The US Men’s National Soccer Team got the job done on Sunday night, advancing to the semifinals of the Gold Cup with a narrow 1-0 win over Curaçao in Philadelphia.
The United States advanced to the semifinals of the competition on the strength of a Weston McKennie goal, the Schalke 04 midfielder’s first of this year’s CONCACAF competition. It was the only score of a match whose protagonist was, without a doubt, sloppy play and defense.
McKennie linked up with Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic on the goal in the 25th minute of the match at Lincoln Financial Field. Two of the brightest young stars on the USMNT combined to score the decisive goal after Pulisic created space on the left flank before delivering a perfect cross to McKennie, who headed the ball into the net with ease.
The goal was enough to give the win to the United States, who did enough to advance despite looking rather flat. In a competition like the Gold Cup, however, a win is a win, and the USMNT is only two victories away from claiming their second consecutive first-place finish in the competition.
Their first roadblock will be Jamaica, who they’ll face on Wednesday night at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee. If they win, they’ll advance to play the winner of the blockbuster Haiti-Mexico matchup on Tuesday night in the competition’s final.
