent threat on the right wing. Defender Nick Lima was sharp throughout on both sides of the ball.

The role of Lima was the most interesting. His defensive duties were that of a standard right back. But when the U.S. transitioned into attack he played as an auxiliary midfielder, moving up and tucking inside to provide support to Michael Bradley. Lima's position allowed him to pounce on loose balls, and keep plenty of plays alive. It also allowed him to play-make a bit. It was Lima's pass that found Zardes in the 40th minute, and while the forward appeared to be bowled over by a Panama defender, the ball fell to Baird whose perfectly timed pass allowed Mihailovic to fire home with the help of a deflection. Lima then topped off his night with a stellar sequence, winning the ball to stifle a possible Panamanian counter, and then delivering a stellar cross for Walker Zimmerman to head home for the home side's second goal.

When asked to describe his role, Lima laughed and said, "Different," given how his responsibilities were much broader than those of a typical right back.

"There were times when I felt really comfortable with it," he said. "But there were also times where I'm sliding across, getting into the middle, getting deep. We're looking to switch point of attack and get out the other way, find our [No.] 10s, find our wingers. It's different, it takes a lot of learning, getting used to. Clearly I'm not used to it. It's still new, but it's a learning process. I think for going out in our first test in a real game, we found some things we definitely need to work on, and things that can work and we can build on going forward."