By Tommy Kane

Published: June 19th, 2019

To open up their 2019 Gold Cup run, the United States Men’s National Team defeated Guyana, 4-0, on Jun. 18, 2019. The match took place at Allianz Field in St. Paul, MN.

This match was the first of three group stage bouts for the Americans, who are trying to defend their championship from the 2017 Gold Cup. USMNT defeated Jamaica, 2-1, in the 2017 Gold Cup to seal the championship. The Gold Cup is the most prestigious competition in CONCACAF, the conference of the Stars and Stripes.

Also, this was a chance for new head coach, Gregg Berhalter, to have an opportunity to showcase talent in his first competitive tournament as coach. Along with him, this was a great opportunity for every player selected for the Gold Cup.

Slow Opener

The USMNT didn’t necessarily open the match with firepower and aggression. They allowed Guyana to get chances and get on the ball, which immediately started to concern the U.S. crowd.

Paul Arriola (shown below) was the only player to score for any side in the first half. The American winger received a perfectly-timed through pass from Weston McKennie, in which he put it past Guyana keeper, Akel Clarke, for the 1-0 lead. That goal came in the 28th minute.

The rest of the first half involved Christian Pulisic and Tyler Boyd creating golden chances for the U.S., with them just not being able to execute them. Guyana had a few chances as well, but it was nothing meaningful.

The United States Breaks Through

The Americans went on to score three goals in the second half, with Guyana scoring none. Boyd (shown below) scored twice, and Gyasi Zardes scored with his nose.

Michael Bradley gave Boyd a great pass in the 51st minute, right outside the box. Boyd dribbled it in and fired it past the keeper to score his first-ever goal in an American uniform. He had previously scored with New Zealand. Not only was that his first American goal, but it was also the 1,000th goal in USMNT history.

In the 55th minute, Arriola looked to score another goal. He shot the ball and it deflected off a defender. The ball whizzed through the air and smacked Zardes in the nose and went into the net. His team consoled him after, but they were happy to go up 3-0 halfway through the second half.

The final goal to make it 4-0 came in the 81st minute and it was from Boyd again. Boyd shot the ball and it grazed off a defender’s back, which caused the ball to change direction ever so slightly and get past Clarke yet again.

Bradley, Pulisic, and McKennie were subbed out in the match. This isn’t always a big talking point, but it meant something big in this game.

Bradley and Pulisic were more or less taken out due to rest for the upcoming matches, which will be tougher. McKennie was injured during the second half, with uncertainty what his condition is. He has hit the injury bug before.

All four of the American shots on target went into the net. For Guyana, they only had one shot on net, which was a great save by Zack Steffen, who looks to be the starting American keeper. Possession was 58% in favor of the States.

Overall, the 4-0 score doesn’t always make everyone happy, but this game was huge for the U.S. because of the recent terrible results against Jamaica (1-0 loss) and Venezuela (3-0 loss). It is a start in the right direction for this Gold Cup. Steffen and the back-line held the shut-out, as well as a few offensive players had good games. Boyd and Arriola especially played well and made solid plays, which could add to Pulisic’s talent on the ball. To add, Gregg Berhalter was able to secure his first-ever competitive win as the American coach, which is a huge confidence booster and a step in the right direction.

Rematch with T&T

On Jun. 22, 2019 at 8 PM EST, the United States will face Trinidad and Tobago for the first time since they were knocked out of the 2018 World Cup Qualifying. A little history lesson, on Oct. 10, 2017, the Americans lost to T&T, 2-1, which ended their chances of making the 2018 World Cup in Russia. This was regarded as one of the worst matches in U.S. Soccer history. The Gold Cup match will be played in Cleveland, OH.

Rounding out the group stage will be a match against Panama on Jun. 26, 2019 at 9 PM EST. That game will take place in Kansas City, KS.

Panama defeated T&T, 2-0, which means that they have three points along with the U.S. If Panama is to beat Guyana, they will lock up a spot in the knockout round. T&T will be fighting for their lives against the States, because only the top two teams in the group advance and if the U.S. picks up a win against them, T&T will be knocked out.

For the next two group stage matches, it will be interesting to see what Berhalter does with this team. T&T and Panama poise to be tougher opponents, but the early three points against Guyana have to be a booster for the USMNT. Will we see Jozy Altidore get any starts? Will Pulisic play a full game? Will Boyd and Arriola get more time after a wonderful performance? How will the back-line hold? How will Steffen hold? These questions will be answered over the next week or so.

All games will be televised on FOX and its affiliates, as well as the FOX Sports App.

GO USA!

Match Stats Against Guyana

Video Highlights Against Guyana