The US men's national team officially advanced to the Concacaf Nations League semifinals and booked a place in next summer's Copa América 2024, although it's hard to qualify Monday's road performance as a morale win.
Sergiño Dest's shocking first-half red card made life difficult for Gregg Berhalter and his side, who squandered a lead to drop the second leg of their quarterfinal fixture against Trinidad and Tobago 2-1, advancing thanks to the 4-2 aggregate scoreline.
Turner didn't cover himself in glory on either of the Soca Warriors' goals. On the first, he was beaten at the near post after seeming to lose his footing. On the second, he got both hands onto a free kick from Alvin Jones, and while it was a well-struck shot, it's a save that a player of his caliber should make every time.
Robinson got the Yanks off to seemingly a perfect start, burying a cross from Sergiño Dest with a gorgeous diving header for his second goal in as many games. After Dest's sending-off, he continued to be a bright spot, working hard on both sides of the ball to try and salvage a result.
Ream was typically calm in possession and assured defensively. He generally dealt well with Trinidad's attack, especially as the night went on. Could he have intervened more strongly to pull Dest away from the referee?
The Celtic defender could perhaps have been stronger in holding off Reon Moore for Trinidad's opener after allowing the striker to get in behind. Overall he was solid against a physical frontline, but his distribution left something to be desired.
Stopped all the US' momentum with a needless sending-off. Not only did Dest launch a ball into the stands in frustration over a perceived missed call, but he continued to berate the referee after that, earning two yellow cards just seconds apart and drawing the visible ire of his teammates.
De la Torre put in a shift in his 90 minutes on the field. The Celta de Vigo man had to work even harder after the sending-off, covering every blade of grass on the field while maintaining a high level on the ball.
Musah pulled the strings in midfield for the US before the sending-off and tried to maintain their approach in the second half. He was typically composed on the ball, but more importantly, he showed up several times with crucial recoveries to win back possession and keep Trinidad's lead from increasing.
Reyna was bright in his 42-minute shift, creating a couple of chances and finding intriguing pockets of space. He was the immediate victim of Dest's red card, hauled off before halftime to adjust for playing a man down.
It wasn't a banner night for the Monaco attacker. Balogun's effectiveness waned once Dest was sent off, and the deeper he dropped to get on the ball, the less effective he became. He did have a half-chance in the first half to double the US advantage, but he scuffed his shot and sent it well wide.
Pulled off after 64 minutes as the US changed shape again to adjust to the red card. He wasn't bad on the night, holding up the ball well in the first half and providing Balogun more freedom in which to operate. But he was eventually sacrificed for another body in midfield.
Aaronson brought his typical industry to the match, but the final bit of quality was frustratingly absent. He had a couple of chances early in the match that he failed to convert and too often tried to take on his defender when a pass would have been more effective. He took a beating in his 90 minutes, looking injured more than once but managing to shake it off and stay on the pitch.
It's impossible to blame Berhalter for Dest's sending-off, and his side had played well up until that point. However, his adjustments in the second half were slow, keeping both strikers on the pitch for 20 minutes when help was desperately needed in the midfield. In a game where individual mistakes doomed the US, Berhalter was simultaneously not at fault and not as sharp as needed.
Substitutes
Scally was thrust into the fray minutes before halftime and acquitted himself admirably. He got forward down the right flank into decent positions, but his service never quite paid off. He should see more minutes with Dest suspended for the semifinal.
Tillman came into a struggling midfield with 25 minutes left. While it wasn't the ideal situation to make an impact on the match, he showed a few flashes, including a mazy run into the box that resulted in a cross fizzed across goal. It's unfortunate that his only involvement came when the game model had been thrown out the window.
Maloney was brought on in second-half stoppage time and barely got a touch on the ball.
