The United States men’s national team kicked off the Concacaf Gold Cup on the right foot by defeating Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 but this is the time for them to show that this is the beginning of a new trend as they face Saudi Arabia Thursday. After losing four consecutive matches in all competitions in the lead-up to the tournament, Mauricio Pochettino has had to bring a youthful USMNT into his last competitive window before the 2026 World Cup, and strong performances in tournaments like this one will give players opportunities to ensure that they’re in his plans.
Diego Luna and Luca De La Torre were two of the players who improved their standing in the opening match — along with Malik Tillman, who should already be firmly in the World Cup squad — and more players will look to join them in that standing with a good performance against Saudi Arabia.
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An invited team to the Gold Cup, the Green Falcons were also able to start off the Gold Cup by defeating Haiti, meaning that the winner of this match will qualify directly for the knockout stage while also being in a great position to win the group.
USMNT starting lineup
USMNT XI: Matt Freese, Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, Luca de la Torre, Jack McGlynn, Malik Tillman, Diego Luna, Patrick Agyemang
Here are storylines, how you can watch the match, and more:
How to watch Saudi Arabia vs. USMNT, odds
- Date: Thursday, June 19 | Time: 9:15 p.m. ET
- Location: Q2 Stadium — Austin, Texas
- TV: FS1 | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Odds: Saudi Arabia +500; Draw +280; USMNT -185
Last meeting
The USMNT and Saudi Arabia haven’t met since a friendly in 2022 as a lead-up to the World Cup. The duo played to a 0-0 draw, which was a fair result considering their performances, but for the USMNT, the squad looks quite different for this clash. Matt Turner, Walker Zimmerman, Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie and Tillman are the only players who appeared in the match who are even on this squad, and there’s a chance that Tillman could be the only one to start this match. After his brace in the opening fixture for the USMNT, Tillman will be looking to add to that in this one.
Predicted lineups
USMNT: Matt Freese, Max Arfsten, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Alex Freeman, Tyler Adams, Luca De La Torre, Malik Tillman, Jack McGlynn, Diego Luna, Patrick Agyemang
Saudi Arabia: Nawaf Alaqidi, Nawaf Al-Boushail, Abdullah Madu, Abduelah Al Amri, Saud Abdulhamid, Ziyad Aljohani, Ali Al-Hassan, Faisel Al-Ghamdi, Hammam Al-Hammami, Saleh Al-Shehri, Marwan Al Sahafi
Player to watch
Max Arfsten, USMNT: In previous tournaments, the only trusted backup to Antonee Robinson has been Sergino Dest playing out of position at left back. Not only is that not possible during the Gold Cup with Dest not in the squad, but a new option may be emerging in the Columbus Crew man Max Arfsten. He’s had a bit of a run since Pochettino took over the USMNT, but with two assists versus Trinidad and Tobago, Arfsten was able to show what he can bring.
Storyline to watch
Win and advance: Games like this should be ones that a coach doesn’t have to motivate the team for. Good performances will put players in pole positions to make the World Cup squad, and they’ll also see the USMNT move into the knockout stage of the Gold Cup. Taking care of that early will allow for rotation when playing Haiti on the final day. That rotation will be needed to make sure Pochettino’s men are fresh for the knockouts when the opposition will get tougher.
Prediction
The USMNT will keep things moving in the right direction with another victory after going ahead in the first half. Saudi Arabia will have their chances but Freese will do enough in net to keep things in check during the clash. Pick: USMNT 2, Saudi Arabia 0
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