Soccer <\/p>\n
It\u2019s a journey of nearly 8,000 miles (more than 12,000 kilometers) from Austin to Riyadh, roughly a third of the way around the Earth\u2019s circumference.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Yet on Thursday night in central Texas, Saudi Arabia showed the US men\u2019s national team<\/a> they\u2019re quite familiar with the verb form of Concacaf, despite being newcomers to the Gold Cup<\/a>, invited guests from the Asian confederation for the tournament\u2019s 2025 and 2027 editions.<\/p>\n The Arabian Falcons stifled, baited and overall frustrated the Yanks on a muggy, tetchy evening at Q2 Stadium, forcing Mauricio Pochettino and his team to adapt on the fly as they sought to break down their crafty, organized visitors, whose sturdy 4-3-3 shape limited the USMNT to just 0.70 expected goals despite more than 67% possession and some 469 passes completed.<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s festive 5-0 destruction<\/a> of Trinidad & Tobago, this was not.<\/p>\n \u201cTo move forward,\u201d said the Argentine coach in Spanish postgame, \u201csometimes you have to suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Indeed, the USMNT did exactly that and walked away vindicated, notching another clean sheet in a 1-0 win<\/a> that booked their place in the Gold Cup knockout stages with a game to spare.<\/p>\n The defining moment arrived via a set piece, Sebastian Berhalter<\/a> curling in a scrumptious delivery for FC Dallas<\/a> product Chris Richards to stab home the game\u2019s only goal in the 63rd minute and set up a much less nervy Group D finale vs. Haiti on Sunday (7 pm ET | FOX, TUDN, ViX).<\/p>\n \u201cWe needed tonight,\u201d Richards told FOX reporter Jenny Taft postgame.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a tough game against a tough opponent, props to them. But that\u2019s Concacaf for you; sometimes you\u2019ve got to get physical. Sometimes you\u2019ve got to get nasty. I think that’s exactly what we did tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n 15 – The #USMNT<\/a> has won its first two group-stage matches for the 15th time in 18 all-time Concacaf Gold Cups. Atop. pic.twitter.com\/NNuJJEpZn0<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 OptaJack\u26bd\ufe0f (@OptaJack) June 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n It was a vital strike, forged over long hours on the training grounds of both the USMNT and Vancouver Whitecaps FC<\/a>, as Berhalter revealed to Taft.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019ve been working on, with Vancouver in training, and something I\u2019ve harped on,\u201d explained the central midfielder, son of former US boss Gregg Berhalter. \u201cThe coaching staff said this year I could be one of the best set-piece takers in MLS, and that’s something I’ve been trying to put the work in, and it’s paying off.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we dug deep,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n This was just the third international cap of Berhalter\u2019s career. You\u2019d hardly have known by watching him, as he totaled 72 touches, 48\/54 passes completed (89%) and six defensive actions in addition to his game-winning assist.<\/p>\n “I am so happy with him. He’s a player with amazing quality,” said Pochettino, \u201cand then he’s very competitive \u2013 he\u2019s so competitive. I really like the way that he’s always involved. He’s fighting with the opponent, he\u2019s trying to be a little bit naughty with some actions. That means he\u2019s really competitive and wants to win.<\/p>\n “Yes, I am so happy because I think we were following him, and now we decide to bring and I think, yes, happy because he’s performing and helping the team to grow. That is so, so important.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n The goal was Richards\u2019 second game-defining play. The other: the Crystal Palace center back\u2019s long, hard recovery run capped by a perfectly-timed block of Abdulrahman Al-Oboud’s goal-bound shot after the Saudi striker broke into acres of space behind Orlando City<\/a> right back Alex Freeman<\/a> on a transition moment half an hour in.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n ALL-OUT EFFORT FROM CHRIS RICHARDS! ????pic.twitter.com\/WJoyN9HGB3<\/a><\/p>\nFinding a way<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Berhalter’s breakout<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Game-changing effort<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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