CONCACAF GOLD CUP: U.S. scores off restart, finds way to grind out 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia
- Dan Stickradt
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
Chris Richards' second-half goal helps U.S. qualify for quarterfinals
AUSTIN, Texas – Slowly but surely, the U.S. Men’s National Team is righting the ship.
Winning back-to-back games in a completely different matter, the U.S. grinded out a 1-0 victory Thursday night in Group D play of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, picking up a second-half goal following a restart to hand Saudi Arabia its first loss in the tournament in front of 11,727 fans at Q2 Stadium.
Defender Chris Richards scored the goal off a one hop volley in the 62nd minute which proved to be the game’s only tally.
Midfielder Sebastian Berhaller’s perfectly-placed bending set piece was chipped into the box and after the ball bounced one, Richards snuck through traffic and one-timed the ball into the back of the net from about 10 yards out.
The win gives the USMNT a 2-0-0 record in Group D along with a 6-0 scoring edge which clinches a berth in the knockout stage quarterfinals with one group game still left to play. Saudi Arabia is 1-1 for three points and both Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago are 0-1-1 in the tournament with one point apiece.
The U.S. will play host to Haiti at 7 p.m. June 22 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago tied 1-1 Thursday, which coupled with the 16th-ranked Americans win over Saudi Arabia guarantees the USMNT a berth in the knockout stage quarterfinals..
After cruising past Trinidad and Bago 5-0 last Sunday, the USMNT found it more difficult to penetrate Saudi Arabia’s stingy backline. Saudi Arabia was comfortable in sitting back with multiple defenders inside or around the box, frustrating the U.S. attack, and looking to counter.
It worked as the two sides battled to a 0-0 stalemate at the half.
In the second half, the U.S. finally broke though with the goal in the 62nd and it forced Saudi Arabia to open up a little bit. Still, the U.S. could not add an insurance tally and had to fend off several attacks in the second half, especially in the final 28 minutes plus seven minutes of stoppage time.
The U.S. did hold a 67.3 percent to 32.7 percent advantage of possession in the game.
The U.S. outshot Saudi Arabia 5-3 overall, including 3-1 with shots on goal, as well as doubling up the visitors 4-2 off cornerkicks. Matthew Freese gained his second straight start for the U.S. in goal and also recorded his second straight clean sheet with just the one official save.
Still, the U.S. defense had to make a couple of key blocks and watch Saudi Arabia sneak in behind the defense along the left side and clank a shot off the crossbar in the 58th minute. Abdulrahman Al Obud was left unmarked on the left side and he got in behind the defense before taking his shot from 15 yards out. If the ball was a couple of inches lower, Saudi Arabia would have taken a 1-0 lead even though they only had three total shots on the whole night.
The U.S. avoided danger on the play and eventually got the game-winning goal about four minutes later.
Richards raced back to block a shot attempt by Al-Obud in the 31st minute. Freese recorded his only save back in the 20th minute on a shot outside the box Feras Al Bikan.
The U.S. is now 42-1-5 in Group Stage of the Concacaf Gold Cup tournament over the years. The USMNT, which has won its group in 16 of the last 17 Concacaf Gold Cup tournaments, will have at least two more games this time around and will clinch the Group D with a win or tie on Sunday.
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino kept his same starting lineup from the 5-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago for the Saudi Arabia game before making several substitutions in the second half. More importantly, the U.S. captured its second straight win – both via shutout – and didn’t suffer a letdown after the win on Sunday had snapped the Americans’ four-game losing streak where they were outscored 9-2 in matches earlier this year.
Since Pochettino took over the coaching duties for the USMNT last summer, the team improved to 7-5-0 overall and have outscored the opposition 21-14 in that stretch with five shutouts.
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