When Gregg Berhalter submitted the USMNT roster for the 2021 Gold Cup, it seemed like many fans felt disappointed. Without the likes of Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, among many others, the USA arrived at the Concacaf flagship tournament with a B squad. However, its journey has been fantastic so far and they are one game away from lifting the trophy.
Facing the region’s greatest competition with a relatively inexperienced team seemed like a big gamble by Berhalter, yet it brought resultsas many players proved to be up to the challenge. Almost every game was hard-fought for the hosts, though, and now they will face the biggest taskin this tournament.
The United States have had some ups and downs throughout the competition and have sweated until the final whistle to win most of their games, but what matters is that they’re still alive and in contention for the coveted prize. Here, check outtheir road to the 2021 Gold Cup Final.
The USMNT in the 2021 Gold Cup group stage
From their very 2021 Gold Cup opener, it became clear that the USA were going to face fierce competition in their journey to the final. In the team’sdebut, Sam Vines‘ lone goal in the eighth minute sealed the hosts’ triumph over Haiti in a hard-fought match. On Matchday 2, Berhalter’s squad played its best game in this tournament putting six past Martinique in a comfortable win. In the final matchday of Group B, they held on toShaquell Moore‘s early stunner to beat Canada 1-0.
USA vs Jamaica (1-0) – 2021 Gold Cup quarterfinals
After advancing to the knockout stages with plenty of work to do, the USA faced a big challenge when they took on Jamaica at AT&T Stadium in theGold Cup quarterfinals. The Reggae Boyz have certainly put their backs against the wall until Matthew Hoppe came to the rescue in the 83rd minute to fire the USMNT into the semis.
USA vs Qatar (1-0) – 2021 Gold Cup semifinals
Following a hard-fought victory in the quarterfinals, the USA would face thebiggest challenge in the tournament. Qatar were absolutely flying in their first Gold Cup after finishing atop Group D and leaving El Salvador on the way in the quarterfinals.
Felix Sanchez Bas‘ men were threatening the hosts’ aspirations but they misseda penalty and couldn’t get past Matt Turner, who had an outstanding performance to keep a clean sheet. When it seemed that the game was heading to extra time, Gyasi Zardes tapped a ball in to punch the USA’s ticket to the grand final, where they’ll fight for the trophy against Mexico.
