AUSTIN, Texas - Not every game is going to be an instant classic. You can't always win 5-0, can't always score a stunning goal that will live on forever in the memories of all who saw it. Sometimes tight games can be decided by just one moment of quality, and something that looks ugly suddenly reveals its beauty.
That was what happened Thursday between the U.S. men's national team and Saudi Arabia.
Nobody will file this one under classic, but the USMNT still managed to escape Austin's Q2 Stadium with a narrow, but deserved, 1-0 win, and with it, advance to the quarterfinals of the 2025 Gold Cup.
There were few real chances and even fewer moments of actual soccer, as both teams labored through what turned into an sluggish game. Saudi Arabia were just fine with that, totally content to pack the middle. That was their plan all along: frustrate, delay and turn this into a game of moments, not a track meet.
They were daring the USMNT to find a way to beat them.
After several rounds of beating their heads against the proverbial wall, the "somehow" finally came in the 63rd minute, when Chris Richards was able to score off a Sebastian Berhalter set piece, sliding the ball into the back of the net.
It was Richards' second career goal - and first in more than two years - and it felt like a big one as it sealed three points and guaranteed spot in the knockout rounds. Mexico and Costa Rica have also clinched quarterfinal spots.
“Man, I don't even know, I just saw I saw the ball coming in my way, and I figured I needed to get something on it,” Richards said on FOX after the game. “It was a great delivery and I just had to do what I had to do... It was a tough game, a tough opponent, props to them. But that’s CONCACAF for you - sometimes you've got to get physical, sometimes you've got to get nasty. I think that's exactly what we did tonight.”
The USMNT have now advanced past the group in all 18 editions of the tournament, and only once failed to reach the semifinals - in 2000 when they lost to Colombia in a penalty shootout. The U.S. have won the Gold Cup seven times - in 1991, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2021. Mexico has won the tournament nine times, including in 2023.
Richards was a deserved scorer, having been one of the standout players throughout due to his contributions on both ends of the field, throwing his body all over the pitch to keep the USMNT alive throughout.
"You know, there's not so many amazing moments, but sometimes you have to play games like that where you have to find that that one moment where we're going to break them down and be able to score a goal," Tyler Adams said. "And Chris obviously scored a great piece. Sebastian Berhalter, obviously, with an amazing set piece. So good at set pieces. And everyone was just out there competing for one another."
Sometimes, all it takes is a set-piece finish from a center-back, one of the foundational sequences of this sport. It isn't pretty, but it's enough, especially in a tournament setting. After losing four straight games entering this tournament, the USMNT have back-to-back Gold Cup wins, and - with one more group stage game Sunday night against Haiti - they'll leave Austin with their mission accomplished.
GOAL rates USMNT's players from Q2 Stadium.
