Playmaking Patrick Agyemang Shows Versatility in USMNT Win over Trinidad and Tobago
With a goal, a hockey assist and strong passing plays, the Charlotte FC striker shows a different side in a much-needed 5-0 United States win in the first match of Concacaf Gold Cup group play.
The United States Men’s National Team was in a bit of a rut going into Saturday night’s Concacaf match against Trinidad and Tobago at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif.
Tonight’s 5-0 win might help the Stars and Stripes get back on track.
Malik Tillman built on his first-ever USMNT goal and turned it into a brace, Patrick Agyemang demonstrated his versatility in a way that he hadn’t before in national team play, Brenden Aaronson scored his first international goal in two years, and both Diego Luna and Max Arfsten left the pitch with two assists a piece.
It was a good, much needed day for U.S. soccer, a team used to winning not only their Gold Cup Group, but the tournament as well (the U.S. has 7 titles, Mexico has 9, and Canada has 1).
“It’s really important now to start the competition with a good feeling,” said USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino after the match. “Overall, I am happy with all the players.”
High Stakes and a Poor Run of Form
The USMNT had lost four straight matches, with 9 goals against and only 2 goals during the losing streak. They finished fourth in the Concacaf Nations League, and Pochettino had started facing serious questions about whether or not he could hold on to the job long enough to coach in the World Cup.
The nadir of the recent run of form came against Switzerland, with the squad conceding 4 goals in the first half.
Pochettino, to his credit, took responsibility for the team’s disastrous 0-4 loss in last week’s friendly.
“The combination didn’t work,” Pochettino said after the loss to the Swiss.
While Trinidad and Tobago (FIFA Rank: 100) isn’t on the same tier as the United States (FIFA Rank: 16) or Switzerland (FIFA Rank: 20), the win showed what the USMNT is capable of regardless of the lineup.
“The competition is going to be higher now,” Pochettino said.
The USMNT faces Saudi Arabia (FIFA Rank: 58) in Austin, Texas on June 19, and then Haiti (FIFA Rank: 83) next Sunday, June 22 in Arlington, Texas.
A Dominant Start to the Gold Cup
It didn’t take the U.S. that long to get started.
In the 16th minute, midfielder Tillman got his first-ever goal in his 20th appearance for the team. Midfielder Jack McGlynn was credited with the assist, but the playmaker — with the “hockey assist” — was striker Patrick Agyemang, who dribbled towards the box, got back on his feet after an opposition tackle, regained possession, and made a great pass to McGlynn on the right side inside the area. McGlynn realized he didn’t have a great angle on the shot and crossed across the goal box to Tillman on the left side, who easily slotted it into the left side of the net.
“We were not under any delusion that this wasn’t going to be the hardest game in the group stage,” Trinidad and Tobago head coach Dwight Yorke. “It’s just a bad day at the office.”
Yorke told Soccer Sheet after the match that if his side had been able to hold the U.S. to 1-0 before going to the locker room, Trinidad and Tobago might have been able to retool, but in the closing minutes of the half Diego Luna showed his quality for the USMNT.
First, Luna got an assist in the 41st minute thanks to a high soccer IQ play. He anticipated that an opposing defender was about to play a ball back to the goalkeeper, and wagered that the pass might be weak. He was right, captured the ball on a run, and unselfishly passed it to Tillman to give him a brace.
Just minutes later, he ran the ball back and took a shot, which may not have gone into the goal until it deflected off of the boot of Agyemang, who nutmegged a defender and picked up credit for the goal.
Luna became the fourth USMNT player aged 21 or younger to register two assists in a Gold Cup match.
Yorke said the U.S. side was “ahead of us in every step of the way in terms of anticipation, in terms of creativity, in terms of taking control of game.”
“At halftime, at three-nil, we were just trying to minimize the damage. And of course, if it wasn't for goalkeeper [Marvin Phillip], it could have probably been worse,” said Yorke.
From there, Trinidad and Tobago kept their composure until 74th minute substitutions for the USMNT, as EFL Championship players Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright entered the fray. Both would end the match with goals assisted by Arfsten, who played the full 90.
“Nothing is done, but yes, to feel the victory and be more positive in the next few days I think is important to grow the confidence in between us,” Pochettino said.
Up next for the USMNT: the boys travel to Austin, Texas for a Thursday fixture against Saudi Arabia, one of the non-Concacaf teams invited to play in this year’s Gold Cup and the highest ranked team in Group D. A win will almost certainly secure a quarterfinal appearance for the U.S.