Needing 28 minutes to break the deadlock, the U.S. Men’s National Team opened their 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup campaign with a 4-0 win over Guyana on Tuesday night in St. Paul, Minn.
The win was America’s first competitive match since it failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and first win under Head Coach Gregg Berhalter in a tournament.
Here are a few takeaways from the match:
It wasn’t a blowout (initially)…
… But it was convincing and a positive start to the USMNT’s quest to win the Gold Cup for a second-straight time.
Paul Arriola opened the scoring in the 28th minute when he cut in from the left side and drilled a shot to the back post. Tyler Boyd scored his first goal for the U.S. in the 51st with a driven right-footed shot to the back post. Gyasi Zardes added a third four minutes later when the ball ricocheted off his face into the goal. Boyd provided another in the 81st minute.
What comes next for the USMNT
After Tuesday night’s win in Minnesota, the U.S. host Trinidad and Tobago in Cleveland on Saturday night in the second round of group stage matches.
The match will be the first meeting between the nations since the USMNT lost at T&T and failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Instead, Panama went to its first World Cup instead. The two nations meet next Wednesday in Kansas City to close the group stage.
Welshman starts in Guyana’s first Gold Cup match
FC Cincinnati forward Emery Welshman, who is on loan at Forge FC in the Canadian Premier League, started for the Golden Jaguars in their first match in a major international tournament.
Welshman played the full 90 minutes for Guyana as a right winger but also cut inside as a second striker.
The Golden Jaguars play Panama on Saturday in Cleveland.
