Tillman scores twice: USA ends negative run at the start of the Gold Cup
After four consecutive defeats, Mauricio Pochettino can breathe a sigh of relief: The USA celebrated a decisive 5-0 victory against Trinidad & Tobago at the start of the Gold Cup group stage. Costa Rica, on the other hand, struggled more.
International debut with a brace: Malik Tillman. IMAGO/Imagn Images
A debut for Nuremberg-born Malik Tillman: The former Bayern Munich professional and German U-21 international made his debut for the US national team in June 2022 - three years later, the 23-year-old with dual citizenship scored his first goals for his father's home country.
In the 16th minute, Tillman gave the USA the lead in their Gold Cup opener against Trinidad & Tobago, and in the 41st minute, the PSV Eindhoven player doubled the lead to 2-0. Both times, the hosts in San Jose benefited from defensive blunders from the visitors from the Caribbean.
A loss of the ball almost at the edge of the box led to the opening goal, McGlynn finally curled the ball from the right edge of the six-yard box to the far post, where Tillman was waiting and slotted it in.
The second goal was preceded by a misplaced pass from Alvin Jones, who had also lost possession before the 0-1. The Trinidad & Tobago defender played a short back pass to the goalkeeper, right into the feet of Luna, who ran alone toward the opposing goal and, at the perfect moment, passed the ball to Tillman, who was running alongside him in the middle, who then scored his second goal.
Pochettino speaks highly of TillmanThe Americans continued to have no problems afterward, controlling the game with 70 percent possession and 21:3 shots, and cemented their position through Agyemang (44th minute), former Union Berlin player Aaronson (82nd minute), and Wright (84th minute). However, Cologne striker Damion Downs, who had recently made his debut for the USA, was missing from the squad due to illness.
"It's very important to start the tournament with a good feeling," said coach Pochettino after the opening victory. "We haven't achieved anything yet, but it's nice to celebrate the victory and approach the next few days with more positivity." The USA had recently lost the semifinal (0-1 against Panama) and the third-place match (1-2 against Canada) of the CONCACAF Nations League, as well as two subsequent friendlies (1-2 against Turkey and 0-4 against Switzerland).
"Today's game was difficult, especially because of the negative things that have happened in recent weeks," said Pochettino. The poor results have brought some noise. The 53-year-old was also satisfied with Tillman, a "talented player. That's obvious, everyone can see that. What's changed this summer is that I understand him better now, after a few weeks together. Everyone at PSV is in love with him, and now we're slowly falling in love with him too. He's one of the most talented players we have in the USA."
Costa Rica: Winning goal in the 13th minute of injury timeNations League winners Mexico had more trouble than the USA in their Gold Cup opener on Sunday night ( 3-2 against the Dominican Republic ). The same applies to Costa Rica, which beat Suriname 4-3 on Monday night. Ugalde scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in the 13th minute of stoppage time, after Costa Rica had trailed 2-3 at one point.
In the third match of the night, Saudi Arabia defeated Haiti 1-0. The visiting team at the Gold Cup will be the USA's next group opponent on Friday night.
