Well well well. WELL WELL WELL. Fresh off his best game as a Barcelona player last weekend, Sergiño Dest got the start for the USMNT in a friendly match against Jamaica on Thursday and kept the good times rolling with yet more proof that he's currently the best American kicking.
Dest played at left back against the Reggae Boyz, and though that's not his natural position, it is immaterial where he starts. Dest is remarkably comfortable on the ball with either foot and he will put your ass in the trash can no problem if you try him. Christian Pulisic spent a soggy half looking rusty and disinterested, and the midfield didn't move the ball as quickly as the A-team, but Dest more than made up for both by making Jamaican defenders look like training dummies.
You can tell Sergiño Dest plays with Lionel Messi 👀 pic.twitter.com/XxEbsq7HEk
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 25, 2021
Minutes after that little move he smacked a thunderbolt into the corner of the net for his first USMNT goal.
TAKE A BOW, SERGIÑO DEST!
— U.S. Soccer MNT (@USMNT) March 25, 2021
The #USMNT defender cuts inside and fires home a ROCKET for his first international goal! 🚀🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/F5jxhkpACy
That makes three goals in five days for club and country, as he scored his first two La Liga goals for Barcelona against Real Sociedad on Sunday:
🇺🇸🔝 Relive Sergiño Dest's game against Real Sociedad #LaLiga pic.twitter.com/M5inZCSl5K
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) March 25, 2021
As for highlights from the rest of the USMNT, Brenden Aaronson has continued a great run of form. The attacking midfielder moved from Philly to Salzburg and has slotted in nicely in Austria with three goals and two assists in 12 matches. He scored a nice little goal from a brilliant move with Josh Sargent, whose hold-up play was excellent throughout. Luca de la Torre also had an assist and Sebastian Lletget, who appears to have been promised infinite playing time via a blood pact of sorts with Gregg Berhalter, scored twice. Zack Steffen got scored on, though he did have two nice kick saves in the second half. John Brooks also passed it so hard into Yunus Musah's face that the teenager fell over.
But this was Dest's game, and while you can't read too much into the team suddenly deflating when he left the game, he was very obviously the best player on the field. I still can't believe someone this good chose to play for a team that relied on Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler in their last World Cup appearance.
Correction, 4:49 p.m.: Aaronson played for the Union, not NYRB.
