Tag: Gold Cup

USMNT crushes Trinidad and Tobago 6-0 after (another) Jesus Ferreira hat trick

Ferreira’s hat trick kept them atop Group A on goal difference

The U.S. men’s national team was tested on Sunday night, but only by the outcome of a game on the other side of the country.

Jesús Ferreira starred for the USMNT, scoring his second consecutive hat trick in a 6-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in Charlotte, NC.

It turned out they really needed to pour those goals on: The USMNT and Jamaica — who defeated St. Kitts and Nevis 5-0 in Santa Clara, Calif. in a match played simultaneously — both notched seven points in Group A, with the U.S. winning the group by virtue of their superior goal difference (plus-12 for the USMNT, plus-8 for Jamaica). That outcome almost certainly places them opposite Mexico in the Gold Cup’s knockout round bracket.

It wasn’t pretty in the early going, with some strange hops on the temporary grass surface laid over turf at Bank of America Stadium and some clumsy play from both sides.

However, moments after Joevin Jones volleyed a promising look over the bar at one end, Ferreira was ice cold in finishing off the first coherent USMNT attack of the evening.

The heat was playing a major factor, with the USMNT looking to keep the game’s tempo in control in pursuit of big openings. Finally, their moment arrived, with Djordje Mihailovic and Alex Zendejas doing fine work to pry the Soca Warriors’ defense open.

Ferreira was again the goalscorer, though this time it was more the product of persistence than anything else.

The FC Dallas forward nearly added an assist to his brace just two minutes later, only for Cristian Roldan to scuff his shot attempt as Trinidad and Tobago began to sag deeper and deeper defensively.

Mihailovic was causing fits for any Soca Warriors players that approached him, and in first-half stoppage time won a penalty after Alvin Jones’ reckless lunge.

There was little mystery over who would get the spot kick, with Ferreira getting his second straight hat trick after striking three times in the USMNT’s 6-0 win over St. Kitts and Nevis on Thursday.

With a three-goal cushion leaving plenty of work to do for Jamaica in the group’s other game, the USMNT were a bit lackluster, and needed something of a wake-up call in the form of halftime substitute Shannon Gomez crashing a shot off the post.

Fortunately for the U.S., that seemed to get them going again. A poor touch at the back let Cade Cowell — on the field for just four minutes at that point — in alone to round Marvin Phillip and make it 4-0. The goal is the young San Jose Earthquakes star’s first at the senior international level.

Cowell thumped the post shortly thereafter, and just as Jamaica started to apply some pressure on the goal difference front, another substitute created a USMNT goal. This time, Julian Gressel’s inch-perfect cutback found Gianluca Busio, who guided home his first-ever USMNT goal.

Brandon Vazquez would snag a late sixth for the USMNT, running onto Cowell’s superb through ball to clip the ball past Phillip and give his side their second straight 6-0 win.

The USMNT’s success in Group A sets up a July 9 quarterfinal at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. They’ll take on the runners-up from Group D, which could be either Guatemala, Guadeloupe, or Canada.

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USMNT faces St. Kitts and Nevis, and it went about how you’d expect

The USMNT did what everyone expected vs. the Sugar Boyz

The U.S. men’s national team may just have gotten back on track.

After opening the Gold Cup with a frustrating draw with Jamaica, the USMNT held an offense vs. defense drill at St. Kitts and Nevis’ expense, taking 33 shots en route to a 6-0 win.

The Sugar Boyz were under siege immediately, blocking multiple shots in the opening seconds. The sluggish play that characterized the early portions of the USMNT’s 1-1 draw with Jamaica was nowhere to be found, and the chances arrived as expected.

The U.S. broke through after just 12 minutes, with Djordje Mihailovic smashing home Gianluca Busio’s cutback.

Fans had barely had time to cheer that goal when the second arrived. A USMNT corner ended up on the edge of the box, where Bryan Reynolds scored a birthday banger, scoring his first international goal in extraordinary fashion on the night he turned 22 years old.

