In a match full of new faces for Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT, most players put the right foot forward
By January camp standards, Saturday's U.S. men's national team win was as good as it gets. These games aren't about results, although – bonus – the U.S. did get a good one. The real focal point of these games is individual performances, and the U.S. got plenty of those, too.
Jack McGlynn, Patrick Agyemang and Matko Miljevic each scored their first senior international goals, leading the way in a 3-1 win over Venezuela at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. McGlynn was the star of the show, running the midfield even outside of his first-half golazo.
Agyemang, meanwhile, showed plenty of good traits as the No. 9, particularly finishing. And Miljevic shook off an early penalty miss to get a goal of his own to show some resiliency in his first USMNT match – joining Agyemang to raise the total to 61 players who scored in their U.S. debuts.
“Every kid dreams to make a debut for their national team and to score, it's hard to put the feelings into words," Agyemang said to TNT. “I’m still excited and I can't believe it, I'm so happy.”
All three were deserved goalscorers, having been rewarded for standout games aside from their finishes. All three showed quality, and they weren't the only ones. Few of the Americans who played in this MLS-heavy camp will leave Miami with their heads down. This was a good day from top to bottom, one that will leave Maurico Pochettino thrilled with how his group applied itself after a hard week of training.
And the players clearly are benefitting from training under Pochettino, as well.
“It was intimidating going into your first camp,” Agyemang said, “but Pochettino told me 'I like your game, I want you to play exactly how you want to play. You don't have to do anything specific. Know your defensive roles but in the end of the day, go and show what you can do.’ “
There's still another game to play this week – the USMNT take on Costa Rica next Wednesday – but overall, this January camp has already proven to be a good time for several new USMNT faces.
GOAL rates USMNT players from Chase Stadium.
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Patrick Schulte (6/10):
Didn't have to do too much, which is a blessing and a curse. Would have loved a few highlight reel saves to make his case to Pochettino, but those never really came.
Max Arfsten (7/10):
Had a solid game on the left-hand side. Got forward well and held his own defensively. A pretty good first impression.
George Campbell (6/10):
Had a few giveaways, but was generally fine. Was decent enough defensively.
Miles Robinson (7/10):
Did a good job being "the guy" in defense given his experience. Good on the ball and did plenty of mopping up defensively. Exactly the type of performance you'd expect from a veteran and Saturday's team captain.
Shaq Moore (5/10):
Plenty of questions about the defending on the corner kick, although you can chalk that up to this team's unfamiliarity with one another. Even outside of that, Moore didn't quite stand out.
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Benja Cremaschi (7/10):
Not a No. 6 by any stretch, but was asked to do a bit more defending. He did it well enough, too, stepping up to the challenge of partnering McGlynn as one of the two deeper midfielders. This wasn't his best game but, considering what was asked of him, it did make an impression.
Jack McGlynn (9/10):
What can you even say about a goal like that? McGlynn's pure ability on the ball has never been in doubt, and he showed why on Saturday. Fantastic passing and, of course, that big goal to really show why he's ready for a big leap forward.
Matko Miljevic (8/10):
It would have been easy for him to put his head down after a horrific penalty miss in the opening minutes, but he pushed through. Got an assist on the second goal and then got a goal on his own midway through the second half. The penalty was terrible but, overall, the game was pretty good.
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Brian Gutierrez (7/10):
Was good to see the aggression and confidence, which is always what you're asking for from a younger player. That will turn itself into something the more comfortable he gets in this setting.
Caden Clark (7/10):
Got the assist on McGlynn's goal, which is a nice little gift. Was pretty good on the ball throughout, providing a few strong moments on that right-hand side.
Patrick Agyemang (9/10):
Showed all of the things that made him the striker in Charlotte: strength, one-on-one ability, composure and, ultimately, finishing ability. About a good a USMNT debut as he could have hoped for.
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DeJuan Jones (6/10):
Replaced his club teammate Arfsten on the left and there wasn't a big of a drop-off, which is good considering how solid Arfsten was.
Emeka Eneli (6/10):
A logical sub to give the USMNT a bit more defensive instinct in midfield. Didn't run up stats on that side, but did have a few good passes with the ball at his feet.
Brian White (6/10):
Almost impossible to follow up on Agyemang's performance, so a tough spot for White. Didn't get much service to really make his mark, either.
Diego Luna (7/10):
There were some glimpses. Luna came on and immediately started looking for danger. Would be fun to see him start the second game.
Indiana Vassilev (6/10):
Only had a few touches, but didn't do anything silly with them. Very clean on the ball.
Walker Zimmerman (N/A):
Came on for only a few minutes at the very end.
Mauricio Pochettino (7/10):
This isn't about him by any stretch; all he can do is put these young players out there and see what they've got. He'll be happy with what he saw, though, as several stepped up in the right way.