Gold Cup: Team USA Eliminates Qatar, Plays With Mexico in the Finals

United States soccer team advanced to the Gold Cup finals, following a win over Qatar in the semis, 1-0. It was a hard-fought triumph that saw Gyasi Zardes scoring the only goal of the match in the 86th minute of play.

In a back and forth match, the Americans ended on the winning side, but to be honest, it could have been the other way around. Qatar displayed very good football, and even though they lost, the hosts of the upcoming World Cup showed a lot of potentials.

The Asian side constantly attacked in the first half, forcing Matt Turner to react superbly in two situations. Many believed that Qatar doesn’t have the needed quality to stand up to the American team, but in the opening 45 minutes, it looked the other way around. It were the Asians who pulled all the strings on the field of Q2 Stadium in Austin. Turner had a lot of work in this one, which is why head coach Berhalter spoke highly of him at the press.

“He stays calm, he makes the saves when it needs to make the saves. To me, the poise that he plays with is pretty good, considering he doesn’t have many caps, this is his, what, sixth cap?” US head coach stated.

Qatar had a chance to score from the penalty kick some 15 minutes into the second half. James Sands made a foul inside the box, and after consulting with the VAR system, the referee pointed towards the penalty spot.

Hassan Al-Haydos had a chance to finally beat Tuner and put his team in the driver’s seat, but instead, he would hit the ball wide above the bar, which later came back like a boomerang to his team.

Four minutes before the end, Zardes perfectly followed his teammate Nicholas Gioacchini and reacted fast when getting into the chance to execute. The Columbus Crew’s striker once again proved to be clinical when needed the most.

“All he wants is for the group to win. I think he came in and made a big impact, and that’s the type of guy he is. His work rate is always there. He always is dangerous for chances. And he showed it again today,” said Berhalter of Zardes.

This win provided the American team a chance to clinch the title, their seventh overall. Though, that won’t be easy at all because the opponent in the final is the toughest possible rival, Mexico.

Sombreros eliminated Canada, 2-1, with Hector Herrera’s goal in the 99th minute of the match. This was potentially the best game of the Gold Cup tournament in the past several editions.

Mexicans took the lead in the second minute of the first half’s injury time, as Oberlin Pineda scored from a penalty. Jesus Corona had an opportunity to add another penalty goal for Mexico, but he missed the shot in the 66th minute.

In the meantime, Tajon Buchanan equalized, displaying a superb individual effort. Previously, Canada attacked Mexico throughout the entire first half, missing several big-time chances. The reigning Gold Cup champions weren’t inferior, and they too tried to score and inflict some hits, having solid possibilities for netting as well.

John Herdman’s crew indicated that it would be a very serious contender for reaching next year’s World Cup. Canada has a young and very talented team that is yet to develop.

As for the USA and Mexico, their title clash is set for Sunday, August, in Las Vegas.