Patrick Agyemang scored a late goal in the U.S. men's national team's 2-1 win over Haiti on Sunday, ensuring they ended Concacaf Gold Cup group stage play with three wins out of three.
The USMNT took an early lead courtesy of Malik Tillman, who continues to be the team's standout player at this Gold Cup with his third goal of the competition. The play started with Patrick Agyemang making his way into the box and cutting back for Brenden Aaronson and though Haiti managed a block on his shot, the U.S. were able to restart the attack, allowing Aaronson to connect with Tillman for the header.
Just nine minutes later, though, U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese gifted Haiti with an equalizer. Freese received the ball and made a move to send it to a teammate, but the ball was fast and he mistimed his hit, sending it straight to Louicius Don Deedson. It was then easy work for the Haiti international, who scored from close range.
Though the USMNT dominated much of the game, each side had their chances over the next hour. The U.S. finally restored the advantage in the 75th minute thanks to Patrick Agyemang, who received the ball near the box and made a run towards the endline before his shot from an angle rolled into the back of the net.
The USMNT will play either Mexico or Costa Rica in the quarterfinals during the weekend of June 28.
Tillman started the Gold Cup with zero international goals and now ends the group stage with three, easily becoming the U.S.' standout player at this tournament so far. It is a notable transformation for the 23-year-old, who has always been a promising talent and has excelled at the club level with PSV but had yet to translate that form to the national team. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino seems to have actually understood his tactical profile and is starting to get the best out of him, with Tillman slotting in nicely right behind forward Agyemang.
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While Tillman is the headlining act of the USMNT's Gold Cup run so far, he is not the only player who made a case for themselves on Sunday. Pochettino made a few tinkers to his lineup, both for the sake of experimentation and rotation, with Quinn Sullivan and John Tolkin making the most of their minutes. Sullivan was an attacking presence throughout and was unlucky not to score when his header hit the crossbar, while Tolkin was a presence on the left flank and offers expertise on set pieces, nearly scoring from a free kick on the edge of the penalty area.
The U.S. were dominant in several categories and have a scoreline that reflects just that, but there's an argument to be made that there's room for improvement in this performance, even considering the positives. There was a conservative feeling to the USMNT's approach at times, the team hesitating a little to go on the counterattack during Haiti's dominant spell in the back of the first half and struggling to wrestle back control of the match at one point.
Some individual decision-making also left something to be desired. Pochettino's side deserve credit for generating 2.56 expected goals from 18 shots but they likely could have done more with some of those opportunities, particularly Agyemang, who missed a few clear-cut chances. More crucially, Freese should have been better on the goal that Haiti scored, though whether that is emblematic of his abilities or just a one-off will be something to keep an eye on as the games get more difficult from here.
75' Patrick Agyemang receives the ball and makes a run towards the endline, taking a shot from an angle but because no one's able to catch up to the ball's speed, it eventually rolls into the back of the net. There's a check for offside but after some time, the USMNT get the all-clear thanks to Agyemang's fifth goal in nine games for the USMNT.
It was not always perfect but the USMNT have their third win in three games at the Gold Cup, ensuring they finish atop Group D. They will play in the quarterfinals on either June 28 or June 29 against either Mexico or Costa Rica.
82' Johnny Cardoso and Brian White come on for Luca de la Torre and Patrick Agyemang to close the game out.
80' Ruben Providence approaches the goal at full speed and Matt Freese meets him, but both land awkwardly and are now on the ground receiving medical attention.
71' Mauricio Pochettino goes to the bench for the first time today, bringing on Diego Luna and Jack McGlynn for Quinn Sullivan and Brenden Aaronson.
67' Now it's Luca de la Torre's turn to take a shot at goal and though he's in a good position, he hits it straight at Johny Placide and he's able to make an easy save. Moments after, Malik Tillman appears to bag another goal but the offside flag comes up quickly, ruling the goal out.
66' The USMNT are making their way towards goal and as the ball flies across the goal line, a Haiti player gets a touch and sends the ball into the back of the net. While the U.S. begin celebrating, though, the referee gestures that there's a VAR check for a handball and after a fairly quick review, they rule that Malik Tillman handled the ball just before it went into the back of the net, invalidating the goal.
Feras Albrikan has scored an equalizer against Trinidad and Tobago, putting them in the quarterfinals instead. This result doesn't change the USMNT's status as the group leaders but here's a look at the standings at this moment in time.
59' The USMNT have regained control of this game and keep applying pressure on Haiti's backline, oftentimes launching attacks thanks to a nice pass from Chris Richards. Quinn Sullivan managed a shot in the meantime and has also tried to create some opportunities for his teammates, though Haiti has done well enough to keep the U.S. at bay.
53' It's Haiti turn next for a freekick near the box and Leverton Pierre gets a decent bend on it, but Matt Freese is up for the task and gets his first save of the day in the books.
49' Brenden Aaronson is making a run towards goal and might be in a strong position to score but he's taken down on the edge of the area and the USMNT eran a freekick in a dangerous position. John Tolkin -- who was.a set piece specialist with his boyhood club, the New York Red Bulls -- will take it and he's very close but the ball bends just wide of the goal.
47' Haiti are pressing to start this second half and hanging out in an around the attacking third, looking for a goal that would give them the lead for the first time in this game -- and one that could send them to the quarterfinals. They get close as Frantzdy Pierrot gets a header but the ball goes over the net.
Haiti make one change to start the second half, bringing on Christopher Attys for goalscorer Louicius Don Deedson.
