ESPN’s Taylor Twellman explains where things went wrong for the USMNT in their 1-0 defeat to Mexico in the 2019 Gold Cup final. The rebuild for the United States finally hit a wall on Sunday at the Gold Cup with a 1-0 loss to Mexico in Chicago.
Jonathan dos Santos’ second half goal was the difference, while Gregg Berhalter’s first competitive tournament as USMNT manager ends with a handful of positives and a host of bigger questions.
Positives
The Americans came out on the front foot in the first half and looked to be the better team for large stretches of the opening stanza. Via Jozy Altidore’s hold up play and Christian…
Christian Pulisic had two goals to lead the United States past Jamaica and into the Gold Cup final against Mexico.
On an odd night in Nashville, the United States men’s national team prevailed over Jamaica 3-1 in the semifinal round of the 2019 Gold Cup via goals from Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic. While far from comfortable, the Americans finished the game strong and advance to face Mexico in a much anticipated final in Chicago on Sunday.
Positives
In spurts, the Americans showed a verve and cohesiveness that speaks to more comfort with Gregg Berhalter’s system. Jozy Altidore showed what a quality…
A heavy midweek schedule and a full weekend slate combined to make Week 17 of the 2019 MLS season one of the wildest in recent memory.
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The best team in the league lost to what used to be the worst team in the league; another team that used to be the worst team in the league (or in the running, at least), rolled a rival in front of a massive crowd; the league’s current (and unchallenged) worst team gave up a touchdown worth of goals to heap misery on an already terrible season.
What does it mean?…
With a trip to the semifinal on the line in Philadelphia, the United States defeated Curacao 1-0 in game marked by disjointed American play and the surprising confidence apparent from the Caribbean nation.
Positives
The win and little else. This…
With a berth in the quarterfinal stage already booked, head coach Gregg Berhalter made the maximum number of changes to his lineup for the final group stage match versus Panama on Wednesday night in Kansas City and the U.S. pulled out a 1-0 win….
With a berth in the quarterfinal stage already booked, head coach Gregg Berhalter made the maximum number of changes to his lineup for the final group stage match versus Panama on Wednesday in Kansas City, and the U.S. pulled off a 1-0 win. A sl…
We’re a little lost here at the rankings. After the Gold Cup break which Major League Soccer instituted to (checking notes…) limit the damage done by international call-ups during the month of June, the league is back at it. Week 16 (as it turns out) brought six games involving 12 teams.
It wasn’t a full schedule, but it was enough to cause some waves in the Power Rankings and leave some scratching their heads. Aren’t all the internationals still away?
You get a pass if you missed most of the…
While it was never comfortable, the United States opened up their Gold Cup defense on Tuesday night in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a 4-0 win over tournament debutants Guyana. After taking a one-goal lead into half-time, the Americans put in three more goals in the second half to secure maximum points.
Positives
Following two warm-up friendlies that ended in losses and no goals scored, the clean sheet and the offensive output are significant positives for Gregg Berhalter’s team. The needed confidence…
After a handful of games from Wednesday to Saturday, MLS is now officially on its Gold Cup break — a break that lasts just long enough for teams to get a breather and regroup, but not long enough that most teams will have their contingent of internationals back, CONCACAF-affiliated or otherwise.
It’s all very MLS. There’s no denying that some teams need the break a lot more than others.
The paucity of games means that the rankings aren’t dramatically different than last week, when we did a reset…
The United States’ final game before the Gold Cup was a disaster for Gregg Berhalter’s side, which got crushed by Venezuela in Cincinnati.
Coming off a depressing loss to Jamaica on Wednesday night in Washington D.C., Gregg Berhalter and the United States men’s national team needed a strong performance against Venezuela in Cincinnati to reclaim some confidence ahead of the Gold Cup.
They did not get it.
Thanks to a series of defensive errors in the first half and an attack that failed to break through Venezuela’s deep-lying defense, the Americans fell 3-0 in front of 23,955 fans at Nippert Stadium.
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Positives
The international debut…