He scored four goals in the USA's win over Grenada. There is a time and a place for it.
The United States men's national team needed a goal scorer in the lead up to the World Cup and they got one on Friday from Jesus Ferreira.
It took some time to break the stalemate, but after Ferreira scored the opener in the 43rd minute, the team began its defense of the Nations League. His hat trick in 13 minutes was the third-fastest in team history, and he joined a group of just four other men to tally four in a game. Nobody has ever scored more.
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The U.S. coach knew that Ferreira was feeling the pressure. The 21-year-old FC Dallas forward was held goalless in the first two games of the season. He was reassured that his work in other areas hadn't gone unrecognized and that scoring goals was just a part of how he was being evaluated.
When a player is under pressure, you want to see how they respond. The player still has to perform no matter what the opponent is.
The level of the opponent matters. There are more than 100,000 people in Grenada. It's ranked 170 in the world and has a roster of players who are different from the U.S.
When one of the opposing players is coming off a college soccer season, it's something different.
"I think we're going to be happy with the result that we expected with our quality, with our intensity, the way that we play at home," said Arriola, who scored the team's other goal. There were a lot of opportunities for us. I'm not sure what it was, but we can be better.
The U.S. created 18 chances and finished with 4.53 xG to Grenada's 0.09 When Grenada pressed the ball into the attacking third, it never posed a real threat on goal, giving Matt Turner one of the most effortless clean sheets he's ever had.
The U.S. will play in the World Cup on home soil. The starting XI showed where the priorities were this window, even though Berhalter was unwilling to downplay its importance. The lineup had multiple players projected to be on the World Cup roster bubble.
The play of Luca de la Torre was the most important aspect of the game. He was able to glide forward and play his teammates into space.
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Arriola said that he has been amazing since he joined the national team. My goal was his. The guy makes a great run.
"He did that in the first half a couple times and he gets going and it's funny, because he looks like he's not running and he is just sprinting by everyone."
This window, Berhalter has decided to use a double pivot in the middle of the field, instead of using a single defensive player. De la Torre said he likes it.
He said he was comfortable doing both jobs. I like to be able to decide if I want to be higher or lower.
Ahead of a second Nations League game on Tuesday, the U.S. will head to El Salvadoran. The team won't have a lot of time to prepare before the World Cup starts.
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