Sunnyvale native Diego Luna’s 2 assists lead USMNT over Trinidad & Tobago in CONCACAF Gold Cup opener
SAN JOSE — On a holiday where summer barbeques are prevalent, the United States men’s national soccer team was cooking with gas at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The Americans began their run in the regional tournament with a home matchup against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday afternoon at PayPal Park, and they put forth a performance on Father’s Day that would have made any parent proud.
The U.S. scored three times in the first half, including twice in the final five minutes, and Sunnyvale native Diego Luna assisted on both late first-half goals as the Americans eventually won 5-0.
In front of an announced crowd of 12,610 fans, the USMNT was thoroughly dominant. The Americans conceded two shots on goal and mustered 11 themselves.
“It was really important to cut a little bit of this negativity about the last few games,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “It’s really important now to start the competition with a good feeling.”
The U.S. possessed the ball 70% of the time under Pochettino, who was appointed in August, finding no issues getting the ball into the 18-yard box and converting once they got there despite the notable absences of many star players, including midfielder Christian Pulisic.
The Americans first got on the board with an easy one-two from Jack McGlynn to Malik Tillman in the 16th minute. Then local star Luna put his stamp firmly on the contest.
The San Jose Earthquakes academy graduate picked off a bad pass by Trinidad’s Alvin Jones and quickly advanced the ball into the box, finding Tillman for an easy tap-in during the 41st minute. Three minutes later, his shot in the box deflected off the feet of teammate Patrick Agyemang and into the back of the net, giving Luna his second assist and putting the U.S. up 3-0.
“It’s awesome to come here with the national team and have a great showing like this, a dominant showing to represent and get the win,” Luna said. “But of course, being in my hometown, it’s awesome to have family and everyone who has supported me be there to see it happen live.”
The outcome was essentially decided by halftime, but the U.S. added two late goals for good measure. The Americans further made mincemeat of Trinidad and Tobago’s defense in the 82nd and 84th minutes, as Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright slid into open space in the box and buried relatively uncontested shots to put the United States up by five.
The U.S. had struggled in recent games leading up to the Gold Cup, dropping consecutive matches to Panama, Canada, Türkiye and Switzerland, the last of which was an ugly 4-0 loss.
There’s still a ways to go before the real showcase event, the 2026 Men’s World Cup, which will be predominantly hosted in the United States. But Sunday was a positive result for a team that has endured withering criticism for its recent performance.
“The chemistry is building,” Luna said. “And I hope each game, each training we have, is getting better and better, to recognize our players, their strengths. We have good combinations and a good idea of when to give and go and what the other guy expects from you when he’s on the ball.”
The United States will return to action in the Gold Cup against Saudi Arabia at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, on Thursday at 6:15 p.m. With their win on Sunday, the Americans are the early co-leaders in Group D with three points.
Fellow Group D members Haiti and Saudi Arabia played their first match of the tournament late Sunday afternoon, with Saudi Arabia winning 1-0.