If Diego Luna, Jack McGlynn, and Malik Tillman were the heroes against Trinidad & Tobago for the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT), against Saudi Arabia on Thursday night, it was Sebastian Berhalter, Matthew Freese, and match-winner Chris Richards.
The U.S. qualified for the knockout rounds of the 2025 Gold Cup at the Q2 stadium in Austin, TX, with a 1-0 win against invited guests Saudi Arabia. This win continued the USMNT’s streak of qualifying for the quarterfinals of every Gold Cup. The U.S. is also the only team to advance so far, joining Mexico and Costa Rica.
Richards, the Crystal Palace center-back, scored a half-volley winner from a Berhalter free kick in the 63rd minute. It was whipped into the space between the six and 18-yard boxes, where Richards slid in for his second international goal.
“We needed tonight,” Richards said. “It was a tough game, a tough opponent — props to them — but that’s CONCACAF for you. Sometimes you got to get physical, sometimes you got to get nasty, I think that’s exactly what we did tonight. We had a few problems in the first half building out, so at halftime we just needed to get the right people on the ball and that’s what we did.”
Luna started in the left No. 10 role behind Patrick Agyemang, with Tillman on the right and Jack McGlynn supporting from an almost wider, more advanced right wing-back role.
They troubled Saudi Arabia in the first half, but still struggled to play out from the back. The play was often forced through the middle, but Saudi head coach Hervé Renard had his midfield trio squeezing the space.
Agyemang also had a few chances on goal, but his timing was still off. It is promising for the 24-year-old striker, however, that he found himself in those positions. The Americans dominated possession, but did not do enough to trouble goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi with two shots, and the only one on target came in the 45th minute.
On the other side of the pitch, it was another clean sheet for Matthew Freese, who continues to impress in goal with confident and clean performances. Tim Ream and Richards seem to have cemented themselves as the starting duo as well, winning nearly everything in the air. Saudi Arabia didn’t offer much either besides a shot from Firas Al-Buraikan in the 20th minute, which was Freese’s only save of the game.
Richards was outstanding in the first half, completing 46 of 49 passes — the best completion percentage of anyone on the pitch. He rescued Alexander Freeman’s blushes from a mistake, making a block to deny an open shot.
U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino made two changes in the 62nd minute, introducing Damion Downs and Tyler Adams for McGlynn and Luca De La Torre. It proved to be inspiring, despite neither substitute being involved in the goal, as Richards scored shortly after from a free kick in the middle of the Saudi Arabian half. It was Berhalter’s first international assist of his career.
“It’s something I’ve been working on in training,” Berhalter said. “It’s something that was harped on, the coaching staff said this year I could be one of the best set-piece takers in MLS. I’ve been trying to put the work in, and it’s paying off.”
Adams was pushed to the pitch after the U.S. had won a free kick in their own half with two minutes left of regulation to play, and Berhalter immediately came to his captain’s defense, squaring up to Ziyad Aljohani. The U.S. held on for an added seven minutes of injury time to win.
“I think we dug deep, I think the guys that came on had a big impact too,” said Berhalter. “Seeing Tyler out there gives me energy, his tenacity and his fights, he’s fun to play with. Everyone coming in and closing the game, it’s what it’s about.”
The U.S. will face Haiti next on June 22 at 7:00 P.M. EDT at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX.
