USMNT Sleepwalks Past Curaçao in Gold Cup Quasi-Action

Christian Pulisic is well on his way to being world class.

Wearing the captain's armband, dude stepped up to ensure the USA Men's team are still on track to shuffle through the Gold Cup bracket by eliminating baseball-happy Curaçao in the quarters, 1-0.

His perfectly-placed cross to the noggin of Schalke 04's Weston McKennie and a dynamic save by 'keeper Zack Steffen put America through to a semifinal match against Jamaica.

That makes three Yanks who showed up for this one.

 

Granted, the Americans and Mexicans are prisoners of geography, consigned to playing the Gold Cup because Concacaf has to have something to do between World Cups now that scandals are off-limits.

And Mexico had its own issues getting to the semifinals, surviving on penalty kicks to eliminate Costa Rica.

It's surely tough to get up for these matches where there's more to lose than gain, but damn, if the USA's building to ensure it won't get left outta any World Cups again, they've got to show more urgency than this:

 

Pulisic was everywhere.

If he'd have gotten better service from Paul Arriola in the fourth minute, perhaps the expected rout would've ensued. It's an example of the fine detail America's gotta clean up.

 

What's truly unbelievable is the chaos that still exists within the USA Soccer leadership.

That staid and unsettling atmosphere was largely responsible for America wetting the bed in Trinidad & Tobago. One woulda thought the honchos woulda learned from it by now.

 

Indeed.

And time doesn't wait for those who keep making the same mistakes.