The United States made light work of Trinidad & Tobago on Sunday as they hit six goals past them to book a spot in the quarter-final of the ongoing 2023 Gold Cup.
The deluge of goals was required to see the USMNT secure a place atop the Group A standings, and get a fair fixture in the next round.
Jesus Ferreira became the first USMNT player in history to score back-to-back hat-tricks, backing up his new nickname of “Pirate of the Caribbean” by snagging three goals before the break.
Cade Cowell and Gianluca Busio both added the first goal of their international careers, Brandon Vazquez scored again in this Gold Cup, and Matt Turner made a pair of good saves to secure the clean sheet.
With Jamaica blasting St. Kitts & Nevis 5-0, the U.S. needed to protect their goal differential advantage, and they did just that, finishing level with the Reggae Boyz on points but winning the group with a +12 differential to Jamaica’s +8.
The United States will now advance to the knockout round where they will face the runner-up of Group D, which currently features Guatemala and Guadeloupe in the top two spots, with Canada in the hunt.
The fixture is slated for July 9 in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a potential semifinal game in Las Vegas on July 12.