Agyemang & Co. shine in USMNT January camp

The USMNT's annual January camp has come to an end, and while the full extent of its success or failure won't be known for some time, the initial reaction is positive. The USMNT came away with wins over Venezuela and Costa Rica by 3-1 and 3-0 scores, respectively. The U.S. looked solid on both sides of the ball, and were deserving of their victories.

A tale of two strikers

Over the course of the two games, the U.S. got excellent performances from both of their No. 9s. Patrick Agyemang tallied in both games, while Brian White opened the scoring against Costa Rica.

RSL pair shine in midfield

If there was one enduring image of this January camp, it was the sight of Diego Luna with cotton stuffed up his nostrils after suffering a broken nose thanks to a wayward elbow from Creichel Perez. Then, just seconds after re-entering the match due to his injury, it was Luna who received the ball in midfield, ran at the Ticos defense, and laid in a perfect through ball for White to latch onto and finish.

Fresh faces emerge to challenge familiar backline

The U.S. defense contained more familiar names than any other part of the field, and Shaq Moore, Tim Ream, Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman all acquitted themselves well across two matches. The only goal conceded came from a set piece.

It was a pair of relative newcomers who caught the eye, though. George Campbell looked strong against Venezuela, even when he ventured forward. DeJuan Jones earned his 10th cap, and was given license to get forward as much as possible from left-back. He took advantage, and dazzled with a gorgeous, outside-of-the-foot pass that sprung Agyemang for his stoppage-time tally.