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Jesus Ferreira scores hat-trick as USMNT routs Saint Kitts and Nevis
Jesus Ferreira had a hat trick, Djordje Mihailovic scored twice and Bryan Reynolds also had a goal as the U.S. men's national team routed tiny Saint Kitts and Nevis 6-0 Wednesday in its second group stage game of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup — its largest ever margin of victory in the tournament.
Mihailovic opened the Americans' account with the eventual game-winner just 12 minutes into the match, which was played in front of a sellout, pro U.S. crowd in St. Louis, Missouri:
Here are three quick thoughts — plus instant reaction from Ferreira and USMNT interim head coach B.J. Callaghan — following Wednesday's contest:
Show Ferreira some respect
Let's be real: It was probably unfair of past/future USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter to thrust Ferreira into the spotlight of a starting role in a knockout World Cup game after not giving the FC Dallas star a single minute during the group stage. Even before then, Ferreira's MLS affiliation had already made him a favorite target of a certain segment of the fanbase — a sentiment that only grew when Europe-based Ricardo Pepi was left of the roster for Qatar 2022.
That doesn't mean Ferreira still isn't a legit talent. If Serie A champion Napoli's credibly reported recent interest in the 22-year-old didn't suggest as much, maybe Wednesday's milestone did. The Colombia-born, Texas raised striker is now the fastest American man ever to reach double-digit goals. Faster than Christian Pulisic. Faster than all-time program top scorers Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan.
It's true that a significant portion of Ferreira's international goals have come against regional minnows. He might not be a world-beater, or a guy worthy of the burden of firing the U.S. to new heights on the biggest stage of all. But there's a reason Ferreira keeps getting his opportunities, as he did somewhat surprisingly Wednesday over Game 1 hero Brandon Vazquez. And he proved why once again.
"He's got a great feel for the game, can come down and link up, makes these little darting runs in behind the backline," Callaghan said. "He understands that as a No. 9 you have the pressure to score goals. And that's a pressure he's leaning into. He wants it. He's driven by it."
Squad rotation pays off
The caretaker U.S. coach played coy Tuesday when asked by FOX Sports if he'd deploy his reserves against the badly overmatched Sugar Boyz.
But Callaghan backed up the confidence he said he had in the entire 23-man Gold Cup squad by fielding an almost entirely different lineup from the one that came back to steal a point off Jamaica last weekend. Most of them took full advantage of the opportunity. Gianluca Busio had the best of his nine career caps. Teenage center back Jalen Neal continues to rise to the occasion. Reynolds surely raised his stock with his worldy of a goal:
Mihailovic was perhaps the biggest winner. An untimely injury robbed the playmaker of any real shot at making the 2022 World Cup squad, and the former CF Montreal star, who's not a younger player anymore at age 24, struggled to adjust to the Netherlands' top league after a January arrival.
But Mihailovic did all he could on Wednesday to show that he can help this particular Gold Cup team. Should he end up playing a major role in a deep American run, it could be vital to his chances of cracking the full-strength USMNT en route to the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
Group finale against T&T still the key for the USMNT
As if the U.S. needs reminding how perilous playing Trinidad and Tobago in the final match of a competition can be, Jamaica's status as perhaps the most experienced and talented team in the entire tournament adds extra urgency to Sunday's game against the Soca Warriors (7 p.m. ET, FOX).
With the Reggae Boyz's Premier League front line expected to obliterate already eliminated Saint Kitts, the U.S must beat T&T by as many goals as possible to ensure a finish atop Group A.
"Now we go back, we look at video, we see what we need to improve," Ferreira said. "And go out there and execute."
If he and a rested cast of regulars can match the hunger and execution displayed by their understudies on Wednesday, you have to like their chances.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
