The U.S.’s men’s national team outlasted Haiti 2-1 in the group D match for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. The USMNT got the win at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to finish the stage with three wins. Now the U.S. look forward to who will be their opponents in the quarterfinals between Mexico and Costa Rica. In this article, you will learn more about the Group D match and what awaits team U.S. in the future.
United States Score the Victory Over Haiti
Patrick Agyemang scored the tie breaking goal in the 75th minute. This ensured the United States overcame Matt Freese’s goalkeeping gaffe to beat Haiti 2-1 Sunday night. They won the Concacaf Gold Cup group with a 3-0 record in the process. This brilliant result indicates that USA takes all nine points from its Gold cup group stage and wins Group D.
The United States was in need of a desperate win or draw Sunday to win the group. This is after they already secured a spot in the quarterfinals after the win over Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, it was a much-needed win for Haiti as they entered the contest third in Group D. They needed three points to keep any hopes alive of advancing.
Malik Tillman Put the U.S. Ahead
The young Malik Tillman came to his team’s aid in the 10th minute with his third goal of the tournament. Freese, who has displaced Matt Turner in net for the Americans, showcased the team’s goalkeeping problems a year ahead with the world cup. This is through a botched clearance that resulted in Louicius Don Deedson’s 19th-minute goal.
Agyemang Scored After Taking A Long Pass From John Tolkin
After Tilaman was close to getting it done three times in the second half, Agyemang scored after taking the long pass from John Tolkin. He touched the ball past the goalkeeper Johnny Placide and scored his fifth international goal and second of the tournament.
The U.S earlier opened with victories over Trinidad, Tobago, and also invited guest Saudi Arabia, won their group for the 17th time in 18 Gold Cups. The mighty Americans now have 43 wins, one loss, and five draws in group play. This has made them 3-0 for the seventh time.
Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino Made Several Changes
After naming the starting XI for the initial two group stage matches, the head coach Mauricio Pochettino made four changes to the lineup against Haiti. He inserted Brenden Aaronson, Tyler Adams, Quinn Sullivan and John Tolkin. Tim Ream captained that side for the third consecutive match. He paired up with Thursday’s goal scorer Chris Richards in central defense.
Haiti Showed Flashes in the Match’s Opening Minutes
In the opening minutes of the match, Haiti showed some flashes and leveled in the 19th. Due to pressure following a Haiti long ball, Tim Ream played a pass back to goalkeeper Matt Freese, starting his third-straight match for the U.S. Freese also attempted a pass to fullback John Tolkin but didn’t hit the ball properly. After this, Louicius Don Deedson intercepted the pass and bent a shot to equalize for Haiti. But till then, the U.S. had gone almost 200 minutes without conceding a goal.
Quinn Sullivan nearly scored the go-ahead goal for the U.S. in his first career Gold Cup start
In his first career gold cup start, Quinn Sullivan nearly scored the go-ahead goal in the 30th minute. Following a swinging ball inside the box from Quinn Sullivan, he timed it perfectly and almost flew in to volley the ball mid-air. The awesome shot was saved by Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide.
The ball went into the crossbar resulting in a corner kick for the United States. But, Sullivan again cracked a goal from a distance which was saved by Placide. In the second half, twice within five minutes, the U.S. had a goal called back.
Richards Played a Long Ball Over the Top to Agyemang
During the 64th minute, Richards played a long ball over the top to Agyemang. Though the striker slipped on the play, Sullivan cleaned it up and sent a firm cross into the box. Haiti, while attempting to clear deflected for an own goal but it was invalidated due to the unintentional handball from Tillman.
Some moments later, it looked like Tillman scored again after he collected a backdoor pass over the backline from Adams. Though the U.S attacker finished, the play was ruled offside. Soon, the U.S. was able to break through and Tolkin played an awesome ball into the path of Agyemang making a run.
After this, Agyemang took a deft touch to get past Placide coming off his line. After that, he calmly rolled the ball into an open goal to put his country ahead 2-1 in the 75th minute. This is the third straight win for the United States and they now await another team to face off in the finals.
As the Winners of Group D, the United States Will Carry the Momentum
The USMNT are the winners of Group D and will carry this momentum forward into the knockout round. In that round, they face the second-place team out of Group A. Costa Rica and Mexico currently sit at the top of the Group A standings in first and second place. These two teams will later face off later in Las Vegas.
Bottom Line
The United States finished at the top of Group D undefeated with a narrow win over Haiti. They put forth a huge amount of depth and determination in this match to get through everything. The USMNT heads into the knockout stage with great momentum, and they will look to build off their success as they meet the Group A runner-up in the quarterfinals.
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