The blitz continued. Some skillful build-up play saw the USMNT slice through the St. Kitts and Nevis defense, with Jesús Ferreira producing a clinical finish. In a span of just three minutes and 50 seconds, the USMNT had gone from a 0-0 scoreline to a three-goal advantage.

Things “slowed down” for the USMNT, who took a whopping nine minutes to strike again. It was Ferreira again, with the FC Dallas forward breaking the Sugar Boyz’s offside trap and calmly shooting past the unfortunate Julanni Archibald.

Interim coach B.J. Callaghan swapped Busio out for Alan Soñora out at halftime, but the USMNT kept going at full speed. Ferreira needed just five minutes coming out of the break to make sure he walked off with a hat trick, converting after Mihailovic picked him out 10 yards from goal.

Ferreira’s hat trick will get plenty of headlines, but don’t forget Mihailovic, who produced two goals and two assists in the rout. His second goal was a gift from Cristian Roldan, who turned down a good-looking chance to hand Mihailovic an empty net in the 80th minute.

A win in their group stage finale on Sunday, where they face Trinidad and Tobago in Charlotte, NC, will likely lock up a spot atop Group A. The goal difference padding gained in St. Louis means that they’ll enter the third round of games in the group with a three-goal edge over Jamaica, who defeated the Soca Warriors 4-1 earlier on Wednesday.

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USMNT salvages late Gold Cup draw as second-choice side struggles vs. Jamaica

The USMNT really missed its big names vs. the Reggae Boyz

The U.S. men’s national team was hoping to keep the good times rolling in the Gold Cup, but the party rarely lasts in CONCACAF.

With almost no overlap between the squad that won the recent Nations League final with ease and the roster for the Gold Cup, a largely second-choice USMNT struggled through a sloppy Group A opener against Jamaica, saving a 1-1 draw thanks to a late Brandon Vazquez goal.

While the USMNT will take some positives from the performance of its substitutes, the overall showing at Chicago’s Soldier Field made it clear that this tournament won’t be the cakewalk seen in the Nations League.

The USMNT took some exception to Damion Lowe only collecting a yellow card after a knee-high challenge on James Sands. They were probably a bit more upset ten minutes later, as the Philadelphia Union center back’s flying header gave the Reggae Boyz the lead.

A stagnant USMNT was getting nowhere near threatening Andre Blake, and seemed set to receive even more bad news in the 27th minute. Aidan Morris clearly caught Kevon Lambert with a clumsy, flailing kick, gifting Jamaica a penalty kick.

However, Matt Turner would come up big, saving Leon Bailey’s effort from the spot, and the Aston Villa midfielder would inexplicably send the rebound wide of an empty net.

A halftime break to sort out a disjointed performance made no real difference, as the USMNT’s build-up patterns ran into a wall of yellow shirts at midfield time and again.

Finally, with Cade Cowell, Cristian Roldan, and Djordje Mihailovic entering as second-half substitutes, the U.S. started to find ways into the final third. At long last, a lifeless game had some kind of momentum.

However, even when they opened Jamaica’s defense up, it just wasn’t the USMNT’s night. Mihailovic, Cowell, and Jesús Ferreira combined on a 71st minute chance, only for Blake to somehow deny Roldan. The follow-up? Aidan Morris got there, only to blast a shot straight into Roldan’s head.

At long last, with interim coach B.J. Callaghan throwing all of his weapons into the fray, the last gamble paid off. Brandon Vazquez, not long after entering the match as the final U.S. sub, calmly finished from seven yards after Ferreira’s delicate cross was blocked into his path.

Snatching a draw will keep the USMNT in position to win the group, but the overall performance may hurt the case for many individual players in terms of breaking into the full-strength squad.

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Why Gregg Berhalter, USMNT coach, is not coaching USMNT at Gold Cup

The USMNT coach won’t coach the USMNT at the Gold Cup. What gives?

U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter is not doing the thing most would expect a U.S. men’s national team coach to do during a tournament the U.S. men’s national team is playing in: coach.

That is to say, after Berhalter was officially named to his former post last week, U.S. Soccer said that interim B.J. Callaghan would still be in charge through the Gold Cup.

