The U.S. men’s national team have won seven Concacaf Gold Cup titles, and on Sunday, completed its seventh perfect group stage in the tournament.
Take that for what you will, but despite entering the Gold Cup on a four-game losing skid and in some of its worst form in over a decade, the USMNT grinded out wins against Trinidad and Tobago, Saudi Arabia and Haiti, while only conceding once.
While the missing superstars could have made Sunday’s 2–1 win over Haiti and a previous 1–0 win over Saudi Arabia more comfortable, the group at the Gold Cup managed and showcased the depth within the U.S. Soccer player pool.
Malik Tillman and Patrick Agyemang scored on Sunday, managing to nullify the defensive error from goalkeeper Matt Freese and center back Tim Ream, as the two linked up in a poor giveaway that allowed Haiti to level the match.
Now, though, the goal conceded doesn’t matter, and head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s group can look forward to the knockout stages, where they will meet either Mexico or Costa Rica in a quarterfinal matchup.
