Fresh off a lopsided win in their Gold Cup opener, the U.S. men’s national team return to play on Thursday to face a team who could provide their toughest test of the group stage – Saudi Arabia.
Thursday’s matchup offers a chance for an inexperienced version of the USMNT to prove that Sunday’s 5-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago was not a fluke, but rather a sign of progress as they snapped a four-game losing streak. A handful of players on the bubble, like midfielders Malik Tillman and Diego Luna, excelled on Sunday, ensuring a somewhat-depleted version of the U.S. team would start the Gold Cup on a strong note.
There are plenty of questions as head coach Mauricio Pochettino finalizes his team selection for Thursday, and not only based on Sunday’s showing. A handful of notable players were unavailable against Trinidad and Tobago, including midfielders Tyler Adams and Johnny Cardoso, so Pochettino will have to make a judgment call on their statuses for Thursday, while he may also have to manage certain players’ minutes as the games come thick and fast in a way that is typical to major tournaments.
Here are three things to keep an eye on as the USMNT return to play.
How to watch Saudi Arabia vs. USMNT, odds
- Date: Thursday, June 19 | Time: 9:15 p.m. ET
- Location: Q2 Stadium — Austin, Texas
- TV: Fox Sports 1 | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Odds: Saudi Arabia +500; Draw +280; USMNT -185
Could Tyler Adams make a return?
The USMNT’s ups and downs have been wide-ranging since the 2022 World Cup, but one of the more consistent themes is that Tyler Adams can be a make-or-break presence in their midfield. They may have survived without him against Trinidad and Tobago but Saudi Arabia are expected to pose a stiffer challenge which could make Adams an essential part of the game plan, especially with a fairly inexperienced group making up the USMNT’s Gold Cup roster.
How likely Adams is to start, though, remains a question. He joined the USMNT’s pre-Gold Cup training camp with a foot injury that kept him out of the first half of their 2-1 loss to Turkiye, later missing the 4-0 loss to Switzerland and Sunday’s win over Trinidad and Tobago. He returned to training on Tuesday, per ESPN, which at least inspires confidence that he will have a role to play during the team’s Gold Cup run.
If Adams is not in the lineup, though, Cardoso seems likely to be the pick. He missed Sunday’s win through illness and was also spotted at training on Tuesday, with the Gold Cup offering an important opportunity for him to impress. Cardoso is with the group after a standout season in Spain with UEFA Conference League finalists Real Betis but he has yet to translate that form to his games with the national team, and is in the need for a moment of redemption after a major error that enabled Turkiye to score in a friendly this month. Sebastian Berhalter, the Vancouver Whitecaps player who started on Sunday, might also be an option.
Malik Tillman’s star on the rise
In the absence of several regular starters, this summer’s Gold Cup run will be about which players seize the opportunity in front of them with a World Cup on home soil just a year away. Few players currently exemplify that mindset more than Tillman, who is quickly becoming a key player for this version of the USMNT.
He scored a brace against Trinidad and Tobago but also counts a strong performance against Turkiye amongst his recent highlights, assisting Jack McGlynn‘s first-minute goal. That outing in particular is arguably his best in a national team uniform, settling in nicely to the attacking midfield role Pochettino picked out for him.
It marks a major development for Tillman, who has been a regular call-up with the senior squad for some time and has performed well over the years with PSV, but has not made much of a dent with the national team. Pochettino may be starting to figure out how Tillman’s radical profile fits into the USMNT, which would provide a first tangible example of how the head coach will elevate the team in time for the World Cup.
All eyes are on the newcomers
Pochettino, be it by choice or by force, is sacrificing chemistry this summer for further exploration of the player pool, meaning an unexpectedly high number of players will be in the national team’s orbit in the year before the World Cup. While the head coach has plenty of pressure on him to deliver, the onus is equally on these inexperienced players to meet the moment.
Luna is perhaps the most notable player on the cusp, earning praise in his matches earlier this year, putting him in a position to challenge Gio Reyna for a starting spot if he keeps it up. The operative word here is “if,” and while two assists against Trinidad and Tobago make for an impressive performance, he will need to build a solid body of work over the next month to truly prove himself.
The same goes for Patrick Agyemang, who hopes to make an impact in a No. 9 position that is still technically wide open. With Folatin Balogun and Ricardo Pepsi injured and Josh Sargent out of favor, he could become a top choice in the role if he performs this month. A goal on Sunday marks a strong start but like Luna, there will be an expectation that he can rise to the occasion as the USMNT target a run to the final.
Predicted lineups
USMNT: Matt Turner, Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, Max Arfsten, Tyler Adams, Luca de la Torre, Jack McGlynn, Malik Tillman, Diego Luna, Patrick Agyemang