USMNT Opens Gold Cup with Dynamic 5-0 Win over Trinidad and Tobago

SAN JOSE, Calif. (June 15, 2025) - Seeking an eighth Concacaf Gold Cup trophy, the United States Men’s National Team kicked off its 2025 campaign on a resounding high note Sunday afternoon, winning the first match of group play with a 5-0 victory against Trinidad and Tobago at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., behind an energetic team performance that will build momentum into the next two group stage matches.

Like Mauricio Pochettino’s lineups for the June friendlies, tonight’s starting XI was relatively inexperienced in global competition. The lineup Sunday averaged 15 caps and seven in official competition. Leading the group was the oldest and most capped player, Tim Ream. The 37-year-old was the only U.S. starter with previous Gold Cup experience, and the reliable defender captained the side.

The team’s Gold Cup opener Sunday marked significant milestones for several players in the starting XI. Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, defender Alex Freeman and goalkeeper Matt Freese all earned their first caps in official competition. Midfielder Jack McGlynn also collected his first start in official competition. Every player in the starting XI besides Ream made their Gold Cup debuts.

Trinidad and Tobago began the match sitting in a deep block, which allowed the United States to control possession and play some exciting soccer. Malik Tillman, making his first competitive start since the Concacaf Nations League semifinal in 2024, was especially effective distributing from the middle channel of the field. His lovely one-touch pass into space for Patrick Agyemang led to the first shot attempt of the match. Moments later, the midfielder was part of a beautiful combination that eventually led to a disciplined, one-touch strike from Sebastian Berhalter that was on frame but deflected out-of-bounds for a U.S. corner kick.

Agyemang would have another good look at goal in the 12th minute. After the U.S. shifted the ball side-to-side, Max Arfsten got wide and made a nifty stepover move before sending a scintillating ball into the box. Agyemang nodded a fierce header toward the far post, but it bounced just wide.

After having their way in the opening minutes, the Americans found the finishing touch for the first goal of the match in the 16th minute. Agyemang won the ball deep in the Americans’ attacking third and played it ahead to McGlynn to his right. With Trinidad and Tobago disorganized, the winger located an unmarked Tillman toward the far post. Tillman controlled the cross and finished it off with his right foot for his first international goal to put the United States ahead.

The United States would’ve scored a second goal earlier if not for the heroics of Trinidad and Tobago’s goalkeeper Marvin Phillip, including a diving save on Arfsten’s right-footed shot taken from the center of the box. In the 25th minute, McGlynn played a terrific 40-yard ball across the field on a rope to Diego Luna. With space, the native of nearby Sunnyvale, Calif. took a good first touch, but Phillip won the battle, leaving his line swiftly to block Luna’s attempted chip. Again, in the 36th minute, after a hard foul gave the United States a free kick, Phillip stopped Alex Freeman’s header from McGlynn’s left-footed service.

Tillman would make it 2-0 for the United States in the 41st minute after the Americans capitalized on a mistake from Trinidad and Tobago. Alvin Jones attempted to get out of pressure with a pass back to his goalkeeper, but he didn’t see Luna in the area. The 21-year-old midfielder anticipated the pass perfectly, using his speed to regain possession for the United States. On the breakaway, Luna sent a rolling ball along the six-yard box line to Tillman, making a dead sprint into the box, who hammered it home to record a first-half brace.

Luna, showing his relentless work rate all throughout the first half, would soon record his second assist in three minutes.Tillman played a long ball out of the USA’s defensive half deep into space for Luna, and the midfielder, fresh off assisting Tillman’s second goal, decided to take it himself this time. He eluded his defender on the dribble inside the box and struck a low ball with his right foot that deflected off Agyemang and found the back of the net, and the USA led 3-0 heading into the halftime break.

Playing with a three-goal lead did not mean the United States would sit back in the second half. In the 50th minute, McGlynn nearly capitalized following a cross from Arfsten. Moments later, Agyemang used his physicality and speed to create a chance for himself, a smashing strike that required a push over the crossbar from Philip, his fifth of six saves on the day.

Trinidad and Tobago nearly got on the scoresheet in the 58th minute when Tyrese Spicer dribbled into dangerous territory and took a shot that was headed toward goal. The play called Matt Freese into action, and the United States goalkeeper, making just his second career appearance, came up with a crucial touch to preserve his clean sheet. Other than that play, and a flurry in the USA’s defensive half in the 36th minute, Trinidad and Tobago never tested the United States, and the Americans piled up a 21-3 shot advantage.

