The USMNT Showed a lot of Promise Against Guyana

In their first game of the group stage in the Gold Cup tournament, the US Men's National Team put on a great display of the talent they have compiled. With players coming from European leagues like the Premier League and the Bundesliga, along with homegrown ones found throughout the MLS and USL. It's fair to say the US team has started to figure themselves out as they came out swinging in the opening match against Guyana. There was a major gap in talent between the two nations: the US looked solid and composed, while Guyana looked lucky to be on the same pitch as the Star and Stripes. This match proved a lot about the US Men's team, especially after missing out on the World Cup. Instead of looking like chickens running around with their heads cut off, the American boys looked composed, professional, and everything you could ask of a national team.

The 4-0 rout of Guyana was a chance for less-known US players to showcase their skills. We had the chance to see players like Paul Arriola, Gyasi Zardes, and Tyler Boyd in full form, where they were not held back by the seniority of other US veterans like Jozy Altidore. Not to say that Altidore and more seasoned veterans on the squad are bad players, but clearly youth is paying dividends for the US. Boyd and Arriola were probably the two best players that night, as they lit up Allianz Field in St. Paul with their flashy goals and touch on the ball. For the first time in awhile, the pressure seemed to be off wonderkid Christian Pulisic. Pulisic had a quiet night. He didn't have any major contributions but you could tell his presence in the midfield was key to setting up Arriola and Boyd's goals.  Pulisic no longer needs to be "the guy" for the Star and Stripes. The new Chelsea signee has a lot to prove on the international stage but he is finally getting some help from his teammates, a problem that plagued the US when they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. They are playing like a team.

While the US might be one of the strongest teams in the Gold Cup, this tournament win shouldn't be shrugged off. Sure, Guyana lacks legitimate talent; most of their best players in the English 5th Division. Nevertheless, this was an important win to boost the US's confidence heading into the next match against Trinidad and Tobago, the same team that stopped the US from qualifying for the World Cup last year. To quote Drake, the boys will be out "looking for revenge." The American defense is still a little suspect, as they allowed Guyana some pretty decent chances that *luckily* the Caribbean team wasn't able to capitalize on.

Gregg Behrhalter's squad is going to have figure out their defensive gaps soon, especially if they are poised to go on a long run in the tournament. They will need to be able to keep more-skilled teams like Mexico at bay. Weston McKinnie and Michael Bradley will have to be able to play holding midfield, or at least one of them will need to stay back on attack, preferably Bradley. Zach Steffen was good against Guyana but he only had to make one save in the entire match. The Man City signee needs to stay focused to win the Gold Cup and his backline will need to provide some assistance.

I think the US has rebounded from the loss to Trinidad-Tobago quite well. The addition of Boyd and Arriola has helped with that, as well as McKinnie's play and Steffen's elite goaltending. But they have a long way to go before that Gold Cup can be there's.