There was plenty of pressure surrounding the U.S. men’s national team heading into the CONCACAF Gold Cup, but after three group stage victories, it’s safe to say that those worries have quieted a bit.
Sunday’s 2-1 win over Haiti capped off a perfect group stage for Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, earning them top honors in Group D heading into the knockout stage.
Although the USMNT left ample scoring opportunities on the table against the Haitians in Arlington, goals from Malik Tillman and Patrick Agyemang were enough to continue a positive run for the program in the tournament. Pochettino praised the effort and performance from his players, while also crediting Haiti for providing a tough challenge for his team.
“I think overall it was a good performance. Maybe we were not as clinical with the chances that we had. I think we should score more,” Pochettino said postmatch. “But I think when we score and we lead the game and then an accident, I think that we concede the goal. I think that created a little bit doubt in us. Again, I think it was tough to deal with that, but I think overall the performance was good.
“They [Haiti] were a massive challenge for us because it is a very good team that played direct, and they have very good players, there with physicality, they are strong,” he added. “And that was our challenge for us to learn and improve.”
Both Tillman and Agyemang have continued to pick up goals throughout the competition, combining for five tallies in the opening three matches. Tillman, who entered June camp without an international goal to his name, has showed his quality inside the 18-yard box, adding a headed goal to his tally on Sunday.
The attacking midfielder brings versatility to the midfield, which has led to Pochettino trying to get him in the best spots on the field.
“Malik, it’s difficult to define him because what a player, no?” Pochettino said about Tillman. “What a player that is showing this, all his talent and capacity. Because this type of player, the talent that he has shown with every single game and then with the capacity without ball, the work ethic in the way that he really is aggressive, he recovered a lot of balls. He’s always trying to help the deep press, chasing back, playing in different positions.
“He can appear like a No. 10 in training, between the lines, using the half space, but can be in the right or left side, wide,” Pochettino added. “Or he can drop and play like a No. 8, No. 6. I think, ‘What a talented player.’ So pleased with him.”
Agyemang missed a golden opportunity on a first-half breakaway but didn’t hang his head. The Charlotte FC forward rounded Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide in the 78th minute before tapping into an empty net, a moment which eventually served as the winning goal.
Although Agyemang easily could have more than his five international goals to date, Pochettino credited his forward for the hard work he has brought to the starting lineup.
“Patrick is doing a fantastic job for the team,” the Argentine head coach said. “All that he gave to the team today and the previous games also, he’s a fantastic striker. Still room to improve, but we are so happy with him.”
Haiti’s lone goal came from a blunder from USMNT goalkeeper Matt Freese. Freese’s errant pass inside of his 18-yard box landed at the feet of Louicius Don Deedspn, who curled a left-footed shot past the 26-year-old and into the far-left corner of the net.
Freese, who made his debut against Turkey 16 days ago, denied Haiti a second goal in the second half and overall helped keep the USMNT from letting their lead slip away a second time.
While Pochettino will hope to not see errors from his goalkeepers going forward, he admitted that Freese needs to accept the mistake and move forward.
“The best way to trust in a player is not to [say anything]. Not to be careful with this or careful with that,” Pochettino said. “No. Move on. Remember, the most important action is the next one. If you think [about] the last one you are dead, you are going to do another mistake.”
The USMNT will now prepare for a quarterfinal showdown with Costa Rica on June 29, knowing that a showdown with The Ticos will be their toughest match yet of the competition. A three-match winning streak to start the group stage is certainly positive, but if Pochettino’s squad wants to be competing for the Gold Cup trophy, they cannot afford any mistakes going forward.
