A very young US national team enjoyed a 3-0 friendly cruise over an equally green Bolivia side on Memorial Day, with the margin of victory well-earned by a performance filled with promise.
The home side patiently went about the business of running at the visitors’ left, right and center until Walker Zimmerman started the party with a restart header. They never looked back from there, with Josh Sargent and Timothy Weah punctuating strong first senior-side starts with goals of their own in the second half.
Alex Bono (6) – You may as well given the Toronto FC netminder a chilled fork and a tall glass of milk, because his debut shutout went easy as pie.
Eric Lichaj (6) – The first-time captain wasn’t greatly tested at right back, and wasn’t always clean with the ball. Lichaj did have some nice first-half touches to link rushes down his flank.
Walker Zimmerman (7.5) – The LAFC defender took full advantage of scandalous marking to power home a corner-kick header for the opener. At the back, Zimmerman stepped into passing lanes when needed and moved the ball along safely.
Erik Palmer-Brown (6.5) – Though far less busy than his partner, Palmer-Brown had his moments. The former Sporting KC Homegrown calmly ushered away a couple of counter crosses and managed a handful of positive passes out of the back.
Antonee Robinson (7.5) – Though he certainly could use polish, the left back put in a impressive debut shift. With his quick feet and strong one-v-one body positioning, Robinson made light work of swipes down in his corner on the way to 22 total defensive stops. At Bolivia’s door, the youngster knocked and knocked with crosses until he coolly picked out Weah for the capper.
Weston McKennie (7) – Though his passing was occasionally loose, McKennie helped the US control the game by constantly breaking up plays in the center of the park. His 21 total defensive stops resulted in numerous sudden counterattacks for the US.
Timothy Weah (7.5) – The Paris Saint-Germain talent started the game well, and kept hitting the gas until he bagged his first USMNT goal by knifing through defenders in the box for a gimme. Yeah, Weah could have provided a little more end product, but his ability to get loose down the line is exciting.
Christian Pulisic (5.5) – The Borussia Dortmund playmaker drove some moves, but he is clearly exhausted after a long club season. Pulisic’s touches and passes were often just a shade off, but it’s nothing that resting those heavy legs won’t cure.
Joe Corona (6.5) – It was a decent outing for Corona, who played like a veteran among the kids. He supported final-third possession well and offered some tempting restart serves, one of which was buried by Zimmerman. The yellow-card infraction was actually worth the price to halt a breakout, but we’ll still dock him for the play because he was covering his own mistake.
Rubio Rubin (7) – Playing on his off wing, Rubin kept his motor revving in the right direction for 73 minutes. His work around the area ran hot-and-cold, but the Tijuana man certainly had his mind set on pushing play forward.
Josh Sargent (7.5) – In the first half, the kid displayed the same exact all-around final third savvy that we’ve seen at youth World Cups. Then, shortly after the break, Sargent (pictured at top) put the cherry on top of a yummy first cap with a big play. Not many strikers of any age can perform the thieving overhead touch that set up his goal, and the finish was no-nonsense. Fun days are ahead with this one aboard.
Coach Dave Sarachan (7.5) – This time, the interim boss got out of his own way to make the most of a friendly. The lineup put everyone in positions to succeed and every sub was used. More of this, please.
Subs:
Julian Green (6.5) – We’ve seen Green before as a winger, but this time he took the No. 10 role. He found good spots to receive the ball and often moved play in the right direction once he got it.
Keaton Parks (6) – Three words effectively summarize his half-hour debut: eager, but imprecise. Parks definitely showed he has the physical tools to do well at this level.
Andrija Novakovich (6) – The strike sub contributed a couple of good link touches, but wasn’t quite able to find the space he wanted to operate around the box.
Lynden Gooch (6) – The Sunderland attacker didn’t lose a ball in his 17 minutes and all five of his passes were positive. However, Gooch took too long to fire when presented with a late 10-yard chance and had his shot blocked away.
Matthew Olosunde (6) – We didn’t get to see the debutant right back put in any tense situations over his 16 minutes, but the youngster carried himself in a capable manner out there.
Jorge Villafaña (6.5) – Though he has the shortest shift of the night, Villafaña managed to squeeze two pressure turnovers and two key passes into a stoppage-time cameo.
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