Callaghan, who was Berhalter’s assistant for several years, just led the USMNT to a CONCACAF Nations League title. His head coaching resume, brief as it may be, is at least successful.

Additionally, this will not be the A-team the U.S. brought to the Nations League, with the Gold Cup roster mostly comprised of players on the fringe.

But still, it seems a bit odd for a head coach — especially one like Berhalter who is so familiar with the team already — to not do the very thing his job title suggests during a major international competition.

This issue was posed to U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker at last week’s re-introductory press conference for Berhalter. Crocker suggested that Berhalter will actually be more useful to the USMNT doing non-coaching things for the next few weeks.

“What we didn’t want to create was the environment of you know, Gregg puts his boots straight back on, slides back into the environment, and it’s very much business as usual,” Crocker said. “There’s some real big-ticket items around some real strategic stuff over the next couple of seasons that we need to map out first.”

After saying the U.S. is in “good hands” with Callaghan for the Gold Cup, Crocker added that having a former Berhalter assistant in charge provides continuity that will free Berhalter himself to begin planning a strategy for the 2026 World Cup.

“It gives myself and Gregg the real great opportunity of spending some real time together, working through and piecing together the framework of that strategy for 2026. We can then bring that back to the staff and players and start to get their input to really develop it together collectively.”

The USMNT kicks off the Gold Cup on Saturday against Jamaica.

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Schmetzer threatens to keep Morris and Roldan off USMNT Gold Cup roster

“If [Roldan and Morris] have a choice, I’m sure they’re going to go. I’m not so sure they have a choice”

Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer has threatened to not release U.S. national team duo Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris for the upcoming Gold Cup.

The pair was named to B.J. Callaghan’s 23-man squad for the tournament that kicks off later this month. With MLS opting not to pause for the Gold Cup, Roldan and Morris could miss as many as six Sounders games.

While club coaches are usually happy to see their players recognized with international call-ups, Schmetzer’s issues are twofold: First, both players are coming off injuries and second, Callaghan’s interim status means that neither player is guaranteed a spot under the USMNT’s permanent boss no matter how well they perform.

“It’s because of the injuries, yes, first and foremost,” Schmetzer told the media on Wednesday in quotes published in the Seattle Times. “But it’s a funny time in U.S. Soccer. Who’s really in charge? Maybe the new coach, whoever that may be, maybe they like Cristian, maybe they don’t. Maybe they like Jordan, maybe they don’t. Who are they playing for now?”

“If [Roldan and Morris] have a choice, I’m sure they’re going to go,” Schmetzer added. “I’m not so sure they have a choice.”

Roldan has only recently returned after missing two months due to a concussion, while Morris came back last weekend after missing two games with an adductor strain.

“U.S. Soccer should take into consideration fixture congestion and other factors, but I can’t tell you if that’s really going to make a difference,” Schmetzer said. “They’re aware of Cristian’s concussion and him having to come out of the [Charlotte game Saturday] with cramps. Jordan coming back half injured, we’ve told them that.”

Still, Schmetzer admitted that with the pair eyeing a potential place on the 2026 World Cup roster, he’d likely release them if they are healthy.

“At the end of the day, I still go back to what keeps me grounded is those guys as individuals,” the coach said. “If they’re going to potentially be involved in 2026, then you’ve got to let them go.”

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Nicaragua kicked out of Gold Cup for fielding ineligible player

The USMNT will now face Trinidad and Tobago in Group A instead of the Central American nation

With less than two weeks until the Gold Cup kicks off, CONCACAF announced Monday night that Nicaragua had been kicked out of the tournament for fielding an ineligible player.

The confederation said the unnamed player participated in eight matches for Nicaragua, including matches in the 2022-23 Nations League.

Nicaragua was replaced by Trinidad and Tobago in Group A, with the Caribbean nation earning the right by being the highest second-place team overall from League B groups in the 2022-23 Nations League.

Trinidad and Tobago will join the United States, Jamaica and the winner of a playoff in Group A.

Additionally, Nicaragua has been relegated from League A of the 2023-24 Nations League, and will also be replaced by Trinidad and Tobago in that competition.