Pochettino sent on subs for three of the match’s biggest contributors. Haji Wright, Brenden Aaronson, and Mark McKenzie replaced Agyemang, Luna, and McGlynn.

Those substitutes added two more goals for the United States late in the match. Making a run, Aaronson received the ball at the end line and made a decisive cut with the outside of his right foot to set up his shot. The midfielder hit the ball hard to secure his ninth career goal, his first goal in almost two years for the United States, in the 82nd minute.

Just two minutes later, Wright added a goal of his own. Receiving the ball from Arfsten, Wright carried the ball into the center of the pitch, finding space with his speed and fresh legs. Putting the ball on his right foot, he curled the ball into the side netting for the fifth goal of the day as the United States ran up the score to 5-0.

The win places the United States solely atop Group D for the moment, with Saudi Arabia and Haiti set to face off later Sunday night. The outcome follows Saturday’s tournament opener, where defending Gold Cup champion Mexico beat Dominican Republic 3-2 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

The United States will carry the momentum from Sunday’s win to Texas for their remaining group stages matches. The team will next face guest side Saudi Arabia on Thursday, June 19 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas (9:15 p.m. ET; FS1, TUDN, ViX, FDP Radio) and conclude group play Sunday, June 22 against Haiti at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (7 p.m. ET; FOX, TUDN, ViX, FDP Radio). 

Goal Scoring Rundown

USA – MALIK TILLMAN (JACK MCGLYNN), 16th minute: Following two shot attempts of his own, Patrick Agyemang produced a takeaway that ignited a quick United States counter. Agyemang sent the ball ahead to Jack McGlynn, who crossed the ball far post to Malik Tillman. The midfielder brought it down and put it away for his first international goal. USA 1, TRI 0

USA – MALIK TILLMAN (DIEGO LUNA), 41st minute: Diego Luna took advantage of a costly mistake from Trinidad and Tobago when he intercepted a pass back to the goalkeeper. Luna took possession and slid a rolling pass across the face of the goal for Tillman, sprinting into the box. The midfielder finished it off to record his second international goal and first brace. USA 2, TRI 0

USA – PATRICK AGYEMANG (DIEGO LUNA), 44th minute: Fresh off assisting Tillman’s second goal, Luna tallied one more. Receiving a long ball up into space on the left side of the pitch, Luna carried the ball and beat his defender one-on-one. Luna’s shot deflected off Agyemang and into the back of the net. USA 3, TRI 0

USA – BRENDEN AARONSON (MAX ARFSTEN), 82nd minute: Moments after entering the match as a substitute, Brenden Aaronson received a pass from Max Arfsten near the end line. Aaronson beat his defender one-on-one and delivered a right-footed shot near post to extend the lead for the United States. USA 4, TRI 0

USA – HAJI WRIGHT (MAX ARFSTEN), 84th minute: Max Arfsten found success working the right side of the pitch. Just after assisting Aaronson’s goal, he found Wright making a run on the right side. Wright did the rest, beating his defender and carrying the ball centrally to set up his curling shot into the upper right corner of the net. USA 5, TRI 0 FINAL.

