The United States men’s national team kicked off their Concacaf Nations League title defense with a simple, one-sided 5-0 victory over visiting Grenada on Friday night. Jesus Ferreira, looking to be the starting striker for the USMNT at the 2022 World Cup, tied a team record with four goals to help his case, albeit against poor opposition.
The red, white and blue, playing their final match on American soil this calendar year, outshot the visitors 25-3 in a match that at times looked more like a scrimmage than an official competition for Gregg Berhalter’s team.
Shockingly, it took the United States 43 minutes to score despite dominating the ball and the chances, with an attentive Ferreira finishing from inside the box.
With so many misses in front of goal as of late, Ferreira was able to reverse that poor form with a prolific match that, while a great stat sheet for him, came against a team ranked 170th in the world. He’s the fifth player ever to score four goals in a game for the U.S., joining Archie Stark (1925), Aldo Donelli (1934), Joe-Max Moore (1993) and Landon Donovan (2003).
With key players like Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams rested, the U.S. were able to dictate the pace of play all night long. The visitors never came close to scoring, recording an xG of 0.10 on three shots. The U.S. finished with an xG of 4.08 on its 25 shots. The Americans also had 66.6 percent possession, did not concede a corner and saw Matt Turner not have to…
