ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 31, 2021)—The U.S. Men’s National Team kicked off 2021 with a dominant 7-0 win against Trinidad and Tobago as four players scored and five added assists.
The USA got off to a scorching start and kept up relentless pressure all night as forward Jesus Ferreira helped spark the victory, scoring twice while setting up three other goals. Forwards Paul Arriola and Jonathan Lewis also scored twice, marking the first time since 1993 that three USMNT players scored multiple goals in a single game. Ferreira and Lewis’ goals were their first for the USA and center back Miles Robinson also netted his first international goal.
A youthful U.S. line-up out possessed the Soca Warriors by a wide margin and piled up a 19-2 advantage in shots. On the night, six players earned their first caps: goalkeeper Matt Turner and defender Aaron Herrera started the match while defender George Bello, midfielders Andres Perea and Tanner Tessmann and forward Darly Dike came on as second-half substitutes. Ten players who took the field were age-eligible (born in 1997 or later) for March’s Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship.
The USMNT took very little time to show T&T that it would be a long night as Ferreira set up Lewis for his first U.S. goal less than two minutes after the opening whistle.
The Americans pressed aggressively and played at a pace that Trinidad and Tobago struggled to match, with the USA spending much of the game in their attacking half. An extended spell of possession deep in the final third sparked the second USA goal in the ninth minute as a nice interchange ended in a nifty Ferreira finish, the FC Dallas forward’s first tally of the night.
The USA continued to threaten during the course of the half, keeping the Trinidadian defense on its heels and finding plenty of room to run on the wings. Goalkeeper Adrian Foncette had his hands full but did make a few excellent saves on the night to keep the score down. In the 22nd minute, Ferreira broke free on the run towards goal and then teed up an onrushing Arriola for the veteran winger’s first of the night. Not letting up, the D.C. United forward bagged his brace in the 41st. Arriola has scored three goals in his last two matches and tonight’s were his seventh and eight for the USA.
After the break, midfielder Andres Perea entered the match as a substitute to earn his first cap. The Orlando City SC midfielder was granted a one-time change of association from Colombia to represent the USA just before the USMNT’s January training camp kicked off.
The USA kept its foot on the gas after the break and a flurry of goals extended the American advantage early in the second half. A clinical set piece opened the scoring as captain Aaron Long headed the service back across goal to his center back partner Robinson, who buried a diving header from close range for his first international tally. After opening the scoring early, Lewis also netted in 55th minute, ripping a rocket from 18 yards into the right side of the net. Ferreira added his second to cap the scoring in the 62nd.
Following the three-goal outburst, Berhalter made four changes around the 65th minute mark. Shortly after the mass substitution, Trinidad and Tobago was awarded a penalty kick and Turner had his biggest moment of the night. After not having much work in the opening hour, the debutant goalkeeper dove to his right to make the stop on Alvin Jones’ shot, then pounced on the rebound to avoid any further danger.
It was the first penalty kick saved by a USMNT goalkeeper since Brad Guzan's stop Asamoah Gyan’s spot kick in the USA's 2-1 friendly win against Ghana on July 1, 2017 in East Hartford, Conn.
The USMNT will return to action during the March international window. The U-23 USMNT will compete at the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship from March 18-30 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
USA – Jonathan Lewis (Jesus Ferreira), 2nd minute: The USMNT got on the board early as Ferreira ran onto a pass into the left side of the penalty area, beating onrushing Trinidad goalkeeper Adrian Foncette to the ball and then touched it away from him. As Foncette tried to recover back into the goal mouth, Ferreira spun to face the middle of the field and calmly rolled a pass into the path of Lewis, who one-timed it to the left side of the net. USA 1, TRI 0
USA – Jesus Ferreira (Sam Vines), 9th minute: Trinidad & Tobago had trouble clearing their defensive third and midfielder Kellyn Acosta poked the ball away from a Soca Warrior to maintain possession. The USA then worked the ball around from right to left and Lewis received the ball inside the penalty area. Vines made an overlapping run deep into the left side of the penalty area and Lewis played him a perfectly weighted pass. Vines then drove to the end line and cut back a cross to Ferreira, who was lurking near inside the six-yard box and he volleyed it home just inside the left post first U.S. goal. USA 2, TRI 0
USA – Paul Arriola (Jesus Ferreira), 22nd minute: Breaking free down the right wing, Ferreira raced into the Trinidad penalty area, maneuvering around one defender before patiently laying a short pass off for the late-arriving Arriola. The charging winger launched a hard-hit shot past the Foncette inside the left post for his seventh international goal. USA 3, TRI 0
USA – Paul Arriola (Jesus Ferreira), 41st minute: As Trinidad attempted to clear a ball in the air, an errant header went right to Ferreira, who put Arriola on towards goal with a strong header of his own. The D.C. United forward got inside his marking defender, took a touch, and rocketed a shot from the top of the box. Foncette got a hand on it, but it ended up in the top right corner of the net. USA 4, TRI 0
USA – Miles Robinson (Aaron Long), 52nd minute: On a night with limited set-piece opportunities, the USA executed superbly to open the second-half scoring. From the right side of the field, Kellyn Acosta swung in a ball to the far side of the six-yard box, where Long stood unmarked. He headed it across the goalmouth to Robinson and his diving header from close range was good for his first international goal. USA 5, TRI 0.
