da pinnacle： Despite a reckless sending off from the fullback, Gregg Berhalter's side squeaked out a result that saw them book a spot in next summer's tournament.

da bet nacional： For a few minutes there, you couldn't help but wonder. It couldn't happen again, could it? On this away trip, with these stakes… it all felt like deja vu for the U.S. men's national team in their first visit to Trinidad & Tobago since THAT World Cup qualifier.

But, with a Copa America spot on the line, the U.S. survived one of the most boneheaded self-inflicted wounds in recent memory. Sergino Dest's baffling red card threatened the USMNT's Copa America place, but, in the end, it was never really in doubt.

After a 3-0 first leg win, the U.S. fell 2-1 in the second leg in Trinidad & Tobago. With that away goal, a first half header from Antonee Robinson, T&T would have needed five to complete the comeback. They never really got close, despite Dest's red card, a goal shortly after and a howler from the usually-reliable Matt Turner.

By the end, the U.S. could exhale. They're headed to the Copa America, but it feels like this game will still have lasting ramifications for some members of the team on the road to that major tournament.

GOAL rates USMNT players from Hasely Crawford Stadium…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defense

Matt Turner (5/10):

Got beat on the first goal, and that happens. However, he needed to do much, much better on the second, which saw him push Alvin Jones' free kick right into the back of the net.

Antonee Robinson (7/10):

Another game, another goal from Jedi, who put in another good shift even outside of the finish. No doubt about his left-back spot at this point, is there?

Tim Ream (6/10):

You could see the leadership as he did his best to get Dest away, but even Ream couldn't stop that disaster. Outside of that an okay performance, all things considered.

Cameron Carter-Vickers (6/10):

Could he have done a bit better on the goal? You could make the argument, as we're used to seeing the Celtic man body forwards in that situation.

Sergino Dest (3/10):

An incredible assist, but it was all ruined by pure stupidity. About as dumb of a red card as you can get, one that was selfish and immature as Dest left his teammates out to dry.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Yunus Musah (7/10):

Had some very, very good runs with the ball out of midfield. Looked a bit more assertive in this one, even if the game didn't really allow him to be as much as he could.

Luca de la Torre (6/10):

Statistically, his passing was phenomenal, but it didn't feel like he had a huge influence on the game due to the circumstances.

Brenden Aaronson (7/10):

Could have, and probably should have, scored on one of two early opportunities. The fact that he didn't ended up making the game a bit tighter than it could have been. Overall though, Aaronson brought the energy and took something of a beating for his efforts.

Gio Reyna (6/10):

May have been on a minutes restriction anyway after going the full 90 last time out, but Dest's dismissal led to Reyna being taken out before halftime.

Getty ImagesAttack

Folarin Balogun (6/10):

Got his first taste of travelling in CONCACAF and what a taste it was. Had a golden chance early, but those were few and far between after the U.S. went down to 10 men.

Ricardo Pepi (6/10):

Never really got going before the sending off and didn't have much to do after. Did a lot of good running, though, and the effort was there. Will be frustrated as this felt like it could be a good opportunity for him.

GettySubs & Manager

Joe Scally (7/10):

Tough spot to be thrown into, but Scally handed it well. Tracked back on one scary sequence, so job well done.

Malik Tillman (6/10):

Replaced Pepi midway through the second half to add another midfielder. Never really did much, though, with the U.S. simply trying to escape.

Lennard Maloney (N/A):

Came in with just a few minutes remaining to kill off the game.

Gregg Berhalter (6/10):

Hard to really judge due to the red card. Everything was totally in control until then, and the two-striker look was actually looking like a good choice. Will be interesting to see how he handles what's next, though, as Berhalter will need to have a lengthy talk with Dest after this one.