ST. LOUIS — The moment came right after Malik Tillman’s 37th-minute penalty caromed off the post in Sunday’s Gold Cup quarterfinal against Costa Rica.
Multiple Ticos players got in Tillman’s face to mock him after the miss, and the U.S. players quickly jumped into the fray to defend their No. 10.
“The keeper also, he ran 100 meters to be in the fight,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said of Matt Freese, who would become the hero of the night later in the penalty shootout to send the Americans through to the semifinals.
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The way the team jumped in to defend Tillman, though, is indicative of a group that has grown closer together over the last five weeks. From two friendly losses to Turkey and Switzerland to open the summer through its undefeated run through the first four games of the Gold Cup, this U.S. group — a mix of starters and players trying to fight their way into the World Cup picture — has started to find its identity.
“Watching them work for each other in moments, in heated moments … having their guys coming into [Tillman’s] face and watching everybody rush in, it may sound weird, but that’s an enjoyable thing to see,” said veteran U.S. center back Tim Ream. “Because I think it shows that, OK, finally, we’re a group of guys that we’re going to push back. You’re not going to push us around. We’re not going to take that kind of sh** anymore. And we have the personalities in here, and to see them all jelling together has been nice to see.”
Ream chalked it up to a team that is understanding the different personalities within the group, and the chemistry that is forming over a summer together.
“When you get a group of personalities together, guys who have maybe more of a chip on their shoulder than others, that’s something that they take with them,” Ream said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily a knock on anybody else. I just think it’s one of those things where you look at who’s on the field in that instance, and Malik is probably one of the quietest guys in our group. And to see that happen to him, it’s like, ‘No, you’re not going to pick on the quietest guy.’ And listen, I’m not one to rush in and I was like, ‘Nah, this isn’t happening.’ And I think it’s just understanding everybody’s personalities and understanding what they will take and what they will give. It’s been nice to see that guys can take some but they’re going to give it back, too.”
Veteran Tim Ream has been a leader for the USMNT throughout the Gold Cup (Photo by Brad Rempel/Imagn Images)
The U.S. went into this summer looking for exactly that: fight, desire and togetherness. It’s the base of what Pochettino believes any team needs in order to be successful. On Tuesday, ahead of the semifinal here against Guatemala, the manager insisted the football is most important to him. But he felt the intangibles must be there in order for everything else to fall into place.
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That moment where the team rallied around Tillman showed the group is figuring it out.
“For me, that I’m Argentino, we love to fight, that means a lot,” Pochettino said, with a slight chuckle. “Because it means that we are connected, that we care about my teammate. And that needs to be natural, in between them. And that is why they deserve the whole credit. The experienced players, but also the young players that listen to the experienced players. That is the important thing. If not, it’s impossible to grow like a team, be a team. Because we can select 26 players, but for a team to be a team is a different thing. We can have 23 players that play in an individual way, and it’s difficult to have this type of behavior. That is because they care, because they made the effort, not only on the field, but off the field to try to care.”
The U.S. will need more of it against an emotional Guatemala team that is in the Gold Cup semifinal for the first time since 1996.
And looking forward, Pochettino will have to find a way to carry that spirit into the fall, when he’ll potentially reintroduce a number of players into the group, including the likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Sergiño Dest, Folarin Balogun and Antonee Robinson.
Here are a few more key elements leading into the first of two Gold Cup semifinals (Mexico-Honduras takes place in Santa Clara, Calif., later Wednesday night):
Reunion with former USMNT players
The U.S. will face off against two players who have made previous appearances not just with the U.S. youth national teams, but with the senior team, as well.
Guatemala forward Rubio Rubin was named U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year in 2012 after standing out for the U.S. under-17 national team. He made his senior debut under Jurgen Klinsmann in 2014, was on the bench for World Cup qualifiers in 2016 and then played in four games in 2018 under interim manager Dave Sarachan.
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Rubin filed for a FIFA one-time switch in May 2022 and made his Guatemala debut a month later. Rubin has 13 goals in 34 games with Los Chapines, including two goals in this tournament.
Right back Aaron Herrera also featured for the U.S. youth teams, including the Olympic qualifying group in 2021, and received one senior cap under former U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter that year. Herrera debuted with Guatemala in June 2023 and has become a leader for the group.
Rubio Rubin celebrates his clutch goal vs. Canada in the Gold Cup quarterfinals (Photo by Matt Krohn/Imagn Images)
In the quarterfinal against Canada, Rubin scored while Herrera had a key header off the line in Guatemala’s upset win.
U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams said he was close to Herrera in the under-20 national team.
“Obviously a high-level player,” Adams said. “It’s always a little bit strange, obviously, when you play with them in the youth national team and then now they’re playing for Guatemala and you’re playing against them in a Gold Cup, but it will be a really unique experience. We know how strong Guatemala is. There’s a reason that they’re in the semifinal and playing in a semifinal, so we can’t take that for granted.
“And Rubio Rubin, obviously, was a high-level player coming up through the national team, a lot of players looked up to him growing up. He’s done really well for himself. So it’ll be exciting to play against them.”
Drone issues?
When the U.S. players came out to train on Tuesday, they noticed an extra drone above the team during the open portion of training. The drone did not remain for the entirety of the training session, but Pochettino was asked about it at the press conference.
He didn’t seem concerned.
“We were talking [that] if someone wants some clips we can send,” Pochettino said, laughing. “It’s not a problem. We’re not going to hide [anything]. It’s not NASA here. It is the men’s national team. No problem.”
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Cardoso being evaluated
Midfielder Johnny Cardoso, who looks to be headed to Atlético Madrid on a $40 million transfer, may not be available for the semifinal.
Cardoso participated in some of the U.S. training on Tuesday, but still felt “problems again in his ankle,” Pochettino said.
“It’s not a big issue, but it’s uncomfortable,” Pochettino added. “We will see. We have 24 hours to assess and see if he can be available to be selected or not.”
The U.S. started Adams, Sebastian Berhalter and Luca de la Torre in midfield in the win over Costa Rica, and with yellow cards wiped clean before the semifinals, per Concacaf regulations, neither Adams nor Berhalter needs to be wary of missing a potential final on Sunday by getting another.
(Top photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)