Why Christian Pulisic and other USMNT stars aren't playing in Gold Cup
Why Christian Pulisic and other USMNT stars aren't playing in Gold Cup
The U.S. men's national team enters the CONCACAF Gold Cup coming off a four-game losing streak under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino. And if the USMNT is going to right the ship this tournament, it's going to do so without its best players.
In recent years, the Gold Cup has been relegated to a developmental tournament with U.S. Soccer opting to instead send its best team to the CONCACAF Nations League or last year's Copa America. But this summer's Gold Cup could have been different with it being the final competitive tournament for the USMNT before next year's World Cup.
Yet, when the rosters were announced, star players like Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Yunus Musah and Weston McKennie were not included ... for different reasons.
Pulisic's absence was especially controversial among the USMNT fan base as the 26-year-old was coming off his best season at AC Milan. Pulisic, though, asked to not be a part of the Gold Cup roster in order to give himself an offseason to recover. Pulisic told CBS Sports that he was willing to play in the pre-Gold Cup friendlies, but Pochettino declined that request.
The USMNT coach wanted to use the same roster for both the friendlies and Gold Cup, so Pulisic opted to stay home.
Musah and Robinson had similar reasons to Pulisic. They wanted to use the summer as an opportunity to recover ahead of the club season and World Cup.
When it comes to McKennie, Gio Reyna and Tim Weah, they were not available as their club teams are competing in the FIFA Club World Cup.
USMNT starters Folarin Balogun and Sergiño Dest were included on the initial camp roster but withdrew ahead of the friendlies. Both players were coming off lengthy injuries and were still working back to full strength.
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Los Angeles Times
36 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
U.S. dominates Trinidad and Tobago in its CONCACAF Gold Cup opener
SAN JOSÉ — The U.S. hopes a blowout win over the world's 100th-ranked team can start to lessen the pessimism created by the Americans' longest losing streak since 2007. Malik Tillman scored twice and Diego Luna had a pair of assists in a 5-0 rout of Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday in the Americans' CONCACAF Gold Cup opener. 'Really important I think to cut a little bit this — I don't say negativity, but, yes ... but it's really important now to start the competition with a good feeling,' U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said. Victory in the Group D opener ended a four-game losing streak and came after days of controversy over Christian Pulisic's desire to rest during the Gold Cup and Pochettino not including the star in a pair of pre-tournament friendlies the attacker offered to play in. 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 when Luna's shot deflected off a foot. 'It was in our hands to show a reaction and I think we've done it today,' Tillman said. 'We played a good game and it was nice to bounce back, have a good start to the tournament.' Brenden Aaronson added his ninth goal in the 82nd and Haji Wright his fifth just 1 minute, 13 seconds later for the 16th-ranked Americans, who drew just 12,610 to PayPal Park. 'Malik is a talented player. It's obvious that everyone can see,' Pochettino said. 'October, November, when we met for the first time I think it was difficult to create this relationship that the player need(s) and the coach need(s) to trust and to trust each other. ... I think now after a few weeks together I really start to understand him and he starts to understand us. And he's very special, a very special talent and a very special kid.' Luna, a 21-year-old who impressed Pochettino during his debut in January when he insisted he stay on the field with a broken nose, was playing not far from where he grew up and said he had gotten tickets for about 30 family and friends. 'Just an honor, right, to be able to dream about this day,' he said. '(To) start off a tournament like this back in my home city is awesome.' Luna ran onto Jones' back pass, dribbled down the left flank and crossed to Tillman for the second goal, then shot from just inside the penalty area for the goal that glanced off Tillman for a 3-0 lead. 'His performance was really good. He showed his character,' Pochettino said. 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 of 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. Pochettino said he wanted to create competition for Turner, who didn't get into a Crystal Palace match after March 1. The coach said Turner told him he was disappointed with the decision but understood it and would compete to get playing time.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
USMNT needed a Gold Cup opener like this to begin deflating the drama
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The U.S. men's national team wasn't immune to the negativity building up around the team — both from the on-field results and the off-field drama. For that reason, the Concacaf Gold Cup group opener against Trinidad and Tobago carried more pressure than it might have otherwise. And it's why the U.S.'s dominant 5-0 win also felt that much sweeter. It allowed the Americans to enjoy some smiles and a bit of respite from the pressure – and let them avoid dropping five straight matches for the first time since 2007. Advertisement As manager Mauricio Pochettino said, it 'cut the negative results' and gave the U.S. a chance to start building something with the 2026 World Cup on home soil now less than a year away. 'A difficult match, especially given the negative things that had happened in recent weeks,' Pochettino said. 'Some results that hadn't gone well always generate a bit of noise, right? It's important for the players. Important to have that confidence they showed in the first half, especially the calmness in their play, dominating the game and creating chances. We created a lot of chances. It's a shame we didn't score more because we could have, but ultimately, I think the team deserved to win the match.' Those 'negative things' felt like they were building into a crescendo throughout the last month. The U.S. lost two friendlies leading into the tournament, the second in decidedly embarrassing fashion. Meanwhile, a back-and-forth between star Christian Pulisic and alumni of the program became bigger news after Pochettino addressed the winger's absence and Pulisic's statement that he 'didn't understand' the coach's decision not to bring him solely for the two friendlies ahead of the Gold Cup — even if Pulisic wanted to rest for the tournament himself. 