It’s Gold Cup time.
Concacaf’s premier tournament commences for the 17th time this weekend. The U.S. Men’s National Team first takes on Trinidad and Tobago, Sunday at 6 p.m. ET in San Jose, Calif.
To begin the march toward an eighth title run, the Americans will first have to get through the rest of Group D — Saudi Arabia on June 19 in Austin, Texas and Haiti on June 22 in Arlington, Texas.
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Here’s what you need to know about the USMNT’s first group-stage match:
1. All Eyes Ahead
After two international friendly losses to European opponents, the USMNT is looking ahead.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino trotted out young starting lineups in the matches against Türkiye and Switzerland with a combined average of 13.8 caps. He said he wanted to move players around and get them experience with formidable European competition.
The U.S. may have fallen, but its sights are set on the Gold Cup ahead.
“I think that the overarching message for us is, ‘This is our group right now. This is who we have to rely on,’” defender Tim Ream said. “Each one of us has to have each other's back, and we all have to stick together.”
2. Tournament First Timers
Several players are set to make their Gold Cup debut, including emerging USMNT talents Diego Luna, Patrick Agyemang and Brian White. Seven players were uncapped when called up for the June international window, and six played their first National Team minutes in the friendlies against UEFA opponents.
“I think now it's the perfect time to flip the switch, going into Gold Cup, where this is a big tournament and a big time for the U.S.,” Luna said. “I think this is where we showcase ourselves and really put everything on the line.”
This opportunity presents a pathway for several young players, who will get their first taste at an international tournament. Even further, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is less than a year from kicking off. This will be the last tournament the National Team competes in before the big one on home soil. It also serves as an opportunity for players to make their case to be included on Pochettino’s World Cup roster.
3. Leaning on Veteran Leadership
While this roster features various newcomers and young players, there are still veterans leading the group. Ream is one of the voices in the locker room preaching patience.
“I'm trying to tell the guys this is new to a lot of people. It's new to a lot of guys. And it's just a matter of, let's just put our heads down and we back each other up," Ream said. "Communication [should be] as high as it possibly can be, and we get through it. It's a storm, and you can either run from it, you can hide from it, or you put yourself back out there."
Ream has World Cup experience and donned the captain’s band in all his appearances this year. Goalkeeper Matt Turner, who also played in the 2022 World Cup, took up captain responsibilities in the USA’s most recent outing.
“I think rather it happened here, I think we do have to learn these hard lessons sometimes,” Turner said after the 4-0 loss to Switzerland. “... At the end of the day, we're building a team almost from scratch, and these are hard lessons that we have to learn if you want to get better and better and succeed in the tournament, which is ultimately our goal for the summer.”
4. USMNT vs. Trinidad and Tobago History
The USMNT has faced Trinidad and Tobago 30 times since 1982 with a 22-4-4 winning record. The two nations last met in November 2023 in the Concacaf Nations League Quarterfinal. While the USA lost 2-1 in the second leg, its 3-0 advantage in the first leg allowed the U.S. to advance 4-2 on aggregate. They’ve met in the Gold Cup five times, all of which were USA victories.
Two of those Gold Cup matches were 6-0 wins for the United States (2019, 2023), the largest scoring margin for the squad in tournament history. Jesús Ferreira scored a first-half hat trick in 2023. Outside of the tournament, the countries met at the very same venue they’ll play at this tournament in 2017, where the U.S. won 6-0, again, in a FIFA World Cup Qualifying match. They would match up again later that year in another qualifying match, this time Trinidad and Tobago got the best of the USA 2-1, halting the USMNT’s shot at the 2018 World Cup.
5. Gold Cup History
The first Concacaf Gold Cup was in 1991 when the USMNT claimed the first crown in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The U.S. has won seven total times in 1991, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2021.
The USA has advanced past the group matches in every iteration of the tournament and only once failed to reach the semifinals in 2000 when the Americans lost to Colombia in a penalty shootout.
The USMNT has collected the second-most trophies after Mexico, which has won the tournament nine times, including as reigning champions in 2023. USMNT legend Landon Donovan holds the record for most goals in the biennial competition with 18 goals. Check out the USA’s best Gold Cup moments here.
