San Jose – No Christian Pulisic. No Weston McKennie. No problem. The United States men’s national team cruised to a 5-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in their opening match of the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, kicking off the tournament on a high note at PayPal Park in San Jose.
“It’s really important to start the competition with a good feeling,” USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “I’m important for the players, for the guys, I think in another game together, to keep improving in all the areas that we need to improve. I’m happy for them.”
The USMNT entered the Gold Cup missing at least eight potential starters due to a variety of reasons: injuries sidelined Folarin Balogun, Sergiño Dest, and Antonee Robinson; Club World Cup duties kept Gio Reyna and McKennie unavailable; and both Pulisic and Yunus Musah were rested after deep runs with their respective European clubs.
Also absent from the roster were goalkeeper Zack Steffen, defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty, and forward Ricardo Pepi.
In place of the usual stars, it was the depth of the squad that took center stage, guiding the Americans to the top of Group D to open group stage play.
Malik Tillman and Diego Luna led the attack, while New York City FC’s Matt Freese, rather than World Cup starter Matt Turner or veteran Zack Steffen, earned his first international clean sheet in the 5-0 win.
Tillman’s brace, combined with a pair of assists from Luna, helped the USMNT bounce back from two lackluster performances against Türkiye and Switzerland in the European friendlies leading into the tournament.
More importantly, with several high-profile players absent from both the pitch and the bench, a number of emerging talents had the chance to prove themselves on the international stage, just one year out from the United States hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
With nearly half of the core roster unavailable, the program’s depth now has a chance to make its case for a place on next year’s World Cup squad. Still, as coach Pochettino emphasizes, the top priority remains winning.
“First of all, we want to win,” Pochettino explained of the opportunity available for the players on the roster. “But at the same time, (we have) to help the players perform and to knock on the door (of the World Cup roster). How they can perform for the national team and that we can be involved in the next World Cup. That is what I expect.”
For Tillman, who scored his first two goals for the national team on Sunday, the opportunity to prove he belongs on next year’s World Cup roster couldn’t have come at a better time.
“It’s on us to show what we can do and show the people that are not here that we’re here for them as well,” he said.
He added of his two-goal performance, “It’s been a tough time. A lot of people expected me to score goals, and that’s why I’m here as well, so I put the pressure on myself. I’m even more happy that it happened in the first game. We had a tough two games, so its nice to bounce back.”
“Malik is a talented player, everyone can see,” said Pochettino. “After a few weeks together, I really started to understand him and he’s started to understand us. He’s very special.
Luna’s two assists made him the fourth USMNT player aged 21 or younger to record multiple assists in a Gold Cup match.
He showed his character in the way that he feels the football then translates that to the pitch,” Pochettino said. “I think he was really good and I was so happy about him, and he was at home playing in front of his people.”
Pochettino added that now that the team’s four-match losing streak has been snapped, he wants to see continued improvement moving forward.
“Now we need to see to the next one (Thursday, June 19 against Saudi Arabia in Austin, Texas),” he said. “We’ve cut negative results. Now we want to be focused only to be better and to improve, focusing on Saudi Arabia, that is going to be a very difficult game.”
Photo by Concacaf Website
