Group D stood for “dominant” in the United States men’s national team Gold Cup opener. The Americans kicked off their Concacaf tournament hopes last weekend with a 5-0 defeat of Trinidad and Tobago. Up next is a Thursday showdown against Saudi Arabia, coming to us live from the capital of the Lone Star State.
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How to watch USA vs. Saudi Arabia
- Venue: Q2 Stadium — Austin, Texas
- Time: Thursday, 9:15 p.m. ET
- TV: FOX Sports 1
- Streaming (U.S.): Fubo (try for free)
International streaming via Concacaf GO.
Sunday’s result marked a rare wire-to-wire win for Mauricio Pochettino’s side. The USMNT entered that match with consecutive June losses to Switzerland and Turkey in international friendlies. Before that, it fell to Canada and Panama in the Concacaf Nations League.
There was immense catharsis in the trouncing of Trinidad and Tobago: three first-half scores, nearly 70 percent possession and a massive 22-to-3 shot advantage. Malik Tillman found the back of the net twice, as he notched the inaugural goals of his international career. Patrick Agyemang continued to show out in attack. Diego Luna looked confident with a pair of assists. Matthew Freese had a much-needed clean sheet. Good vibes all around.
Thursday’s opponent is certainly tougher, though. Saudi Arabia is ranked No. 58 in the FIFA men’s world rankings, compared to Trinidad and Tobago at 100th. If it feels strange to see a gulf nation in the North American-Caribbean tourney, that’s because it is. This is Saudi Arabia’s first appearance in the Gold Cup, which has a history of inviting guest countries.
While the host nation has won seven Gold Cups, the Saudi Arabia squad just won its first-ever Concacaf tournament match. Saleh Al-Shehri’s penalty conversion was the difference in the 1-0 defeat of Haiti. The new entrants have a well-traveled manager in Hervé Renard. The veteran French strategist has coached clubs in Vietnam, Zambia, Angola, Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire.
In seven international faceoffs, the U.S. has a slight edge over Saudi Arabia at 3-2-2 (and a 9-8 goal advantage). Five of those matches were friendlies, and they split two Confederations Cup contests in the 1990s.
The USMNT concludes Group D play against Haiti on Sunday. The team stays in Texas, driving from Austin to Arlington to play in the Dallas Cowboys’ mega stadium. Saudi Arabia will head up to Las Vegas and wrap up group play against Trinidad and Tobago. The top two finishers in each group go to the knockout round.
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(Photo of Tim Ream: Johnnie Izquierdo / Getty Images)