Gio Reyna and Tyler Adams are back! Winners and losers as rejuvenated duo lead USMNT to Nations League glory

The games were on late in England, but, Nuno Esprito Santo, were you watching? If the Nottingham Forest boss did indeed tune in, he'd have got a pretty good look at how to get the best out of Gio Reyna, as he put in two standout performances that belied his lack of club success this season.

In the semifinal, Reyna came off the bench to destroy Jamaica. His two assists were fantastic; both perfectly-weighted through balls that few American players have the vision to produce, and Haji Wright was on hand to finish them off.

Once he'd inspired the USMNT to reach the final, Reyna wasn't done. After a fairly quiet first half against Mexico that saw him dropping just a bit too deep to get the ball, he pounced in the second by scoring a goal of his own that put the game out of El Tri's reach.

If that was an unfit, uncertain Reyna with very few minutes at club level to speak of, what could a confident Reyna look like? It'll be up to Nuno and Forest to try and figure that out, as surely he can't be ignored now.

It's still just not quite coming off for Folarin Balogun in a USMNT shirt. And, because of that, it feels like the race to start as striker this summer is wide open now.

Balogun wasn't bad, really, but he was quiet. It's now been about a year since his USMNT commitment, and having spent most of that year as the top dog at the No.9 position, it feels like others have caught up.

Part of that is due to the USMNT's struggles to get much out of him, while Balogun's struggles at Monaco suggest he is not a player in form right now. His biggest concern, though, should be those that are competing with him are really showing up.

Wright scored twice in the semifinal, proving that Gregg Berhalter was right to call him into camp as a late replacement amid his god recent form for Coventry City. Ricardo Pepi, meanwhile, has had some big moments at club level with PSV this season, even if he didn't really shine against Jamaica during this break. And then there's Josh Sargent, who has scored goal after goal for Norwich City and was unlucky to miss out on this camp due to injury.

Add in Brandon Vazquez and Jordan Pefok and you have a chaotic striker race. Balogun may still be in the lead, but that lead has shrunk mightily in recent months.

He's back! Adams was 'Captain America' at the World Cup, where he led the USMNT on and off the field through their run in Qatar. Prior to this international break, though, that was the last time we'd seen Adams in a USMNT shirt. Injuries had kept him out ever since, and even as he returned to the team this week, there were justifiable questions about his fitness levels.

The midfielder, though, silenced any doubters with his performances through the two games. He put in a strong shift against Jamaica, although he was frustrated to be substituted early as his return to full fitness is managed carefully.

Knowing that there was a similar limit in place for the final against Mexico, Adams made the most of his 45 minutes on the pitch, scoring an absolutely stunning goal just before halftime to lead the U.S. to victory.

Adams is a huge presence for the U.S., someone that lifts the group during games and everything in between. The Copa America is looming and Adams is building fitness; that's great news for the USMNT.

The USMNT knows what to expect from Sergino Dest: high-flying, highlight-reel attacking play. Against many teams, Dest is a legitimate weapon, another dynamic body leaping into the attack to overload opponents.

When playing higher-level opponents, though, Dest can be a bit of a liability. That's why many have called for Joe Scally to be brought in against more dangerous teams to provide a bit more defensive stability.

Scally, though, didn't provide much of that stability against Jamaica, doing little to really raise his stock in the fullback race. He was hooked after 45 minutes and then wasn't used in the win over Mexico in the final.

Scally was partially at fault for Jamaica's goal as he failed to track Greg Leigh's backpost run, although more of the blame should fall on Antonee Robinson on the other side for losing the ball to begin with. Scally, though, had a few nervy moments thereafter, too, leading to his halftime substitution.

It wasn't a good window for Scally, who still is very much stuck as backup with little time left to fix it ahead of the Copa America.

This was all just a few seconds away from crashing down, however. The USMNT needed a miracle to get to the final, a total fluke of an own goal just to survive the semi. Once there, though, they didn't waste the chance as they retained their title as Kings of CONCACAF.

Much can, and should, be made of that lackluster effort against Jamaica and much can, and should, be made of the resounding Dos a Cero the U.S. then put up against Mexico. It really was a tale of two games, polar opposites despite having the same result.

For now, though, we'll look at the big picture. We can break down tactics or throw-in defending or attacking patterns some other time. For now, this is all about confidence.

At the moment, the U.S. has it. They're heading toward the Copa America on something of a high, having embarrassed their big rival yet again. Players like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Antonee Robinson are dazzling in Europe, while Adams and Reyna now have reason to believe they can be soon, too. Everything is chugging along as the USMNT looks to peak at a vital moment in this team's history.

As mentioned, this section was oh so close to never being written, but the fact is that we're writing it now. Spirits are high and there seems to be belief running through this group.

They won't be judged on this win, particularly by those still criticizing Gregg Berhalter. The Copa America remains the ultimate test. All they could do this break is set themselves up for it, and they certainly did that.

It's now been five years and seven matches since Mexico picked up a win over their northern rivals. They haven't scored against the U.S. in nearly 500 minutes. What was once this region's fiercest rivalry is now entirely one way. Mexico aren't putting up much of a fight anymore.

It was evident on the field, too, as El Tri looked content to let the USMNT be the protagonist of the game. That would have been unheard of a decade ago, when Mexico would march into these matches with swagger and confidence. That's all but gone, with Mexico now praying for a bounce or two to go their way against a superior U.S. group.

Head coach Jaime Lozano acknowledged after the match that there's a gulf between the two teams. The U.S. players are simply at a higher level than Mexico's, and in this sport, it's really, really hard to overcome pure talent.

This is the weakest Mexico team we've seen in some time, which is bad news for El Tri with the Copa America and a home World Cup on the horizon. Something needs to change because, right now, this team is so far away from where they can and should be.