Laken Litman
College Football & Soccer Analyst
ARLINGTON, Texas – Mauricio Pockettino smiled and shook his head incredibly. He has been asked many times about Maliktillman during this gold cup and has exhausted his way to say the same thing.
“It’s hard to define him because what kind of player is he, no?” Pockettino said.
Tillman scored the opening goal for the US men’s national team, which ultimately beat Haiti 2-1 to close the group stage at AT&T Stadium. The Americans had already scored spots in the knockout round after beating both Trinidad and Tobago and Saudi Arabia last week. But winning all three games gave the team nine points and put them at the top of Group D.
The US will recover for a week before facing Costa Rica in the quarterfinals on Sunday, June 29th at Minneapolis (7pm on FOX).
Having started in all three Gold Cup matches so far, Tillman scored the third goal of the tournament in the 10th minute, returning home a right-footed cross from Brenden Arson.
Mariktilman’s header leads Haiti 1-0 to usmnt
“One of the scout reports was that the back door was open,” Aaronson said. “We have quality for wingers and always dangerous for Jack. [McGlynn]Diego [Luna] And today with me, I just saw an overloaded backpost and thought, “Yeah, I’m going to come back there.”
Tillman was the most entertaining part of the match, using his finesse to consistently put himself in a threatening position. He could have had more goals if no other opportunities were recalled in the second half.
First, there was an unintended handball in the 64th minute.
A moment later, Tillman collected a backline pass from Tyler Adams and made a 360-degree turn, finishing just to dominate that goal offside.
And in the 74th minute, Tillman defeated the ball with exceptional control, but his shot grew to the left. Even if it was in, there could have been an offside debate.
A minute later, Patrick Agyemang scored the winner of the game, giving USMNT the final 2-1 scoreline. It was his fifth goal in nine games.
“To be honest, I’m frustrated,” Tillman clearly told reporters after the game. “I don’t know if you guys can see it, but I’m trying to keep it more inside me and not show it. But yeah, I’m frustrated. I’m still very disappointed.
It took Tilman to find confidence and enter the ditch on the international stage. He scored 16 goals in 34 appearances for PSV Eindhoven last season, but never found the back of USMNT’s net before the Gold Cup. The 23-year-old midfielder has scored three goals in three games.
Malik Tillman was not satisfied with his one goal in Sunday’s victory. (Photo: Shaun Clark/Getty Images)
“What a player is showing this camp his talent and ability,” said Pockettino, who recently described Tillman as one of the most talented players in the country. “Work ethic and how he is really offensive – he recovered a lot of balls.
“He’s always trying to help the team press, chase and play in another position. He can appear like No. 10 between the lines. He can be on the right or left side.
“What a talented player. I’m very pleased with him. I’m very pleased with him. He’s a lovely guy and he’s starting to find himself. The team is much better when he gets into the game.”
But now there is a high stake. Saudi Arabia and Haiti were solid opponents of the young American team that have only been played together for a few weeks, but Costa Rica raises a more stiff test. The potential combination of Mexico, Panama and Canada – the team will likely have to face to win the Gold Cup.
In these matches, the opportunity to miss Tillman’s opportunity could cost the US as well, and there was a mistake goalkeeper Matt Freeze made when his and Tim Ream misunderstandings were equal in Haiti in the 18th minute.
However, USMNT did what it takes to date by winning that group and reaching the Gold Cup quarterfinals when they spiral after an embarrassing pre-tournament loss.
“I think the steps we made are huge,” Aaronson said. “From the two great results of Turkiye and Switzerland, it’s difficult. You’re coming down to yourself and something like that.
“But what we see from this group is that bounceback mentality. You can come to the tournament and plague you. You can plague you negativity. But I think the biggest thing about this group is adjusting everything.
United States vs Haiticon Caff Gold Cup Highlights | Fox Football
Laken Litman covers Fox Sports’ college football, college basketball and soccer. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and Indianapolis Star. She is the author of Strong Like A Woman, published in Spring 2022 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her @lakenlitman.
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