Job done on the group stages, then. For all of the bad vibes around the USMNT heading into the Gold Cup, the results so far look good. Three games, three wins, and some decent contributions from all over the pitch. A world-class team this is not, but things have gone well in terms of the most important thing: wins.
The performances, though, have been a bit mixed. More conviction against the likes of Haiti and Saudi Arabia would have been nice. And it's hard to take loads from a 5-0 battering of a truly awful Trinidad side.
But the quarterfinals are here, and the U.S. certainly have a chance. Costa Rica is not a pushover, but it's a reasonably favorable matchup. And with Mexico and Canada both suddenly struggling, the pieces are falling into place for Mauricio Pochettino's side.
Without that Christian Pulisic guy in the mix, someone is going to have to step up in the final-third. Will it be Malik Tillman again? Can Diego Luna catch fire? Can Tyler Adams and Chris Richards keep delivering? And will some off field noise - pretty much half of this team is linked with a transfer to some European club or another - impact performances going forward?
GOAL US writers debate all of that and more in a Gold Cup edition of... The Rondo.
