The United States Men’s National Team closed out Group D at the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup with a victory over Haiti, 2-1, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas. The hosts had already qualified for the knockout phase and were seeking a top seed, while Les Grenadiers needed a victory and a favorable result from the Saudi Arabia-Trinidad and Tobago fixture in order to advance. What followed was a spirited display of back-and-forth attacking, with both sides chasing the game and creating opportunities.
Mauricio Pochettino made four changes from the Saudi Arabia fixture, with Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams, Quinn Sullivan, and John Tolkin stepping into the starting lineup. Matt Freese was given the nod at goalkeeper for the third consecutive match. Patrick Agyemang was once again tasked with leading the formation, his ninth appearance in 2025, a decision made easier by Haji Wright’s departure due to “an Achilles issue.”
After an early penalty shout for Haiti, the USMNT drew first blood in the 11th minute as Malik Tillman headed home his third finish of the Gold Cup. Agyemang used his physicality to gain possession and charged into the box, but Aaronson’s ensuing shot was blocked. Following a scrum for possession, Luca de la Torre returned the ball to Aaronson, who angled a cross to the back post that was converted by the PSV Eindhoven attacker.
Haiti responded in the 19th minute, taking advantage of poor play by the USMNT. Ream chased a ball into his own box and played a bouncing pass to Freese, whose attempted one-touch distribution fell to the feet of Louicius Don Deedson. The 24-year-old Odense Boldklub winger accepted the gift and slotted his shot into the lower corner of the net.
Both sides pushed for the go-ahead goal. Agyemang failed to convert in the box, Sullivan had a volleyed effort clang off of the crossbar, and Haiti was unable to glean success from a series of dead-ball opportunities. The match headed into halftime in a 1-1 deadlock.
The USMNT came out of the locker room hot, but Tillman was denied several times: twice by the referee’s decision and a third from a tight miss. The first was a fortuitous deflection from a Sullivan shot, eliciting a whistle for a handball. The second effort brought forth the offside flag. A beautiful touch in the 74th minute saw him free on goal, with his chipped attempt landing a few inches wide of the post.
Shortly after, Agyemang delivered the eventual game-winning goal. From a few yards behind the centerline, Tolkin hit an elevated, line-splitting pass past the opposing back line. The imposing target striker met the ball in stride, took his agile first touch around goalkeeper Johny Placide, and placed a left-footed effort into an empty net from a somewhat tight angle.
Haiti pushed for the equalizer but never truly appeared to come close. The best opportunity was a stoppage-time free kick after Dany Jean was brought down near the top of the box by Alex Freeman’s late tackle. However, Leverton Pierre’s curling attempt was read and easily corralled by Freese. Following a few more speculative attempts at an insurance goal by the USMNT, the final whistle sounded.
Beyond the obvious victory, there are several positives to take from the result. Tillman looks like a world-beater with supreme confidence in his abilities and was unlucky not to score multiple goals. With his size and strength, Agyemang continues to cause problems for opponents, space creation that would be an asset even without his growing number of conversions.
Regardless of how many players are missing, nine points is the expectation for the group stage of the Gold Cup. After a strong start against Trinidad and Tobago, two nervy one-goal victories against Saudi Arabia and Haiti were perhaps more stressful than necessary, particularly with the avoidable self-inflicted wound from Ream and Freese. However, the job was accomplished and now the true test begins.
The USMNT has a brief wait to learn which opponent awaits in the quarterfinal round, facing off against Costa Rica or Mexico. The road to an eighth Gold Cup title continues, with perhaps a little more optimism surrounding the program than in the previous months. With three more successful results, Pochettino will claim his first silverware and notch a symbolic victory of indeterminate importance in the final meaningful competition before next summer’s World Cup.
Source link
Add Comment