USA – Jonathan Lewis (Kellyn Acosta), 55th minute: From just behind the midfield line, Acosta bombed a ball downfield to Lewis streaking down the left wing. The Colorado Rapids forward dribbled to the 18-yard line before launching a shot between two defenders to the far top corner. USA 6, TRI 0
USA – Jesus Ferreira (Paul Arriola), 62nd minute: Another booming pass teed up the USA’s final goal of the evening. From near the half-line, Jackson Yueill sent a weakside pass to Arriola on the right wing. He centered it for Ferreira near the top of the box and he dribbled towards the penalty spot before sending a hard-hit shot into the back of the net. USA 7, TRI 0
Tonight’s match marked the first time that the USA has tallied six or more goals in three consecutive matches. The USMNT topped El Salvador 6-0 in December and beat Panama 6-2 in November.
With tonight’s goals from Jonathan Lewis, Jesus Ferreira and Miles Robinson, the USMNT has had three first-time scorers in each of its last three matches. Brenden Aaronson, Ayo Akinola and Chris Mueller netted vs. El Salvador in Dec. and Nicolas Gioacchini, Gio Reyna and Sebastian Soto scored against Panama in Nov.
Tonight marked the first time that three players have scored multiple goals in a single match for the USMNT since Nov. 14, 1993, when Mark Chung, Dominic Kinnear and Joe Max-Moore all bagged braces in a 8-1 victory over the Cayman Islands in Mission Viejo, Calif.
The USMNT improves to 20-3-4 all-time vs. Trinidad & Tobago and 14-0-1 in home matches.
The USMNT is riding a seven-game unbeaten run (6-0-1), a stretch that dates back to the USA’s 4-1 defeat of Canada on Nov. 15, 2019, in Orlando. The current streak is the longest under Berhalter.
Today’s Starting XI had an average age of 24 years and 246 days and averaged ten caps per player.
With six international debuts on the night, 42 players have earned their first cap under head coach Gregg Berhalter, the most of any modern-era USMNT head coach through 23 games.
Aaron Long captained the USMNT for the fifth time. The team is a perfect 5-0-0 when Long has worn the armband, outscoring opponents 19-0.
Paul Arriola made his 18th appearance under USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter – the most of any player.
The 10 players who appeared tonight who are also age-eligible for the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship are defenders George Bello, Aaron Herrera, Miles Robinson and Sam Vines, midfielders Andres Perea, Tanner Tessmann and Jackson Yueill as well as forwards Daryl Dike, Jesus Ferreira and Jonathan Lewis.
Match: U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Trinidad & Tobago
Date: January 31, 2021
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Fla.
Attendance: 3,503 (Limited Attendance)
Kickoff: 7:25 p.m. ET
Weather: 72 degrees; Clear
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 4 3 7
TRI 0 0 0
USA -- Jonathan Lewis (Jesús Ferreira) 2nd minute
USA -- Jesús Ferreira (Sam Vines) 9
USA -- Paul Arriola (Jesús Ferreira) 22
USA -- Paul Arriola (Jesús Ferreira) 41
USA -- Miles Robinson (Aaron Long) 52
USA – Jonathan Lewis (Kellyn Acosta) 55
USA -- Jesús Ferreira (Paul Arriola) 62
USA: 1-Matt Turner; 2-Aaron Herrera (25-Tanner Tessmann, 78), 12-Miles Robinson, 3-Aaron Long (Capt.), 4-Sam Vines (21-George Bello, 64); 6-Jackson Yueill (15-Cristian Roldan, 64), 10-Kellyn Acosta, 17-Sebastian Lletget (8-Andrés Perea, 46); 7-Paul Arriola (11-Chris Mueller, 64), 9-Jesús Ferreira (19-Daryl Dike, 65), 14-Jonathan Lewis
Substitutes not used: 24-Matt Freese, 5-Walker Zimmerman, 16-Kyle Duncan, 20-Benji Michel, 22-Mauricio Pineda
Head coach: Gregg Berhalter
TRI: 22-Adrian Foncette; 3-Federico Pena (10-Duane Muckette, 58), 4-Josiah Trimmingham (Capt.) (2-Justin Garcia, 64), 5-Leland Archer, 12-Jamal Jack (6-Noah Powder, 82); 16-Alvin Jones, 18-Ajani Fortune 15-Neveal Hackshaw, 56), 8-Andre Fortune (13-Michele Poon Angeron, 58); 11-Jabari Mitchell, 17-Sean Bonval (14-Matthew Wooling, 56), 7-Ryan Telfer
Substitutes not used: 1-Marvin Phillip, 9-Brent Sam, 19-Jesse Williams, 20-Hashim Arcia, 21-Gary Griffith III, 23-Jonathon Jimenez
Head coach: Terry Fenwick
Stats Summary: USA / TRI
Shots: 19 / 2
Shots on Goal: 12 / 1
Saves: 1 / 6
Corner Kicks: 3 /1
Fouls: 15 / 11
Offside: 6 / 1
Misconduct Summary:
TRI – Jabari Mitchell (Caution) 53rd minute
TRI -- Matthew Wooling (Caution) 78
Officials:
Referee: Hector Said Martinez (HON)
Assistant Referee 1: Walter Lopez (HON)
Assistant Referee 2: Jesus Tabora (HON)
4th Official: Selvin Brown (HON)
U.S. Soccer Insiders Man of the Match: Jesús Ferreira