Additional Notes

• Strikes in the 16th and 41st minutes were the first career goals for Malik Tillman. He now has three goal contributions in the last four matches for the United States. His brace signals the 22nd multi-goal game for a USMNT player in the Gold Cup.
• Jack McGlynn assisted Tillman’s opening goal of the match. After scoring an absolute banger against Türkiye last weekend, McGlynn now has a goal and assist in the last three matches.
• Diego Luna recorded two assists in three minutes on Tillman’s goal in the 41st minute and Agyemang’s goal in the 44th. It was the third and fourth career assists for the Real Salt Lake star, which leads the team in 2025, and the 18th multi-goal assist for a USMNT player in the Gold Cup. Luna becomes the fourth U.S. player 21 or younger to record two assists in a Gold Cup match: Pulisic (6/22/19 vs. Trinidad and Tobago), Gianluca Busio (6/28/23 vs. St. Kitts and Nevis), Landon Donovan (July 26, 2003 vs. Costa Rica).
• Patrick Agyemang scored his team-leading fourth goal of the year.
• Brenden Aaronson scored his ninth career goal for the United States and his first since September 2023 against Oman.
• Haji Wright scored his first international goal since March 21, 2024, against Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League.
• Max Arfsten collected his first two career assists on Aaronson and Wright's goals.
• The Starting XI averaged 15 caps and seven in official competition. The lineup had an average age of 25 years,75 days.
• With his appearance, veteran defender Tim Ream holds the longest tenure for Gold Cup appearances among USMNT players. Ream made his confederation championship debut against Canada on June 7, 2011 in Detroit. Ream’s Gold Cup tenure of 14 years outpaces that of DaMarcus Beasley, who appeared in Gold Cup matches over 13 years, between 2002 and 2015. 
• On Father’s Day, Sebastian Berhalter earned his competitive debut in the Bay Area just like his father Gregg did. Gregg Berhalter collected his first cap in official competition in the USA’s 3-0 win against Cuba in the opening match of the Concacaf Gold Cup on Feb. 1, 1998 at Oakland Coliseum. 
• Two California natives earned the start Sunday at nearby PayPal Park. Midfielder Diego Luna hails from Sunnyvale, Calif. and at the home of the San Jose Earthquakes, where he came up in the club’s academy. Originally from Fresno, defender Max Arfsten also returns to San Jose, where he began his professional career with Earthquakes II in 2022.
• Matt Freese became the ninth USMNT goalkeeper to earn their competitive debut in the Gold Cup. He recorded two saves and a clean sheet.
• Three players did not dress tonight for the United States, per the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Tournament Regulations – Tyler Adams, Johnny Cardoso and Damion Downs.
• The win continues the USA’s historic dominance in the Gold Cup group stage matches, totaling a 41-1-5 record.
• The United States has won 18 of its 19 matches against Trinidad and Tobago on American soil (D1), winning 15 in a row after a 1-1 draw in a World Cup qualifier in 1989. Sunday’s win equals the USA’s longest home winning streak against any opponent, a 16-match run against El Salvador (1993-present).
• The USMNT has now outscored Trinidad and Tobago, 46-0, over the last 13 meetings on American soil, with 13 straight clean sheets, which is the longest run of shutouts in home matches against a single opponent in program history. The last goals Trinidad and Tobago scored against the USMNT on American soil were an Arnold Dwarika brace in the group stage of the 1996 Concacaf Gold Cup.

-U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-

Lineups:
USA: 25-Matt Freese; 16-Alex Freeman, 3-Chris Richards (12-Miles Robinson, 87), 13-Tim Ream (Capt.), 18-Max Arfsten; 14-Luca de la Torre (21-Paxten Aaronson 83), 8-Sebastian Berhalter; 6-Jack McGlynn (22-Mark McKenzie, 74), 17-Malik Tillman, 10-Diego Luna (11-Brenden Aaronson, 74); 24-Patrick Agyemang (19-Haji Wright, 73)
Substitutes not used: 1-Matt Turner, 26-Chris Brady, 2-John Tolkin, 4-Tyler Adams, 5-Walker Zimmerman, 7-Quinn Sullivan, 9-Damion Downs, 20-Nathan Harriel, 23-Brian White
Not Dressed: 4-Tyler Adams, 9-Damion Downs, 15-Johnny Cardoso
Head coach: Mauricio Pochettino

TRI: 1-Marvin Phillip; 4-Sheldon Bateau, 5-Justin Garcia, 8-Daniel Phillips, 10-Kevin Molino (Capt.) (3-Joevin Jones, 74), 13-Tyrese Spicer, 16-Alvin Jones (6-Andre Raymond, 46), 19-Ajani Fortune, 23-Noah Powder (15-Dante Sealy, 46), 24-Isaiah Garcia (17-Rio Cardines, 62), 26-Isaiah Lee (9-Nathaniel James, 46)

Substitutes not used: 2-Darnell Hospedales, 7-Steffen Yeates, 14-Wayne Frederick II, 18-Andre Rampersad, 20-Real Gill, 21-Jabari St. Hillaire, 22-Denzil Smith
Head coach: Dwight Yorke

Stats Summary: USA / TRI
Shots: 21 / 3
Shots on Goal: 11 / 2
Saves: 2 / 6
Corner Kicks: 10 / 4
Fouls: 10 / 9
Offside: 3 / 1