AUSTIN, Texas – The U.S. men’s national team defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 on Thursday night in Austin, with a sliding finish from Chris Richards via a Sebastian Berhalter free kick in the 63rd minute securing three points and a spot in the Gold Cup quarterfinals phase.
Here are three thoughts from Q2 Stadium.
The verticality problem
Leading into their second game of the group stage, Mauricio Pochettino had hinted at continuity with the U.S. lineup – and sure enough, he unveiled the same one that dismantled Trinidad and Tobago by five goals on Sunday. But the clash with Saudi Arabia in Austin was a different challenge thanks to the presence of a better, far more defensively disciplined opponent daring the USMNT to beat them with the ball.
The United States struggled to do just that in what was a very uneventful first half.
