USA rebuild shows positive signs against a hapless Trini

USA 5 Trinidad and Tobago 0

June 15 – United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) coach Mauricio Pochettino rolled the dice at PayPal Park in San Jose during the Gold Cup Group D opener against Trinidad and Tobago.

The under-pressure Argentine manager gave four players for their first-ever starts in official competition: defender Alex Freeman, goalkeeper Matt Freese, and midfielders Jack McGlynn and Sebastian Berhalter – son of former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter – earning their manager’s trust.

Given the USMNT’s recent poor form, a capacity crowd was hardly expected at the 18,000-seat PayPal Park. However, all those associated with the national team program would have been dismayed by the number of empty seats on display, as apathy seems to be the prevailing emotion surrounding this group. Perhaps it was the ticket prices, with nosebleed seats costing $70.

The opening ten minutes showed those missing fans that maybe they had misplaced their hope in the team, as Pochettino’s men began with energy, creativity, and passion that had been missing recently. Patrick Agyemang had two outstanding opportunities that a forward of his caliber should have converted, while local favorite Diego Luna was bright and sharp with clever runs and incisive movement.

In the 15th minute, a mistake from the Soca Warriors allowed Jack McGlynn to cross from the right flank to the far post, where Malik Tillman was given time to control and pick his spot, beating Marvin Phillip at his near post to score his first international goal.

More chances followed, but Phillip donned his superman cape, denying Max Arfsten and Luna. This led Soca Warriors coach Dwight Yorke  – the former Manchester United striker – to gesture angrily from the bench as his side seemed to face a magnetic force field at the halfway line, such was their inability to make any attacking inroads.

Five minutes before halftime, Alvin Jones completely switched off, playing perhaps the sloppiest back pass ever attempted by an international player. The gift fell to Luna, who gleefully sped away and unselfishly squared the ball for Tillman to double his USMNT tally.

Two minutes later, Luna was again the bright spark, showing twinkling feet as he cut inside from the left wing. His shot deflected off Agyemang – who knew nothing about it – for the striker’s fourth international goal and a very comfortable 3-0 halftime lead for Pochettino’s men.

Yorke made three changes at halftime in the hope of changing the momentum. However, it was a case of rinse and repeat as the U.S. kept their foot firmly on the throat of the Soca Warriors, creating chance after chance. With a clinical world-class striker, the game would have been out of sight.

Even as poor as Trinidad and Tobago were, every team has a little spell, and for 10 minutes between the 58th and 68th minute, the Soca Warriors remembered that they were the team in red and managed to string some passes together and create something resembling football. That would be as good as it would get.

Disappointingly for the Americans, they began to lose their way, forcing Pochettino into making changes as Diego Luna, Patrick Agyemang, and Jack McGlynn were all replaced with Mark McKenzie, Haji Wright, and Brenden Aaronson. Game management or a stroke of genius?

With the dice back in Pochettino’s hand, he rolled a perfect seven as Aaronson and then Wright found the net in rapid succession to put some extra gloss on a five-star performance. Who said the Argentine didn’t understand the American player?

To give the manager his due, he and his players had been saying all week that the previous four losses were not indicative of who they were and the direction they were heading. Ninety minutes seemed to confirm that. However, the USMNT won’t have the opportunity to play Trinidad and Tobago every game.

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