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The USA, aiming for their eighth Gold Cup title, have been under the pump following defeats to Turkey and Switzerland in friendlies.
The USA were on top from the outset. (AP Photo)
The United States ended their four-match losing streak with a commanding 5-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in their opening game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Sunday in San Jose.
Mauricio Pochettino and his team, missing several Europe-based regulars, had faced significant criticism after recent friendly losses to Turkey and Switzerland.
In desperate need of a morale boost, especially with the World Cup they will co-host with Canada and Mexico just a year away, Pochettino fielded an attacking line-up.
Against a Trinidad team coached by former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke, the USA achieved the stress-free, comfortable win the Argentine coach was seeking.
The USA dominated from the start, with two early chances for striker Patrick Agyemang. It was Agyemang who contributed to the 16th-minute opener by dispossessing Trinidad defender Alvin Jones and finding Jack McGlynn on the right. McGlynn then calmly clipped the ball to the back post, where Malik Tillman collected and scored.
Jones had a difficult day, as he later gifted the USA their second goal with a back-pass that went straight to winger Diego Luna. Luna unselfishly squared the ball to Tillman, who secured his second goal.
Trinidad’s lack of solidity was evident, reflecting their drop to 100th in the FIFA rankings and fourth in the Caribbean, below Curacao.
Luna created the third goal just before the break by cutting in from the left. His low shot deflected off Agyemang and beat the helpless Marin Phillip.
Pochettino’s team had an easy second half, with Trinidad only managing to threaten once when Tyrese Spicer put a low ball across the goal, but the sliding Dante Sealy failed to connect.
With the game winding down, Pochettino made a triple substitution, adding late urgency to the USA’s attack.
Substitute Brenden Aaronson cut in from the left and squeezed a low shot past Phillip’s near post. Another substitute, Haji Wright, completed the convincing victory by breaking down the left, drifting inside, and placing the ball in the far corner.
The USA, aiming for their eighth Gold Cup title, will face Saudi Arabia and Haiti in their remaining Group D matches.
With AFP Inputs
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Los Angeles, United States of America (USA)
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