GOAL US writers debate the state of the USMNT's Gold Cup campaign ahead of Sunday's quarterfinal against Costa Rica
Job done on the group stages, then. For all of the bad vibes around the USMNT heading into the Gold Cup, the results so far look good. Three games, three wins, and some decent contributions from all over the pitch. A world-class team this is not, but things have gone well in terms of the most important thing: wins.
The performances, though, have been a bit mixed. More conviction against the likes of Haiti and Saudi Arabia would have been nice. And it's hard to take loads from a 5-0 battering of a truly awful Trinidad side.
But the quarterfinals are here, and the U.S. certainly have a chance. Costa Rica is not a pushover, but it's a reasonably favorable matchup. And with Mexico and Canada both suddenly struggling, the pieces are falling into place for Mauricio Pochettino's side.
Without that Christian Pulisic guy in the mix, someone is going to have to step up in the final-third. Will it be Malik Tillman again? Can Diego Luna catch fire? Can Tyler Adams and Chris Richards keep delivering? And will some off field noise – pretty much half of this team is linked with a transfer to some European club or another – impact performances going forward?
GOAL US writers debate all of that and more in a Gold Cup edition of… The Rondo.
Getty ImagesWhich player holds the key to USMNT's Gold Cup hopes?
Tom Hindle: Anyone who can put the ball in the bloody net. The USMNT need more goals from midfield, and that means more production from Malik Tillman, Diego Luna or even Brenden Aaronson. Let's go with Luna, since he's the most fun.
Jacob Schneider: Tillman is the player of the tournament so far. He has been outstanding, and through the remainder of the competition, will be the USMNT's most important attacker.
Ryan Tolmich: These games could come down to one simple question: can Patrick Agyemang get his goals? Agyemang did in the win over Haiti, but it came amid some missed opportunities. Those chances will be harder to come by the longer this tournament goes on. But just based on his style, Agyemang should get several serious looks every game. If he can capitalize, the U.S. have a shot. If not, a whole lot of heavy lifting will fall on the playmakers behind him to finish.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesPrediction: Who wins quarterfinal – U.S. or Costa Rica?
TH: Nothing really inspires confidence at the moment, does it? The U.S. struggled against their one actually decent opponent in Saudi Arabia, while Costa Rica have looked pretty good. Let's go 1-0 U.S, but a nervy 1-0.
JS: The U.S. will handily defeat Costa Rica. The Ticos will be without star striker Manfred Ugalde due to yellow card accumulation, and they will struggle to get the ball forward as a result. With the pressure that brings, the USMNT will overload their defense and it will inevitably implode. Make it 3-0 USMNT, with goals from Tillman, Agyemang and Tim Ream.
RT: The U.S. will beat Costa Rica. In fact, chalk, chalk, chalk for the three titans of the region – the USMNT, Mexico and Canada should all be just fine, although Saudi Arabia could very well frustrate El Tri. Honduras can definitely give Panama a game but, again, the favorite should win out, setting up a semifinal with the region's four best teams.
AFPWhich team has surprised the most in this Gold Cup?
TH: Dominican Republic, even in defeat. It's their first time at a major tournament, and they looked really rather good. Pretty sure they will be back, too.
JS: Was really impressed with Curacao during the Group Stage, considering they were without Sheraldo Becker. The most impressive team so far, though, has been Panama. The Canal Boys had an outstanding group stage, though the knockouts won't be easy as they likely would have to get past Mexico in the semifinals.
RT: In a negative way, Saudi Arabia. Yes, they're missing some key players, but Herve Renard's side basically gave up on attacking through these three games, scoring just once from open play. Given the growth of Saudi soccer over the last decade, it seemed as if they could be a dark horse, but they were hardly brave enough to get out of the gate in the group stage. Maybe that changes in the knockouts but, thus far, they've done little to impress.
Getty ImagesWhich team will lift the Gold Cup trophy?
TH: Canada. The Jesse Marsch narrative is too tasty to overlook.
JS: Mexico wins the tournament. They will make the final and defeat the USMNT 1-0, after Pochettino's side knock out Canada in the semifinals in a thrilling penalty shootout.
RT: Despite their group stage slip-up, Canada still have the best roster and, with Marsch now back, they have the ultimate "us-against-the-world" vibes going with them. That draw against Curacao could actually prove helpful – a nice reminder of how fragile all this can be, and that mistakes cannot be tolerated. Given the talent at his disposal, Marsch has plenty of options to attack these three games as they push through.