USA soccer team on path to Cup success after CONCACAF title win over Canada

The USA men's soccer team won another CONCACAF Nations Cup title after defeating the Canadians 2-0. The win marks the second consecutive Nations League title under Greg Berhalter, making them the only nation to claim the title twice.

The performance saw two first career goals for the USMNT. The first, 23-year-old center-back Chris Richards got on the end of and drove a low header past the keeper.

Richards proved his talent to the world during the final. His versatility makes him a great center-back, who rose out of FC Dallas to later shine in Germany with Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim. 

Crystal Palace recently signed the American defender for a whopping $13.5m transfer fee! He was expected to play during the 2022 Qatar World Cup, yet an injury kept him off the pitch. 

Folarin Balogun was the second and final goal scorer of the final against Canada. The young New Yorker found the net after a weighted ball from Gio Reyna, scoring in his second-ever appearance for the US team. 

Balogun, born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents but raised in the UK, switched nationality to play for the USA in May 2023.

Both assists came from young international Gio Reyna, who garnered controversy following an alleged attitude and work rate issues leading him to be benched in Qatar by head coach Greg Berhalter. Reyna, who plays for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, became the youngest player to score in the DFB-Pokal at the age of just 17.

The disagreement surrounding his being benched by Berhalter caused widespread speculation after Berhalters dismissal as national team coach after a relatively strong campaign in Qatar.

Following the 2022 World Cup, Berhalter’s contract expired, following an investigation regarding a 1991 incident where Berhalter got into a physical altercation with his then-girlfriend, now wife, Rosalind Berhalter. The investigation cleared the air, dropping all criminal charges, and Berhalter was allowed to rejoin the USMNT as head coach.

The US is currently second in total Gold Cup titles with seven, one behind Mexico who currently holds first with 8 titles. 

This iteration of the Gold Cup could feature the US-Mexico 'clasico', where Jaime Lozano's boys will try to settle scores following the 3-0 loss in the CONCACAF semifinal. 

During the CONCACAF semifinal, the US men's team would find themselves brawling with the Mexican team after sloppy slide tackles caused both benches to pour out onto the field. 

Cesar Montes of Mexico was shown a red card for a challenge from behind. The brawl left American Weston McKennie with his shirt torn and taunted Mexican fans by kissing the badge as the game was stopped for him to get a new jersey, an action which resulted in him receiving a red card of his own after VAR review.

While the US has had recent success against Mexico, unbeaten in their last six meetings and winning four, however, Mexicans hold firm to their 38 victories over the US team.

There are still many questions being asked with regard to the US head coaching position, however, both Berhalter and Reyna have expressed wanting to put the past behind them and focus on winning.

Berhalter stated that he now wants to “forgive and forget” to try to keep the US team on track, the 2023 Gold Cup will be another big challenge.