The USMNT earned their first victory of the 2023 Gold Cup with a 6-0 thumping against St. Kitts and Nevis, propelling themselves into a strong position for the final group stage game against Trinidad and Tobago.
The Stars and Stripes opened the scoring with a well-placed finish from midfielder Djordje Mihailovic after the cut-back pass took a slight deflection off forward Jesus Ferreira. The US were off to a much better start compared to their 1-1 draw against Jamaica, and their opening goal was deserved as interim head coach B.J. Callaghan’s side had been knocking on the door.
Just two minutes later, USA fullback Bryan Reynolds scored a firecracker of a goal from just outside St. Kitts and Nevis’ penalty box. The strike, which came from a USMNT corner, may be up there in regards for goal of the competition when all is said and done.
Things just kept getting worse for St. Kitts and Nevis. The Stars and Stripes had too much quality, and a simple through ball played through to Ferreira gave the US their third goal of the game in the span of three minutes. Ferreira bagged his second of the game after another through ball that was poked past the Sugar Boyz defense by Mihailovic, and the opposing goalkeeper Julani Archibald wasn’t able to do much as Ferreira scored via a nutmeg.
The FC Dallas player then got his hat-trick right after the second half kicked off as a clever touch to take a Mihailovic pass onto his right foot, burying the ball into the back of the net.
The Stars and Stripes then finished off the match with their sixth as substitute Cristian Roldan made an unselfish play to lay a pass off to Mihailovic as he scored his second of the night, contributing four goal involvements overall.
USA got their first win of the tournament, as expected to make St. Kitts and Nevis’s exit even more likely. It’s still a huge moment for the small island nation as they look to build on their qualifcation to the competition. On the other hand, this game will be a confidence boost for the USMNT as they prepare for Trinidad and Tobago.
GK: Julani Archibald – 7/10 – Had a shaky moment with the ball at his feet early on and didn’t receive much help from his center-backs. Made a few great reaction saves despite the lopsided scoreline.
RB: Malique Roberts – 4/10 – Was poor defensively, but had a few good moments going forward, although they were rare.
CB: Lois Maynard – 4/10 – Had some good moments on the ball linking up with his teammates but was poor at the back.
CB: Gerard Williams – 3/10 – Encountered the same problems as Maynard.
LB: Jameel Ible – 4/10 – Didn’t get forward as much as Roberts, but still struggled like the rest of the St. Kitts and Nevis defense.
DM: Raheem Sommersall – 5/10 – Struggled to keep up with the talented US midfield alongside Burley but also played a few passes into the opposition’s final third.
DM: Andre Burley – 4/10 – Had a similar performance to Sommersall, having a tough outing against Mihailovic and Co.
RW: Tiquanny Williams – 6/10 – Was the Sugar Boyz’ best player in attack and linked up with Roberts a few times, but it wasn’t enough to keep his team in the game.
AM: Romaine Sawyers – 5/10 – Tried to pull the strings going forward for his country but found it to be difficult against the US midfield.
LW: Tyquan Tyrell – 6/10 – Somewhat tested Andre Blake with a fizzing shot after the flurry of USA goals, but it flew just over the crossbar.
ST: Keithroy Freeman – 5/10 – Was unable to test Andre Blake as he didn’t receive much service up front.
Substitutes
RW: Omari Sterling-James (63′ for Tyquan Tyrell) – N/A.
ST: Carlos Bertie (63′ for Tiquanny Williams) – 5/10 – Couldn’t do much up top as the US dominated possession.
CM: Mervin Lewis (71′ for Jameel Ible) – N/A.
ST: Jacob Hazel (71′ for Keithroy Freeman) – N/A.
Manager
Austin Huggins – Did all he could to prepare his side for the tall task that was the USA. Made several subs in the second half to give his players the chance to play in a monumental game for the Sugar Boyz.
GK: Sean Johnson – 6/10 – Had little to do in the game other than one shot that was just over the bar and above all else provided experience with all of the youngsters in the game.
RB: Bryan Reynolds – 7/10 – Was active up and down the pitch, sending in numerous crosses. Scored a spectacular goal from the outside of the box with great technique.
CB: Matt Miazga – 6/10 – Had a solid outing that will boost his confidence for the games to come.
CB: Jalen Neal – 7/10 – Looked very comfortable throughout the game, making several interventions and dominating in the air.
LB: DeJuan Jones – 7/10 – Like Reynolds, he too made several great crosses into the box and was active on his side of the pitch.
CM: Gianluca Busio – 8/10 – Despite lining up in central midfield, he contributed heavily in attack, tallying two assists.
CM: James Sands – 7/10 – Had a strong performance in the middle of the park, spraying passes out wide to start up attacks.
CM: Djordje Mihailovic – 9/10 – Scored twice and displayed great skill in the midfield, adding two assists to his name.
RW: Alex Zendejas – 7/10 – Had a few bright moments cutting inside on his left-foot and grabbed an assist. Had several cracks at goal but couldn’t score.
ST: Jesus Ferreira – 10/10 – Capped off his dominant performance with a hat trick early on in the second half.
LW: Cade Cowell – 6/10 – Got into good positions on numerous occasions, was just lacking the sharpness to finish off chances.
Substitutes
AM: Alan Sonora (46′ for Gianluca Busio) – 5/10 – Didn’t really provide much off the bench.
ST: Brandon Vazquez (56′ for Jesus Ferreira) – 5/10 – Didn’t receive much service when he came on, limiting his shots in front of goal.
CM: Aidan Morris (56′ for James Sands) – 7/10 – Was lively near the opposition’s penalty area. Did well to set up Mihailovic’s second goal.
AM: Cristian Roldan (68′ for Cade Cowell) – 7/10 – Made a great play to assist the US’ sixth goal.
RM: Julian Gressel (75′ for Bryan Reynolds) – N/A.
Manager
B.J. Callaghan – 7/10 – Rotated the squad heavily which made sense as the US were expected to take care of business. Although starting Ferreira paid off, what more does Brandon Vazquez have to do to get more minutes?
Player of the match – Jesus Ferreira (USA)
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