The U.S. men's national team wrapped up its pair of November friendlies with a resounding 6-2 win over Panama in Austria, following a 0-0 draw against Wales on Thursday.
For head coach Gregg Berhalter, there were a lot of positives to draw from the match that saw the U.S. score three goals in two separate eight-minute spurts on either side of half time.
However, it wasn't all rosy for the entire 90 minutes — and there are still fair questions to be asked about the USMNT going forward.
USMNT dominates Panama, 6-2, as Gio Reyna, other young prospects shine
Here are three major takeaways from the game:
1. The kids are all right
Berhalter named the USMNT's second-youngest starting lineup ever ahead of the Panama game, and nobody ran to the panic button. He didn't do it out of a dearth of more experienced options – he did it because the players he named deserved to be on the team sheet.
Across the board, the youngsters rewarded Berhalter's faith to get the job done.
Giovanni Reyna, who turned 18 on Nov. 13, proved to be a force during his time on the field. After the Panamanians took a surprising 1-0 lead early in the match, it was Reyna who stepped up to even proceedings with a free-kick goal that caught Panama keeper Orlando Mosquera napping.
Outside of Reyna, the other fresh-faced national teamers delivered the goods. In his first national team start at striker, 20-year-old Nicholas Gioacchini scored two first half goals following Reyna's free-kick.
Later in the match, it was another 20-year-old in Sebastian Soto that picked up a pair of goals with a goal from Sebastian Lletget sandwiched in between.
And while Mosquera likely should have done better on a number of the United States' opportunities, there's also something to be said about capitalizing on mistakes.
2. Midfield locked down?
How about another young player making a case for increased playing time?
Yunus Musah, all of 17 years old, made a strong impression in his start against Wales and kept that momentum against Panama. Alongside Weston McKennie (22 years old) and Tyler Adams (21 years old), Musah could make up a midfield three that the U.S. pencils in for years to come.
It's a small sample size, sure, but the teenager didn't do himself any kind of disservice over the past week. The big caveat is whether or not he foresees himself sticking with the USMNT. He's already represented England at the youth level and is eligible for Ghana, and isn't cap tied to the U.S. yet.
However, despite it being early, it's fair to assume Musah is a player Berhalter will want to keep in the USA crest.
3. Still some question marks
At 20 years old, Sergiño Dest is already Berhalter's best option at two positions: left back and right back.
He played on the left against Panama and on the right against Wales and look comfortable at either, but ideally, someone would challenge him to lock down one of those positions. To his credit, Reggie Cannon did put in a quality shift at right back vs. Panama.
Perhaps more glaring is the United States' lack of depth at the center back position. John Brooks took a back seat as Berhalter auditioned options to partner alongside Brooks, and neither Tim Ream nor Matt Miazga really showed a whole lot of promise.
There was plenty of blame to go around for both of Panama's goals, but the center backs would likely admit they could have had better evenings.
Beyond that, the U.S. looks as though 2020 will end on a high note. Although Berhalter did suggest there could be a camp and/or game in December, it wouldn't feature the European-based players and thus wouldn't be a full-strength USMNT.
Looking ahead, Berhalter will have to work a few things out on the defensive side, but the future is looking bright — especially if a healthy Christian Pulisic can join the fun.
