The United States Men’s National Team is set to begin its 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup journey. The opening match sees the USMNT face familiar regional opponent Trinidad & Tobago at PayPal Park in San Jose, California. This encounter holds significant weight for a U.S. squad navigating a challenging period marked by recent poor form and notable player absences, all while the 2026 World Cup on home soil looms just over a year away.
Facing Trinidad & Tobago in the Gold Cup group stage brings back recent memories, including a dominant 6-0 win in the 2023 edition. However, the Soca Warriors also split recent meetings with the USMNT in the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. This match is more than just a standard group game; it’s an opportunity for the USMNT to reset and build momentum amidst mounting pressure.
Match Details
What: USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago, CONCACAF Gold Cup Group Stage
When: Sunday, June 15, 2025
Kick-off Time: 6:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) / 3:00 PM Pacific Time (PT)
Venue: PayPal Park, San Jose, California
How to Watch: TV Channels & Live Stream Options
Fans in the United States have multiple options to tune into the Gold Cup opener:
Television:
English: Fox
Spanish: Univision, TUDN
Live Streaming:
English: Fox Sports
Spanish: Vix Premium, Univision Now
Other Streaming Services (may offer free trials): FuboTV, DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV
USMNT Enters Under Intense Scrutiny
The current atmosphere around the USMNT has been described as “borderline toxic” by some, following a worrying dip in form. The team arrives at the Gold Cup opener on a four-game losing streak, their longest since 2007. This run includes a particularly “embarrassing” 4-0 defeat against Switzerland just a week prior, a match that highlighted a concerning lack of “entry-level basics” like intensity and effort.
New head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who took the helm last fall, is already facing familiar challenges that plagued his predecessor. The pressure is high for him to quickly instill his tactical concepts and secure results, starting with a necessary win against Trinidad & Tobago.
Significant Absences Impact Roster
Compounding the team’s struggles is a squad significantly depleted of many regular starters and key players. Several prominent names are unavailable for the Gold Cup:
Rest: Star forward Christian Pulisic and midfielder Yunus Musah are reportedly being rested after demanding club seasons. Pulisic’s decision to skip the tournament has drawn criticism from some former USMNT players.
Club World Cup Commitments: Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Gio Reyna are with their clubs participating in the overlapping FIFA Club World Cup.
Injuries: A host of players are sidelined, including Antonee Robinson (knee surgery), Folarin Balogun (ankle), Ricardo Pepi (long-term knee rehab), Sergiño Dest (protecting ACL recovery), and Zack Steffen (knee injury sustained in camp).
Coach’s Decision: Josh Sargent, Joe Scally, and Tanner Tessmann were notably omitted from the squad by Pochettino for “football reasons.”
Midfielder Tyler Adams recently addressed the team’s situation, acknowledging the “noise” from external criticism but emphasizing the team is focusing internally and believes they are on the right path, needing time for Pochettino’s system to take effect. Adams himself suffered a “turf toe-type injury” in camp but stated he was aiming to be ready for the opener, although some reports predict he might still miss the match.
Predicted USMNT Lineup
Given the extensive list of unavailable players, Coach Pochettino is expected to field a lineup that resembles the side that competed against Türkiye rather than the heavily rotated group that lost to Switzerland. Here is a look at a predicted starting eleven, likely in a 4-2-3-1 formation:
Goalkeeper: Matt Freese (Predicted to start over Matt Turner after the Switzerland result)
Right Back: Alex Freeman (An opportunity with Dest unavailable)
Center Back: Chris Richards (Expected to translate club form)
Center Back: Mark McKenzie (Needs a bounce-back performance)
Left Back: Max Arfsten (Playing in a defensive role, despite being a natural wing-back)
Defensive Midfield: Johnny Cardoso & Luca de la Torre (Cardoso looking to find form under Pochettino)
Right Wing: Jack McGlynn (Scored the team’s only recent goal)
Attacking Midfield: Malik Tillman (A bright spot with strong recent form for PSV)
Left Wing: Diego Luna (Looked creative in previous matches)
- Striker: Brian White (In strong MLS form, looking for impact in potentially his 5th cap)
- www.starsandstripesfc.com
- www.si.com
- www.usatoday.com
- www.syracuse.com
- www.sportingnews.com
This lineup features a mix of experienced players and those needing to step up in the absence of key personnel, putting immediate pressure on individuals to perform.
Scouting Trinidad & Tobago
Ranked 100th in the FIFA rankings, Trinidad & Tobago sees this Gold Cup as a crucial part of their own World Cup qualification ambitions. While their Gold Cup history has been modest (one semifinal 25 years ago), they are hoping for a strong showing under head coach Dwight Yorke. Key attacking players like Levi Garcia and Dante Sealy could pose a threat. T&T may look to defend deep and exploit counter-attacking opportunities.
While the memories of the infamous 2018 World Cup qualifying disaster in Couva, where T&T defeated the US and prevented their qualification, linger, the current Soca Warriors squad is seen as less internationally experienced than that famous side.
The Stakes
For the USMNT, this is more than just the first game; it’s a chance to arrest a worrying slide, quiet external criticism, and demonstrate that even with a changed roster, the core principles and fight are present. A comfortable win against Trinidad & Tobago is widely seen as essential to restore confidence and set a positive tone for the rest of the tournament and the critical two years leading up to the 2026 World Cup. The pressure is on to deliver.