Though CONCACAF did not name the ineligible player who featured for Nicaragua, multiple reports have identified the player in question as Richard Rodríguez.

Rodríguez was born in Uruguay and moved to Nicaragua in 2018 when he signed for Real Estelí. He acquired Nicaraguan citizenship just a year later in 2019 and would begin playing for the national team shortly thereafter.

The forward played in World Cup qualifiers as well as Nations League games, but FIFA regulations state that an over-18 player who moves to a new country must live there for five consecutive years before they are eligible to play for their new national team.

That would only make Rodríguez eligible this year if he had lived in Nicaragua since 2018, but he even left Estelí in 2019 for a stint playing in Paraguay before returning to the Nicaragua side in 2020.

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Michigan State alum DeJuan Jones makes USA’s Gold Cup roster

DeJuan Jones will be joining USA for a major tournament upcoming:

DeJuan Jones is carving out a very nice professional career for himself, and he has just added another accolade to the ledger. Jones has been named to USA soccer’s Gold Cup roster for the second biggest tournament on the calendar for the Americans.

The Lansing native attended East Lansing High School before Michigan State, and now is playing professionally for the New England Revolution in the MLS.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

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USMNT coach Callaghan explains Brooks omission from Gold Cup roster

There will be no USMNT return for the 30-year-old this summer

John Brooks will not be making his U.S. men’s national team return this summer.

The Hoffenheim defender was not included in the USMNT’s 23-man roster for the Gold Cup on Monday, meaning his wait for a first cap since September 2021 will continue.

The 30-year-old has been in strong form for Hoffenheim since moving from Benfica in January, becoming a fixture in the club’s lineup and helping it avoid relegation from the Bundesliga.

Brooks declared his interest in a return to the national team in April, saying he was hopeful he could still play a part as the team looked ahead to a home World Cup in 2026.

Speaking to U.S. Soccer’s website, interim head coach B.J. Callaghan addressed Brooks’ absence from a Gold Cup squad that saw 16 of its 23 players come from MLS.

Callaghan affirmed Brooks’ desire to return to the USMNT, but said that he and his staff felt that a full preseason with Hoffenheim would be more beneficial to him than participating in the Gold Cup.

“We had a number of good conversations with John. As a starting point, he reiterated his commitment to the national team program and how much it means to him,” Callaghan said. “He is coming off a season at Hoffenheim where he was a key member of their fight to avoid relegation.

“This summer he will have the chance to participate in a full preseason with them for the first time, so we felt in this particular moment it’s best for him to take advantage of that opportunity and be performing at his highest level in the upcoming season to position himself to contribute to the national team in the future.”

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USMNT names MLS-heavy roster for 2023 Gold Cup

Of the 23 players, 16 come from MLS while five will do double duty with the Nations League

U.S. men’s national team interim head coach B.J. Callaghan has named his 23-man roster for the 2023 Gold Cup.

Of the 23 players, 16 will come from MLS teams as most of the USMNT’s biggest names will participate in the CONCACAF Nations League this month and skip the Gold Cup.

The USMNT will be aiming to defend its titles in both competitions.

Five players have been named to the rosters for both competitions: Sean Johnson, Matt Turner, Miles Robinson, Alan Soñora and Alex Zendejas.

Callaghan has opted for a youthful squad, with an average age of just over 25 and two players who participated in the recently completed U-20 World Cup: Gabriel Slonina and Cade Cowell.

Notably, there are also six dual nationals who will be cap-tied to the USMNT should they play at the Gold Cup: Soñora, Slonina, Cowell, Julian Gressel, Aidan Morris, and Brandon Vazquez.

Morris may be the most notable name on that list, given his recent admission that he was considering playing for Canada. Last week, Canada head coach John Herdman admitted that Morris was likely to stick with the USMNT.

The USMNT will open this year’s Gold Cup on June 24 when it faces Jamaica at Soldier Field in Chicago. That will be followed by a match against the winner of preliminary game No. 9 (one of Curaçao, Saint Kitts and Nevis, French Guiana, or Sint Maarten) on June 28 at CITYPARK in St. Louis. The U.S. will conclude Group A play with a match against Trinidad and Tobago at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on July 2.

