USMNT — On Thursday night, the US men’s national team defeated Jamaica 2-0 to begin their World Cup qualifying campaign in October.
Though the two standouts were obvious and many of the other players put in solid if not spectacular work, it’s a credit to the players that no one fell below a baseline score.
Ricardo Pepi, an 18-year-old striker for FC Dallas, scored his third goal in two USMNT appearances as the US beat Jamaica 2-0 in Austin, Texas.
The result gives the United States eight points from its first four games in the CONCACAF Octagonal. Weston McKennie has returned to the fold after being sent home for breaking team rules during the previous window, but Pepi stole the show with his brace.
The national team of the United States has completed its mission. The Americans defeated Jamaica 2-0 in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying in Austin, Texas, thanks to two goals from teenage star striker Ricardo Pepi.
The USMNT got off to a strong start in their three October qualifiers, and manager Gregg Berhalter can thank his 18-year-old goal scorer for that.
After a frustrating first half in which Jamaica sat back and proved difficult to break down, Pepi broke the deadlock four minutes after the break with an expert header. The second goal came in the 63rd minute, on a simple inside-the-box finish.
Pepi earned his second straight man-of-the-match award, and he now has three goals in two consecutive starts, indicating that he is a lock for the starting forward position.
Berhalter actually took him off the field with 20 minutes left in the game, potentially saving him for the following two games.
The Americans didn’t create many chances in the first half, but they did have three disagreements with officials, one of which came after only 18 seconds.
With nothing but green space in front of him, US winger Paul Arriola sprinted behind the Jamaican defence and was hauled down from behind by Kemar Lawrence.
The referee, Grenada’s Reon Radix, chose a yellow card over a red for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, most likely due to the distance from the goal.
The yellow card decision on a similar play in the 33rd minute, when Brenden Aaronson was charging toward goal only to be hacked down by Damion Lowe, who was cautioned, was also a source of frustration for the US bench. Arriola went down in the corner of the box just before halftime after being shoved.
There was no penalty from the referee, and no VAR was used to review it during qualifying.
With the win, the USMNT takes over first place in the CONCACAF World Cup standings, though the top two teams were scheduled to play in a late match on Thursday.
USA vs. Jamaica final score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| USA | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Jamaica | 0 | 0 | 0 |
United States Men’s National Team Player Ratings
| Player Name | Rating | Position |
| Matt Turner | 7.0 | Goalkeeper |
| Sergino Dest | 6.5 | Defender |
| Walker Zimmerman | 7.0 | Defender |
| Miles Robinson | 6.5 | Defender |
| Antonee Robinson | 6.0 | |
| Tyler Adams | 7.5 | Midfielder |
| Weston McKennie | 6.0 | Midfielder |
| Yunus Musah | 6.5 | Midfielder |
| Brenden Aaronson | 7.0 | Winger |
| Ricardo Pepi | 8.0 | Forward |
| Paul Arriola | 7.0 | Winger |
| Gregg Berhalter | 7.5 | |
| Gyasi Zardes | 6.0 | Forward |
| Timothy Weah | 6.5 | Forward |
| Luca de la Torre | 6.0 | Midfielder |
| Kellyn Acosta | 6.5 | Midfielder |
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