Malik Tillman scored his first two international goals and Diego Luna and Max Arfsten each had two assists as the U.S. men’s national team cruised to a 5-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in their Group D opener in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday.
The U.S. raced to a 3-0 halftime lead on the brace by Tillman in the 16th and 41st minutes and Patrick Agyemang’s goal in the 44th against the overmatched 100th ranked team in the world.
Second-half substitutes Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright scored in the 82nd and 84th minutes, respectively, and Matt Freese made two saves in the match.
The U.S. plays Saudi Arabia on Thursday in Austin, Texas, while Trinidad and Tobago faces Haiti in Arlington, Texas, on Thursday.
The Americans entered the tournament laced with disappointment after losses in the final tune-ups to Turkey (2-1) and Switzerland (4-0). The conversations were less about the poor performances than the number of quality players not with the team due to a variety of reasons.
One of the absentees was Christian Pulisic, and that led to a public dispute between the star and coach Mauricio Pochettino on the eve of the opener.
With the U.S. looking to give the fan base confidence in its ability before the World Cup begins in 12 months, Tillman quickly provided the first boost.
He settled a ball from Jack McGlynn and put away his first goal in his 21st appearance. He doubled the score thanks to Luna’s perfect service from the left flank.
Luna was the catalyst moments later. He intercepted a back pass from defender Calvin Jones to goalkeeper Marvin Phillip and fired a long shot that deflected off Agyemang’s foot for his third goal in seven matches.
The U.S. finished with advantages of 21-3 on shot attempts and 11-2 on shots on goal, while Phillip made six saves.
The Americans lead the series 23-4-4, including winning all six meetings in the Gold Cup.
— Field Level Media
