United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann praised substitute Gyasi Zardes after his team's 1-0 win over Haiti on Friday.
Zardes set up Clint Dempsey for his 47th-minute goal at Gillette Stadium as USA completed an unconvincing win at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The Los Angeles Galaxy forward had come on at half-time, and Klinsmann lauded the 23-year-old for his impact.
"Gyasi has this special talent to take people on and also with his speed and surprising elements," he was quoted as saying by the MLS website.
"Because of these circumstances for all teams to play every three days, we also have to be careful how we bring these players through those first three games. You don't want to kill them."
The victory sealed top spot in Group A for USA, whose next outing is a clash against Panama on Monday.
Zardes has earned 10 international caps and Klinsmann said his progress was being closely monitored.
"It's a process that we are watching, that we are helping with," he said.
"He's doing a tremendous job. He has a lot of talent, a lot of potential … It's a real joy to work with him."
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