SAN JOSE — On a holiday where summer barbeques are prevalent, the United States men’s national soccer team was cooking with gas at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The Americans began their run in the regional tournament with a home matchup against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday afternoon at PayPal Park, and they put forth a performance on Father’s Day that would have made any parent proud.
The U.S. scored three times in the first half, including twice in the final five minutes, and Sunnyvale native Diego Luna assisted on both late first-half goals as the Americans eventually won 5-0.
In front of an announced crowd of 12,610 fans, the USMNT was thoroughly dominant. The Americans conceded two shots on goal and mustered 11 themselves.
The U.S. possessed the ball 72% of the time under recently appointed coach Mauricio Pochettino, finding no issues getting the ball into the box and converting once they got there despite the notable absences of many star players, including midfielder Christian Pulisic.
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The Americans further made mincemeat of Trinidad and Tobago’s defense late in the second half, adding a pair of insurance goals in the 82nd and 84th minutes.
The United States will return to action in the Gold Cup against Saudi Arabia at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Thursday at 6:15 p.m. With their win on Sunday, the Americans are the early leaders in Group D with three points.
Fellow Group D members Haiti and Saudi Arabia played their first match of the tournament late Sunday afternoon. Results were not finalized at time of publication.
Check back for updates to this story.