USMNT Gold Cup roster (club; caps/goals)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Sean Johnson (Toronto FC/CAN; 12/0), Gaga Slonina (Chelsea/ENG; 1/0), Matt Turner (Arsenal/ENG; 26/0)

DEFENDERS (8): DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution; 2/0), Aaron Long (LAFC; 32/3), Matt Miazga (FC Cincinnati; 23/1), Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy; 2/0), Bryan Reynolds (Roma/ITA; 3/0), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 21/3), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; 1/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami; 78/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA; 9/0), Djordje Mihailovic (AZ Alkmaar/NED; 6/1), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew; 2/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 32/3), James Sands (New York City FC; 8/0), Alan Soñora (FC Juárez/MEX; 2/0)

FORWARDS (6): Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; 3/0), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; 18/8), Julian Gressel (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 2/0), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; 52/11), Brandon Vazquez (FC Cincinnati; 3/1), Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 3/1)

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USMNT 60-man Gold Cup preliminary roster announced

The Gold Cup starts less than one week after the Nations League final

The U.S. men’s national team had a very busy Thursday, with two different rosters for two different events being announced within hours of one another.

Shortly after the USMNT announced their CONCACAF Nations League roster, the preliminary squads for every Gold Cup participant were released by the confederation ahead of its larger summer tournament, which begins on June 16 with a preliminary round. The USMNT won’t begin play until the group stage gets underway on June 24.

The USMNT squad for that event will eventually be trimmed down significantly, but at the moment interim head coach B.J. Callaghan’s list of players tops out at 60. That list doesn’t include several injured players, including fixtures like Tyler Adams, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Tim Ream, and Zack Steffen, as well as up-and-coming prospects like Malik Tillman.

Notably, Aidan Morris is on both the USMNT and Canada rosters for the Gold Cup, indicating that the tug-of-war over the Columbus Crew midfielder may reach an end point when final squads are announced for the tournament.

Elsewhere, the squad includes five members of the U.S. under-20 national team that is currently gearing up for a U-20 World Cup quarterfinal on Sunday against Uruguay.

There is significant overlap with the team’s Nations League roster, but at least five players will leave camp before the Gold Cup begins. Josh Cohen, Sergiño Dest, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, and Walker Zimmerman are all on the Nations League roster but were not listed on the preliminary Gold Cup squad.

USMNT Gold Cup preliminary roster

Goalkeepers (5): Drake Callender (Inter Miami), Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati), Sean Johnson (Toronto FC), Gabriel Slonina (Chelsea), Matt Turner (Arsenal)

Defenders (19): John Brooks (Hoffenheim), Marlon Fossey (Standard Liège), Jonathan Gómez (Real Sociedad), DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution), Aaron Long (Los Angeles FC), Mark McKenzie (KRC Genk), Matt Miazga (FC Cincinnati), Shaq Moore (Nashville SC), Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy), Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes), Bryan Reynolds (KVC Westerlo), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), James Sands (New York City FC), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls), Auston Trusty (Arsenal), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United), Joshua Wynder (Louisville City), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami)

Midfielders (20): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Kellyn Acosta (Los Angeles FC), Taylor Booth (FC Utrecht), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Johnny Cardoso (Internacional), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Julian Gressel (Vancouver Whitecaps), Richy Ledezma (New York City FC), Brooks Lennon (Atlanta United), Weston McKennie (Leeds United), Djordje Mihailovic (AZ), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Keaton Parks (New York City FC), Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders), Alan Soñora (FC Juárez), Tanner Tessman (Venezia), Timothy Tillman (Los Angeles FC), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes)

Forwards (16): Paul Arriola (FC Dallas), Folarin Balogun (Reims), Tyler Boyd (LA Galaxy), Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes), Jeremy Ebobisse (San Jose Earthquakes), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas), Matthew Hoppe (Hibernian), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders), Jordan Pefok (Union Berlin), Ricardo Pepi (FC Groningen), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Brandon Vazquez (FC Cincinnati), Tim Weah (Lille), Haji Wright (Antalyaspor), Alex Zendejas (Club América)

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