Despite some shaky moments, the USMNT made it a perfect nine points in the Gold Cup group stage with a nervy win
ARLINGTON, Texas – In terms of tournament play, there was very little at stake for the U.S. men's national team on Sunday night against Haiti. They were through to the knockouts regardless of result. Barring some extraordinary results in both games across Group D, they were through as group winners, too.
But, as with everything this summer, this game was about more than the tournament.
When looking at it through that lens, Mauricio Pochettino will surely be happy. His U.S. team got another win, topping Haiti, 2-1, to make it three from three in this tournament, marking the seventh time overall that the USMNT were a perfect 3-0 in a Gold Cup group stage. That also marked the 17th time in 18 Gold Cups that the U.S. claimed the group.
Some of his regulars stepped up, namely Malik Tillman and Patrick Agyemang, the two goalscorers in the first and second half, respectively. His rotation pieces got into the mix, too, which will make Pochettino believe that he has a few more clubs in his bag heading into the business end of this Gold Cup.
Agyemang sealed the win in the 78th minute on a pass from John Tolkin, edging past the goalkeeper to score.
“Obviously me and John, we talked about that pass" he said on FOX after the game. "He played that ball perfectly. And for me, once I saw the keeper come out, I said ‘Compose yourself, take your time.’ I got around the goalkeeper and once I got there I was like, ‘Finish.’ I was happy it went in.”
It was far from perfect, however. The goalkeeper position came into focus once again thanks to a calamitous mistake from Matt Freese, whose weak clearance led to Haiti's equalizer in the the 19th minute. Once again, that positional debate rises to the forefront,. Freese, who started his third straight match ahead of the incumbent Matt Turner, has largely been handed the reins in this tournament but, after passing the ball straight to Don Deedson Louicius and then conceding, does that change at all?
The U.S. will have time to figure it out. The U.S. will play Costa Rica next Sunday in Minneapolis in the quarterfinals. Over the next week, Pochettino will have much to mull over, and he'll have plenty to take away from this final group stage game.
“We know what we got ourselves into," Agyemang said. "The Gold Cup is a tough tournament and I think with our squad, we know our quality. As long as we put the effort and the heart into it, we let our play show and we’ll get the result.”
GOAL rates USMNT's players from AT&T Stadium.
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Matt Freese (3/10):
A rough, rough mistake, his first of this extended USMNT run out. Did have to make a good save on a free kick in the second half, which will help rebuild the confidence. But he essentially handed Haiti it's goal.
John Tolkin (6/10):
Was given a big chance, but wasn't quite able to make the most of it for most of the game. Then came his assist, a beautiful ball over the top to Ayemang in the 78th minute. It's a preview of what Tolkin can do, both in general and, potentially, going forward in this tournament.
Tim Ream (6/10):
Could be argued that he put Freese under pressure with the backpass but, in truth, Freese had plenty of time. Otherwise, nothing really to report other than a lot of passes.
Chris Richards (6/10):
Not as good as he was against Saudi Arabia, although that can be expected. Had one or two nervy moments, but was mostly fine.
Alex Freeman (7/10):
Had a few very good tackles as he continues to show improvement on that side of the ball. Seems to get a little bit better every game, which is huge for a player his age.
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Tyler Adams (7/10):
Picked up a yellow just 30 seconds into the game and then had to be more cautious as a result. Handled it about as well as he could have, though, and was still able to impact the game.
Luca de la Torre (7/10):
Was very good in the heart of midfield. Had several fantastic passes right through Haiti's lines to set up USMNT chances.
Malik Tillman (8/10):
Got one goal, but could have had three. Had one ruled back for a handball and one ruled back for offside, but that just goes to show how dangerous he was, once again.
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Brenden Aaronson (8/10):
Initially misplayed the ball on the sequence that led to the opening goal, but he more than made up for it with his cross for Tillman's finish. Generally provided danger out wide, which is something that has been lacking a bit in recent games.
Patrick Agyemang (7/10):
Just not clinical enough in the first half, but he sure was on his big chance in the second. Can still be a bit more decisive but, he gets credit for really taking his chance well on the game-winner.
Quinn Sullivan (7/10):
Certainly brought a different energy to the team, from his shot off the crossbar to his rabona cross in the second half. Will it keep Diego Luna off the field going forward? Probably not, but Sullivan certainly showed well for himself in his biggest chance yet.
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Jack McGlynn (5/10):
Came on out wide, but hardly got a touch of the ball over 20 minutes.
Diego Luna (6/10):
Clean on the ball, as always. Was Tolkin's ball over the top actually meant for him? Maybe, but Agyemang made the most of it, for sure.
Johnny Cardoso (6/10):
Had just a few touches, but it will have been good to get some minutes under his belt after he missed portions of this group stage.
Brian White (N/A):
Threatened to break through once, but wasn't on the field long enough to do much more.
Paxten Aaronson (N/A):
Nearly scored a stunning chipped goal, but that was one of his only touches.
Mauricio Pochettino (7/10):
Rotated his team a bit – making four changes from the starting XI against both Trinidad and Tobago and Saudi Arabia – and, generally, those he inserted as starters played well. That will be great news for the USMNT boss, who will now have a few days to prep this group for the bigger tests ahead.