CONCACAF Gold Cup: Why it matters for the United States national team

The roster is set for the group stage of the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup,  a tournament that is being seen as a bit of a throwaway by fans and media instead does have tremendous meaning for the United States national team.

And to that end, former American internationals Tony Meola and Charlie Davies see the importance of this month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup for the national team. It isn’t as important to win the tournament as it is for some players to step forward  and stake a claim for World Cup qualifying this fall.

In light of the United States winning the Nations League last month, beating Mexico 3-2 in extra time in the tournament’s final, the CONCACAF Gold Cup just isn’t as important for the team’s psyche. And with a largely domestic group called in (19 of 23 players are currently in MLS), some are calling this a B-team for the United States.

This Nations League win has changed the expectations a bit for the tournament, a bit. The United States national team doesn’t have to prove anything in this tournament.

“For me in this Gold Cup, success would be getting to the finals with this group, this Gold Cup is set up for Mexico. Can they win a game against Mexico? Sure, anything can happen in a game. I think all the pressure… in this Gold Cup is set up is squarely on the shoulders of Tata Martino and this Mexican side,” Meola said this week on Sirius XM’s ‘Counter Attack.’

Meola co-hosts the Sirius XM show along with a rotating crew that includes Brian Dunseth and Davies.

The win last month in the Nations League is a poignant moment underscoring that Berhalter’s process is working with the national team. And while the United States are favorites to advance in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and make a run to the finals where they would likely face a full-strength Mexican side, taking the tournament is not as important as developing some needed depth.

The United States hasn’t won the CONCACAF Gold Cup since 2017. The last tournament, in 2019, they lost to Mexico in the final.

“I would have to agree with you, you know, largely because of Nations League and how that turned out for the Mexican team and they’re coming into this Gold Cup with every intention to win and to win, I think, by, by a considerable margin,” Davies said. “When you’re bringing the A-Team, as he has kind of talked about ‘I’m, my best players to win this, this Gold Cup I want my players playing together, I want everyone intuited understanding what it means to represent a country.’ You better beat the US, because if you don’t, that means, the US psychologically, are ahead of you, and they are now the top dogs in CONCACAF.

“So I think for the US, the pressure is, is on the players to kind of performed to try and get into that first team. Whereas, with Mexico it’s yeah it’s on Tata, and I think that Tata feels that, you know, all eyes are on him and his squad considering how, you know, the US, took the Nation’s League home.

Meola said this CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament is now “house money for Gregg Berhalter.”

“I can’t put any expectation on this group outside of trying to get to a final. Because I do believe that some people are going to call this a B-team right? I don’t know, it’s certainly not the A-team. Right, but there aren’t players in this group that are going to be part of Greg Berhalter’s World Cup qualifying, this is what it is all set up for, especially with he three games cycles,” Meola said on Sirius XM.

“We shouldn’t forget that we have three game cycles in this ‘Ocho’ as I’m calling it, right? In the ‘Ocho. And when you look at that, there’s no way that the Pulisic, the Adams, McKinneys all of those guys no matter what name you put out there, outside of maybe your goalkeeper are going to be able to play 90 minutes, all three games. Some of them may not even make all three rosters during that World Cup qualifying cycle for every single game. So these guys we’re going to watch in the Gold Cup…are vitally important for Gregg Berhalter and this US men’s national team side.”

Follow Kristian Dyer of ‘MLS Multiplex‘ on Twitter @KristianRDyer