The USMNT have been the better team by many metrics but just as it has been the case in the other games so far at the Gold Cup, it's worth asking if they could have been better. Matt Freese's error means they do not have the lead, Patrick Agyemang has not made the most of his opportunities and the USMNT have not done well to wrestle control back from Haiti in the latter stages of the first half. There's still plenty of time today to change things for the better but the onus will be on Mauricio Pochettino and company to actually do that.
45' Patrick Agyemang is in strong position to restore the USMNT's lead, with essentially no obstacles in front of him and the goal, but the forward sends the ball over the bar instead. It has not been a banner night for the Charlotte FC forward, who is competing for the wide-open No. 9 position.
43' Haiti are having their moments in the attacking half, forcing the USMNT to slip into a defensive mode that has mostly worked out for them, including in defending a freekcik yards from the area. One does have to wonder when exactly the USMNT will regain control of this game, though, and if the halftime whistle is going to save them in that regard.
31' Luca de la Torre sends the ball into the box and Quinn Sullivan is in a perfect place to flick it towards goal with a header. He does well with it but is unlucky that the ball comes off the crossbar and then goes out for a corner, but Sullivan takes another outstanding shot from distance, though this time Johny Placide is up for the task and makes the save.
25' Patrcik Agyemang receives the ball near the penalty area and seems poised to take a great shot, having only the goalkeeper in his way as he makes his way into the box. He does not make the most of his opportunity and the 'keeper gets a little touch on it to send the ball out for a corner.
20' And things are level in Arlington! Matt Freese makes an attempt to play the ball to a teammate but the ball is coming at him fairly quickly and he mistimes his hit, sending it towards Louicius Don Deedson instead. The Haiti player doesn't miss from close range, finding the equalizer. USMNT still top the group in this scenario but that wasn't such a great look for Freese, who was perhaps tested for the first time all tournament long in that play and did not impress in that sequence.
Dante Sealy has given Trinidad and Tobago an early lead against Saudi Arabia, a result that would see his side advance out of Group D and send the gulf nation home. Here's a glance at the Group D table as things stand.
11' The USMNT officially have the lead and it's Malik Tillman with his third goal of the competition! The play starts with Patrick Agyemang stretching the field and then making his way into the box, cutting it back to Brenden Aaronson, who tries to take a shot at first. Haiti muster a block but the ball falls to Aaronson anyway, who notches a nice assist as Tillman heads the ball into the back of the net from close range.
7' Duckens Nazon makes a dash into the box and Chris Richards appears to give him a light push, and Nazon falls to the ground. Play pauses for a VAR check but the USMNT are out of trouble pretty quickly, with Richards' action not rising to the level of a penalty.
1' It took 30 seconds for Tyler Adams to get a yellow card for a crunching tackle on Duckens Nazon, and the Haiti player has spent a few minutes on the ground receiving medical attention. He's going to try to stay on for now but Christopher Attys was warming up on the sideline.
The game is officially underway at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
It has been a rocky last year for the USMNT, entering the Gold Cup on a four game losing streak. They finally reversed course with a 5-0 win in their tournament opener against Trinidad and Tobago and followed that up with a 1-0 win, with the pair of games offering a mix of upside and room for improvement. There is a very reasonable argument that the U.S. should have done better in both games, especially from an attacking standpoint, though head coach Mauricio Pochettino had positive things to say after the win agains Saudi Arabia.
USMNT can top Group G with
Haiti can qualify for the quarterfinals with
Haiti make just one change to their lineup from their 1-1 draw against Trinidad and Tobago, though that one is out of necessity -- Garven Metusala starts at center back in the place of Jean-Kevin Duverne, who picked up a red card in the 39th minute of their previous match. Here's a look at Haiti's team for today.
Haiti starting XI: Johny Placide, Carlens Arcus, Ricardo Ade, Garven Metusala, Martin Experience, Louicius Don Deedson, Leverton Pierre, Danley Jean Jacques, Ruben Providence, Duckens Nazon, Frantzdy Pierrot
Substitutes: Francois Dulysse, Carl Fred Sainte, Dany Jean, Alexandre Pierre, Duke Lacroix, Mikael Cantave, Mondy Prunier, Belmar Joseph, Christopher Attys, Garissone Innocent, Wilguens Paugain, Teo James Michel
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino makes four changes to the lineup that started Thursday's 1-0 win against Saudi Arabia, including bringing back a key player -- midfielder Tyler Adams. The 26-year-old was unable to start the first two games with a foot issue but is one of the USMNT's most obvious starters when fit, serving as a midfield anchor. John Tolkin, Quinn Sullivan and Brenden Aaronson also crack the lineup this time as Pochettino finds a mix between building chemistry and rotation.
Here's a look at the lineup.
USMNT starting XI: Matt Freese, Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, John Tolkin, Tyler Adams, Luca de la Torre, Quinn Sullivan, Malik Tillman, Brenden Aaronson, Patrick Agyemang
Substitutes: Matt Turner, Walker Zimmerman, Jack McGlynn, Sebastian Berhalter, Diego Luna, Miles Robinson, Johnny Cardoso, Maximilian Arfsten, Nathan Harriel, Paxten Aaronson, Mark McKenzie, Brian White
The USMNT are back in action tonight in the Dallas suburbs, where head coach Mauricio Pochettino has another chance to vet his inexperienced group with the Gold Cup knockouts on the horizon. With a spot in the quarterfinals already booked after a pair of wins to start group play, Pochettino technically has room for experimentation with today's match against Haiti, though who he ends up selecting to start is a big question. Will newcomers like Matt Freese and Sebastian Berhalter continue to start, or will veterans like Matt Turner and Tyler Adams slot in at some point?
Stick around for pre-match coverage including team news, as well as updates once the game begins.
