The Gold Cup, Concacaf’s biennial financial backbone, inspires a very different vibe around the United States men’s national team compared to the World Cup. Superiority, not inferiority, dominates the conversation.
After all the heartbreak over the shortcomings displayed in the Round of 16 loss to the Netherlands in Qatar, here’s a tournament that raises concerns if the Americans don’t win it every time, given their status as hosts. eternal and the low caliber of most of their opponents.
And this month they haven’t, losing on penalties to Panama in the semi-finals on Wednesday. It is only the second time in the last 10 Gold Cups that the United States has failed to reach the final, with Mexico taking on Panama on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
It was also only the second loss for the United States in 12 games since the World Cup, the other a 2-1 friendly loss to Serbia in January in which both teams were under-squad.
Interim USA head coach BJ Callaghan blamed himself for what he described as a first-half tactical miscalculation that gave a strong and well-drilled Panama the initiative, while the players were tired after their quarter-final against Canada went into extra time. and penalties only three days earlier.
Despite some large crowds, the Gold Cup becomes for the United States a facsimile of a major tournament, a cover version of a real competition. As in 2021, USA have essentially named a shadow team in order to give Europe-based players a break – meaning the best. Even the manager was a substitute, with Gregg Berhalter not returning to his permanent duties until after the tournament.
For the United States, the Gold Cup is primarily useful as a test of team depth against regional rivals and as an opportunity for work experience; 14 of the 23 players had less than 10 caps before the tournament. Only a few of those exposed over the past few weeks are likely to keep their place in the team the next time Berhalter names a full squad. One – Matt Turner – became a star in the 2021 Gold Cup (which the United States won) and progressed to become Qatar’s first-choice goalkeeper. Thus, the occasional breakthrough is possible.
New York City FC defensive midfielder James Sands, 23, has made his case as a viable understudy for Tyler Adams, while Cade Cowell, the 19-year-old winger who plays for the San Jose Earthquakes , scored a compound goal against Trinidad. & Tobago, picking up a smooth back pass, rounding the goalkeeper and embroiling a defender for their first international strike. Jalen Neal, the 19-year-old Los Angeles Galaxy centre-back, is also one to watch.
Jesús Ferreira, who needed a makeover after an unfortunate 45 minutes in his unexpected departure against the Netherlands last year, became the first player in USMNT history to score hat-tricks in successive international matches. The FC Dallas striker and scourge of the small Caribbean islands added to his goalscoring streak against St. Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago with a fine volley against Panama, his seven Gold Cup goals equaling the Clint Dempsey’s USMNT tournament record set in 2015.
With 15 goals and four assists in 23 appearances, the 22-year-old became the fastest player to reach double-digit goals in USMNT history. But until he can prove his effectiveness against elite nations, he’s likely still behind bright new starlet Folarin Balogun and a reborn Ricardo Pepi on the depth chart.
With MLS-based players being the exception, not the rule when Berhalter picks his toughest starting lineup, the USMNT’s center of gravity has shifted to Europe. In the run-up to the all-important 2026 World Cup, the machinations of player agents and club managers as they resolve volatile situations for many of Berhalter’s key men this summer are likely to prove more important to the prospects of team than everything that happened during the Gold Cup. .
As the defeated players left the field in San Diego, Christian Pulisic was in Italy to complete his move to Milan. After a season in which he started just eight Premier League games for Chelsea, scoring once, the fee for the American talisman was reportedly $22million – around a third of the sum the Londoners paid at Borussia Dortmund for him in 2019. Still just 24, his Kinetic performances in Qatar and against Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League last month underscore just how important he is to the team, which makes vital that he avoids another season of stagnation at club level.
That appears to be a risk for Turner, who appeared in the Gold Cup precisely because of his lack of first-team action for Arsenal. Despite his reliability, at 29, a second campaign spent almost entirely on the bench would be pointless. Pepi has just joined Dutch league runners-up PSV Eindhoven, giving the 20-year-old a useful platform, while Brenden Aaronson moves from the league to the Champions League after sealing a one-year loan from Leeds United at Union Berlin. The picture is cloudier for Weston McKennie, Adams, Balogun, Sergiño Dest, Yunus Musah and Gio Reyna.
The aftershocks of Reyna’s ructions that delayed Berhalter’s reappointment are a scenario to watch when the United States and their coach return to action in September with otherwise low-key friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman. Will the playmaker and manager hold a press conference to announce a new start in their relationship after the epic rifts during and after the World Cup?
With mouth-watering friendlies to come in October against Germany and Ghana, and the return of the Nations League, this autumn promises to have more significance and intrigue than the summer, especially when it comes to concerns the performance of Balogun. The Nations League serves as a qualifying tournament for the 2024 Copa America. Like the Gold Cup, it will also be held in the United States, promising a financial windfall for Conmebol and a useful dress rehearsal for the co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup It’s a safe bet that the American line-up – and the buzz – will be quite different a year from now.