USMNT Player Ratings: Dest, Ferreira spark draw vs. Mexico | MLSSoccer.com

It was by no means a stellar performance from the US men’s national team in the first-ever Allstate Continental Clásico, but a late goal from Jesús Ferreira was enough to salvage a 1-1 draw Wednesday evening in Arizona.

After a slow start, the Yanks picked things up towards the end of the match, avoiding defeat against Mexico despite a pretty tepid performance. 

The result keeps the USMNT unbeaten in five straight matches against their arch-rival, all before a Concacaf Nations League semifinal vs. Diego Cocca’s squad June 15 in Las Vegas. 

Our scale:

Johnson made just two saves on the night, with Mexico’s best efforts either missing just wide or rattling the woodwork. It was a relatively quiet outing for the Toronto FC ‘keeper, who was left out to dry on El Tri‘s goal.

Yedlin improved in the second half, especially after the US switched to a back three and gave him the freedom to push higher up the pitch. He was caught out of position a couple of times, though, and his service into the box left something to be desired.

It was a solid-if-unspectacular showing from the Nashville SC stalwart, wearing the USMNT captain’s armband for the ninth time. Especially in the first half, he slowed the game down when he got on the ball and was content to cycle it around the backline. He grew marginally more ambitious as the night went on, attempting 12 passes into the final third, which led the team. Zimmerman was typically defensively sound, popping up with a big clearance in the closing minutes of the match.

Like Zimmerman, Long was content to slow the tempo when he got on the ball and never really tried to find gaps in Mexico’s block. On Mexico’s goal, he was put in a tough position with a poor ball from Kellyn Acosta, but he completely misplayed the tackle to give Uriel Antuna a free run at goal. It’s an error you simply can’t make at the international level.

Dest struggled for chunks of the match, but made up for it in a big way in the final minutes of the game. After Carlos Rodríguez rattled the bar, Dest burned through the El Tri defense, beating four players in a counterattack that led to the equalizer. It wasn’t a remarkable 90 minutes by any stretch of the imagination, but that single sequence showed why the on-loan AC Milan fullback is still a crucial player, even when there’s a full-strength squad.

Acosta generally cycled the ball decently well and attempted a couple of ambitious diagonals, but like the rest of the team, he couldn’t conjure any entry balls into Mexico’s box. His misplayed back-pass to Aaron Long put the defender in an awkward position and helped El Tri to an easy goal.

Fresh off his return to New York City FC, Sands was the standout performer on the night. He took up great positions in midfield, won back possession well, and consistently looked to play the ball forward and break lines. In a match where the US as a whole lacked inventiveness, Sands at least did his part to put pressure on the Mexican defense.

The Seattle Sounders attacker was a willing runner throughout the night, but too often picked the wrong pass in the final third. Morris found another gear in the final 20 minutes, though, looking rejuvenated after a switch to his preferred left side. He capped off a fantastic counterattack with a well-hit ball across the box to assist Ferreira for the equalizer.

Ferreira consistently got into excellent positions, but for most of the night either his touch or passing choices let him down. The FC Dallas Designated Player improved towards the end of the clash, though, equalizing from point-blank range against a bitter rival. He flipped between playing as a No. 10 and a No. 9.

Cowell touched the ball just 13 times in his 64-minute shift and usually made the wrong decision when he got on the ball. The San Jose Earthquakes winger has had a couple of electric showings in a US shirt. This wasn’t one of them.

Vazquez at least occupied the El Tri center backs, opening space underneath for Ferreira, but he only touched the ball 15 times and was starved for service for most of the night.

Hudson’s side put out a worryingly flat showing for a good 70 minutes, but to his credit, the team improved with each set of substitutions. His switch to a back three opened things up, and the US closed the match out better than they started. Until they went down a goal, they looked happy to slow the game down and play simple, safe passes. Regardless of the setting, matches against Mexico call for more energy and ambition.

Substitutes

Morris brought an energy boost to the US midfield. The 21-year-old Columbus Crew homegrown midfielder’s work rate has never been in question, but he wasn’t really able to lift the midfield’s quality on the ball.

It was an eventful appearance off the bench for Soñora, picking up a yellow card just four minutes into his cameo. Minutes later, the Juarez creator got the secondary assist for the USMNT’s equalizer, picking out a streaking Jordan Morris in the final third.

Miazga was solid in his 20-minute shift. The US switched to a back three when he entered, and he looked comfortable in possession. He was also more than happy to mix it up off the ball, giving the match at least a little bite.

The FC Dallas midfielder got onto the match in second-half stoppage time and didn’t have time to make an impact.

Like Pomykal, Wiley came on in the 90th minute and hardly got involved. But it was nice to see the 18-year-old get his first international cap after an exceptional start to the season with Atlanta United.