Jesus Ferreira scored his first two international goals and had three assists, and Paul Arriola and Jonathan Lewis scored twice each to propel the United States over a rusty Trinidad and Tobago 7-0 in a display Sunday night.
Lewis scored his first international goal, as did Miles Robinson.
With a 6-2 win over Panama in November with the best American players, followed by a 6-0 defeat of El Salvador last month with a mostly Major League Soccer group, the United States scored five goals in three games in a row for the first time.
Ferreira, a 20-year-old Dallas midfielder, gained U.S. citizenship in December 2019, made his U.S. debut last February, and is the son of former Colombia midfielder David Ferreira. Arriola scored two goals, as the United States went 4-0 up in the half to give him three goals in their last two international matches.
US Soccer MNT
(@USMNT)Just before leaving the match, @ JesusFCD27 he returned home the second of the night.
For those who count at home, this is ⚽️⚽️ + 🅰️🅰️🅰️ that = 5/7 goal participation overnight on the field. #USAvTRI pic.twitter.com/Br9ETk5idu
Goalkeeper Matt Turner and right-back Aaron Herrera made their debuts when the United States returned to playing without players based in Europe and 20-year-old midfielder Andres Perea entered the debut of his second half and granted a penalty, which Turner saved.
The 22nd-ranked Americans played just four games last year, the fewest since 1987, but it is estimated they will have a much busier 2021. There are likely to be two friendlies in Europe in March, when players under the age of 24 go to Guadalajara, Mexico, and try to qualify U.S. men for their first Olympics since 2008. The U.S. meets Honduras in June in a semifinal of the first League of the CONCACAF Nations, with the winner playing in Mexico or Costa Rica.
The Americans will then travel to Trinidad in early September to begin qualifying for the World Cup delayed by the new coronavirus pandemic. the start of a compacted stretch of eight qualifiers in 11 weeks.