'I don't need for him to understand our decision,' Pochettino said as part of an eye-opening set of comments. 'I am the head coach. I am not a mannequin.' The win quieted most of that noise — for now, at least. The vibe in the postgame mixed zone, where players stop to meet with press, was nothing but smiles. Yes, Trinidad and Tobago played poorly and is not a strong side, but, as center back Chris Richards pointed out, Mexico got a run for its money the night before against the Dominican Republic in a surprisingly tight 3-2 result. It was important this U.S. team didn't take anything for granted and put together a top-to-bottom performance. Advertisement 'I'm glad that we came out and had a statement win today,' Richards said. 'And I think that kind of sets the tone for the whole tournament.' For many players in this group that were experiencing the national team for the first time, it has been an especially trying start to camp. The thrashing by Switzerland heaped urgency on the team to perform on Sunday. This was as much about proving players belonged in a U.S. shirt as anything else. Pochettino has made clear that this tournament can also push players into a spot on the World Cup roster. For Malik Tillman, who scored his first two goals on the international stage, it has been a huge motivating factor. 'This is the last opportunity to show ourselves in a tournament,' Tillman said. 'So yes, it's about taking responsibility and [showing] the world what we can do.' The U.S. jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on Tillman's first goal, bringing down a cross and scoring at the far post, then missed a few chances before finally seizing hold of the game when Tillman tapped in a goal off an assist from Diego Luna. Luna's shot later on was inadvertently deflected by Patrick Agyemang to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead at halftime. Two second-half goals turned the result into a blowout, and put the U.S. comfortably on top of the Group D via goal differential – Saudi Arabia edged Haiti 1-0 in the group's nightcap and will face the U.S. in Austin, Texas, on Thursday next. It was a payoff that these players needed after losses to Turkey and Switzerland. The win will be caveated, of course, because it came at the expense of a poor Trinidad side. But at this point, the opponent hardly matters. The U.S. just needed a win. 'We had good weeks of training, but I think we had no results to show for it,' Richards said. 'After the two friendlies, our main thing was just to put that behind us and to go into Gold Cup with a fresh mind. Today was a good step forward. No, it's not the end of it [but] it's definitely a breath of fresh air, especially for the guys who got their first wins in the national team.' Advertisement It also paused, at least for a while, the big-picture discussions about where this U.S. group is going. A deep run in the Gold Cup could help build belief around the program again. It certainly would take focus away from the off-field drama and turn the spotlight back to on-field productivity. 'If we can continue to win,' Richards said, 'I think that's how you shut people up.'
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
United States men's soccer quiets the negativity, for a moment anyway, by thrashing Trinidad in Gold Cup
Victory in the Group D opener ended a four-game losing streak and came after days of controversy over Christian Pulisic's desire to rest during the Gold Cup and Pochettino not including the star in a pair of pre-tournament friendlies the attacker offered to play in. Advertisement Tillman scored in the 16th and 41st minutes for his first two international goals, both following giveaways by Alvin Jones, and East Hartford's Patrick Agyemang scored his fourth international goal in the 44th when Luna's shot deflected off his foot. Another beauty from the — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) 'It was in our hands to show a reaction and I think we've done it today,' Tillman said. 'We played a good game and it was nice to bounce back, have a good start to the tournament.' Brenden Aaronson added his ninth goal in the 82nd and Haji Wright his fifth just 1 minute, 13 seconds later for the 16th-ranked Americans, who drew just 12,610 to PayPal Park. 'Malik is a talented player. It's obvious that everyone can see,' Pochettino said. 'October, November, when we met for the first time I think it was difficult to create this relationship that the player need[s] and the coach need[s] to trust and to trust each other. ... I think now after a few weeks together I really start to understand him and he starts to understand us. And he's very special, a very special talent and a very special kid.' Advertisement Luna, a 21-year-old who impressed Pochettino during his debut in January when he insisted he stay on the field with a broken nose, was playing not far from where he grew up and said he had gotten tickets for about 30 family and friends. HEARD YA ALL DAY, SAN JOSE! 👏 — U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) 'It's especially cool to perform and do this in front of my family and all the people that have worked for me and helped me and suffered for me to be able to be in this position,' he said Saturday. Luna ran onto Jones' back pass, dribbled down the left flank, and crossed to Tillman for the second goal, then shot from just inside the penalty area for the goal that glanced off Tillman for a 3-0 lead. 'His performance was really good. He showed his character,' Pochettino said. 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. Related : Matt Freese was in goal in place of former Revolution star Matt Turner, who had started 14 consecutive competitive matches for the US 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. Advertisement Pochettino said he wanted to create competition for Turner, who didn't get into a Crystal Palace match after March 1. The coach said Turner told him he was disappointed with the decision but understood it and would compete to get playing time.
