The US kicked their Gold Cup campaign into high gear by steamrolling Trinidad and Tobago 6-0 on Saturday, avenging a 2017 defeat that sent them crashing out of last year’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The US were not only seeking to advance to the next round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but redemption for that 2-1 loss in their previous meeting.
The 2017 Gold Cup champions opened their campaign with a 4-0 win over Guyana. They stepped up their attack against Trinidad on Saturday, scoring five goals in the final 24 minutes of the contest at the FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio.
Photo: AFP
Gyasi Zardes and Aaron Long each scored twice, while Zach Steffen stopped three shots for the shutout.
Christian Pulisic scored in the 73rd minute, while Paul Arriola and Michael Bradley also netted.
“The first half set up the second half,” US coach Gregg Berhalter said. “We wanted to keep them moving. We felt our fitness would have an effect on them. A slight adjustment we made was dropping a right winger down into the space. When we did that it had a positive effect on the match. It created space in the midfield.”
In the other result on Saturday, Panama beat Guyana 4-2 at the same venue.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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