US ends 4-game losing streak, routs Trinidad 5-0 in Gold Cup opener as Malik Tillman scores twice
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Malik Tillman scored twice as the United States built a three-goal, first-half lead and ended a four-game losing streak by routing Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 on Sunday in a CONCACAF God Cup opener.
Tillman scored in the 16th and 41st minutes for his first two international goals, both following giveaways by Alvin Jones, and Patrick Agyemang scored his fourth international goal in the 44th.
Brenden Aaronson added his ninth goal in the 82nd and Haji Wright his fifth just 1 minute, 13 seconds later as the 16th-ranked Americans overwhelmed the No. 100 Soca Warriors and ended their longest losing streak since 2007.
Victory in the Group D opener came after days of controversy over
Christian Pulisic's desire to rest during the Gold Cup
and coach Mauricio Pochettino not including the star in a pair of pre-tournament friendlies the attacker offered to play in.
The U.S. had 70.5% possession and a 21-3 advantage in shots against the Soca Warriors, whose 2-1 home win against the Americans in 2017 ended a streak of seven straight World Cup appearances by the U.S.
The Americans have won their group in 16 of 17 Gold Cups, along with a second-place finish behind Panama in 2011, and improved their group stage record to 41 wins, one loss and five draws. They play invited guest Saudi Arabia on Thursday at Austin, Texas, then close group play on June 22 against Haiti at Arlington, Texas.
Matt Freese was in goal in place Matt Turner, who had started 14 consecutive competitive matches for the U.S. and 23 of 24 dating to the 2022 World Cup. The lone exception was a Gold Cup group stage game against St. Kitts and Nevis in 2023.
Missing
Pulisic
, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson,
Tyler Adams
,
Folarin Balogun
and
Sergiño Dest
, the U.S. starting lineup averaged 14.8 international appearances. That was the second-fewest for the Americans in a Gold Cup opener behind 9.8 against Bermuda in 2009, according to Opta.
Adams (turf toe), Johnny Cardoso and Damion Downs (both illness) didn't dress.
Defender Tim Ream started, extending his Gold Cup span for the U.S. to 14 years and surpassing DaMarcus Beasley (2002-15) for the American high.
Trinidad, coached by former star Dwight Yorke, has lost four of its last five games.
___
AP soccer:
https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
33 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Curacao draws 1-1 with Canada after Antonisse's stoppage-time goal
HOUSTON — Jeremy Antonisse scored in stoppage time and Curacao tied Canada 1-1 on Saturday night to remain in contention to advance to the knockout stage of the Gold Cup . Nathan Saliba opened the score in the ninth minute, and Antonisse leveled things in the 94th. The 21-year-old Saliba, playing in his fifth international match, scored for the second game in a row.
Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Freytes scored go-ahead goal in 83rd, Fluminense beats Ulsan 4-2 at Club World Cup
Associated Press EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Juan Freytes scored the go-ahead goal in the 83rd minute and Fluminense beat Ulsan 4-2 in the Club World Cup on Saturday night. Jhon Arias bent a 25-yard free kick inside the right post and under the crossbar in the 27th minute to open the scoring for Fluminense. Lee Jin-hyun, on the counterattack, put away a cross played by Um Wonsang into a wide-open net to tie it in the 37th and Um scored on diving header, off a low ball-in played by Lee, in first-half stoppage time to give Ulsan a 2-1 lead at halftime. Gustavo Nonato Santana — known as 'Nonato' — stopped a clearance attempt near the top of the penalty area and tapped a shot inside the right post in the 66th minute to tie the score 2-2. Marcos da Silva França — known as 'Keno' — capped the scoring in the second minute of stoppage time. Ulsan goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo made a diving stop in the second minute and moments later had a leaping one-hand parry. The game drew 29,321 to MetLife Stadium, which has a capacity of 82,500. Key moment Freytes put away a first-touch finish, off a cross played by German Cano, from point-blank range for his first career goal with Fluminense to take the lead for good. Takeaways Fluminense is tied with Borussia Dortmund atop Group F and can clinch a berth in the knockout round with win or a draw against the Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday. Ulsan, which plays Dortmund on Wednesday, was eliminated from reaching the knockout round. What they said 'I think we gave it all. Like, we left nothing on the field, so we cannot be anything other than satisfied with our performance. We played a very good team, so it's not only up to us. Sadly, we couldn't keep up in the second half.' — Gustav Ludwigson, Ulsan midfielder 'We knew if we played (in the second half) with the intensity that we did against Borussia, we could win this game. That is what we changed (at halftime): mindset.' Nonato, Fluminense midfielder ___ AP soccer: in this topic
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Curacao draws 1-1 with Canada after Antonisse's stoppage-time goal
HOUSTON (AP) — Jeremy Antonisse scored in stoppage time and Curacao tied Canada 1-1 on Saturday night to remain in contention to advance to the knockout stage of the Gold Cup. Nathan Saliba opened the score in the ninth minute, and Antonisse leveled things in the 94th. The 21-year-old Saliba, playing in his fifth international match, scored for the second game in a row. Canada, which started the tournament with a 6-0 win over Honduras, has four points and leads Group B. Curacao is second with two points. l Salvador, with one point, faced Honduras in a late match Saturday. The Canadians will close the group stage facing El Salvador on Tuesday, also in Houston. A win against the Salvadorians would secure first place in the Group B for the Reds and a match in the quarterfinals against the second-best squad from Group A, currently Costa Rica. Canada is trying to capture its second Gol Cup title despite missing his star winger Alphonso Davies, who tore his right ACL during the CONCACAF Nations League third-place game against the U.S. on March 23. Curacao could progress to the next round with a win over Honduras on Tuesday. Canada pulled ahead after Saliba scored with a shot inside the box low across to the far post. The Caribbean team dominated the second half and appear to level things with a Jürgen Locadia goal in the 68th minute but after a VAR review it was invalidated for offside. Antonisse scored the equalizer on a breakaway play. ___ AP soccer:
