|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
USA Trounces Trinidad & Tobago to Clinch Spot in CONCAF Gold Cup Knockout Stage
Listen to this article at: TJVNews.com
By: Marvin Azrak
The U.S. men’s national team had a game on Sunday night, but the real challenge came from a game on the opposite side of the country. Jesús Ferreira played exceptionally well and scored three goals in a row for the USMNT, helping them secure a 6-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in Charlotte, NC. The USA’s victory with a score of 6-0 at the 2023 CONCAF Gold Cup is tied for their biggest margin of victory. They had previously won against Cuba in 2015, Trinidad and Tobago in 2019, and ST Kiss and Nevis last game, with the same score.
Matt Turner recorded his second consecutive shutout. Ferreira scored three goals before halftime, earning the nickname “Pirate of the Caribbean” and making history as the first USMNT player to achieve this feat. In just 20 games, Ferreira has scored an impressive 11 goals. He even broke a record by becoming the fastest American player to score 10 goals in three games less than Clint Mathis. It’s worth noting that seven of Ferreira’s goals were scored against St. Kitts and Grenada, who were ranked 170th at the time. “When I see his movement and his confidence in the penalty box, you can tell that the game has slowed down for him,” U.S. interim coach B.J. Callaghan said. “All of the work that he’s doing, leading our line defensively, dropping down, helping buildup play, for me, he’s having a complete tournament.”
To secure their position in the Gold Cup’s knockout round bracket, the USMNT and Jamaica earned seven points in Group A. The U.S. won the group due to their superior goal difference, with plus-12 compared to Jamaica’s plus-8. Jamaica defeated St. Kitts and Nevis 5-0 in Santa Clara, California, in a match played at the same time as the USMNT’s game. As a result, the USMNT and Jamaica will likely face off against Mexico in the knockout round.
The beginning of the game could have been smoother due. But due to some strange bounces on the temporary grass surface on the turf at Bank of America Stadium, causing both teams played clumsily. However, after Joevin Jones missed a promising chance, Ferreira remained calm and scored the first goal for the USMNT. The intense heat affected the game, and the USMNT tried to control the tempo while searching for opportunities. Finally, Djordje Mihailovic and Alex Zendejas worked together to open up the Soca Warriors’ defense, leading to another goal by Ferreira, who showed persistence.
The FC Dallas forward almost provided another point to his team just two minutes after scoring two points. However, Cristian Roldan missed the opportunity to score as Trinidad and Tobago started playing more defensively. Mihailovic played so well that any Soca Warriors players who tried to stop him had a hard time. He even won a penalty just before the end of the first half after Alvin Jones made a reckless move.
It was no surprise that Ferreira was chosen to take the penalty kick, as he had just scored his second consecutive hat trick by netting three goals in the USMNT’s 6-0 victory over St. Kitts and Nevis on Thursday. The USMNT had a disappointing draw with Jamaica at the start of the Gold Cup, but they bounced back by dominating St. Kitts and Nevis in an offense vs. defense drill, scoring six goals and taking 33 shots.
The Sugar Boyz team was pressured to block multiple shots in the opening seconds. However, the USMNT played with great energy, and the chances arrived as expected. After only 12 minutes, Djordje Mihailovic scored a goal by smashing home Gianluca Busio’s cutback, which was followed by Bryan Reynolds’ extraordinary birthday banger from the edge of the box, scoring his first international goal on the same night he turned 22 years old. The fans barely had time to cheer the first goal before the second one arrived.
The USMNT had a great performance during the game. They skillfully breached the defense of St. Kitts and Nevis, resulting in Jesús Ferreira scoring a goal. Within less than four minutes, the USMNT scored three goals, taking a commanding lead. Afterward, the team slowed down, taking nine minutes to score again. However, Ferreira managed to break through the defense again, scoring his second goal and securing a victory for the team.
At halftime, interim coach B.J. Callaghan replaced Busio with Alan Soñora, but the USMNT continued to play at full speed. Five minutes after the break, Ferreira scored his third goal, assisted by Mihailovic, who found him 10 yards from the goal. While Ferreira’s hat trick is noteworthy, let’s not forget Mihailovic’s impressive performance, with two goals and two assists in the match. One of his goals was gifted to him by Cristian Roldan, who passed up on a scoring opportunity to give Mihailovic an open net in the 80th minute. The game ended with a 6-0 victory.
During their game on Sunday, the USMNT had a comfortable lead of three goals, leaving the Jamaican team with a lot of catching up. However, the U.S. team was not playing at their best and needed some motivation. It came when Shannon Gomez, a halftime substitute, hit the post with a shot. It seemed to wake the U.S. team, and they became more focused. A mistake at the back allowed Cade Cowell, who had only been on the field for four minutes, to score his first goal at the senior international level, making it 4-0. Cowell is a young star from the San Jose Earthquakes team.
Shortly after Cowell hit the post, the USMNT scored another goal thanks to a substitute, Julian Gressel, who made a perfect cutback to Gianluca Busio. It was Busio’s first-ever USMNT goal. Brandon Vazquez scored a late sixth goal for the USMNT, assisted by Cowell’s excellent through ball. With two consecutive 6-0 wins, the USMNT has succeeded in Group A and will face the runners-up from Group D in the quarterfinals on July 9th at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. The runners-up could be Guatemala, Guadeloupe, or Canada.
