When Gregg Berhalter and his staff put together the U.S. Men's National Team roster for the Concacaf Gold Cup, they wanted to make sure that the players, many of them with little to no international experience, got a taste of competition at the international level.
He always wanted to be playing for the title.
The U.S. head coach got his wish and then some.
Entering Sunday night's final against Mexico, the USA has earned four 1-0 shutout wins, with the 6-1 group stage victory against Martinique was the lone exception.
No team has accomplished that feat in the history of the Gold Cup, which spans 16 editions since 1991. The previous Gold Cup record was three 1-0 wins, jointly held by the USA (1993) and Jamaica (2015).
The USMNT, which has reached a record 12th Gold Cup final, secured 1-0 victories in Group A against Haiti and Canada and then in the knockout round vs. Jamaica (quarterfinals) and Qatar (semifinals).
Those close encounters have allowed players to sweat and endure some difficult matches and adversity while gaining invaluable experience as Berhalter looks to put together a roster for the start of FIFA World Cup Qualifying in September.
Sharing the wealth
Scoring heroes have come from all over the pitch. Five different players have been responsible for game-winning goals during the tournament:
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Defender Sam Vines scored in the eighth minute against Haiti on July 11.
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Forward Daryl Dike recorded the first of his brace against Martinique in the 14th minute.
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Defender Shaq Moore scored the fastest goal in USMNT and Gold Cup history when he found the back of the net only 20 seconds into the match against Canada on July 18.
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Forward Matthew Hoppe struck for his first international goal with a header in the 83rd minute vs. Jamaica in the quarterfinals on July 25.
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Second-half substitute and forward Gyasi Zardes was a little more dramatic, connecting in the 86th minute in the semifinal thriller against Qatar.
Zardes and Dike pace the USA with two goals apiece. Nicholas Gioacchini, Miles Robinson, Hoppe, Moore and Vines each have one.
It wasn’t just goalscorers who added their name to the history books. Gianluca Busio, Eryk Williamson, Hoppe and Cristian Roldan registered their first career assists during the 6-1 win against Martinique.
Cleaning up
Goalkeeper Matt Turner, who began the competition with exactly one international appearance, has been superb.
He has backstopped all the victories and has four clean sheets, tying him with Mexico's Alfredo Talavera for the tournament lead while also equaling the USMNT Gold Cup record, jointly held by Kasey Keller (2002) and Tim Howard (2011).
The 27-year-old New England Revolution keeper has registered 18 saves in five matches, and holds a miniscule 0.20 goals-against average.
First-timers
There's nothing like being thrown into the deep end of the pool to see how many will swim.
In the opening win over Haiti, substitutes Gianluca Busio and James Sands made their international debuts and were among nine players to make their first appearance in official competition. That included goalkeeper Matt Turner, defenders Shaq Moore, Miles Robinson, Sam Vines, midfielders Nicholas Gioacchini, Eryk Williamson and forward Daryl Dike.
