The United States got their Gold Cup title defence off to a flying begin with a 4-0 prevail upon Guyana in Saint Paul, Minnesota on Tuesday.
The United States opened the scoring in the 28th minute when Weston McKennie delivered a pass to Paul Arriola, who found the back of the net to fire up the group at Allianz Field.
Tyler Boyd made it 2-0 in the 51st minute, taking a long pass from Michael Bradley and rifling the ball home in spite of giving off an impression of being in an offside position.
The tournament isn’t utilizing Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology so the play was not checked on.
Boyd’s goal was the 1,000th scored by the U.S. Men’s National Team, who played their first match in August 1916.
Gyasi Zardes pushed the lead to 3-0 10 minutes into the second half when a deflected shot hit him hard in the face and cruised into the goal. The 27-year-old seemed shaken however kept playing.
Boyd struck again from distance in the 81st minute to finish the defeat.
“We knew we had to get started on the right foot and after breaking the ice, we were able to break them down,” Arriola said.
“The most important thing was to win with confidence and clarity and I think we did that today. It’s a great start for us but it’s just one game.”
The triumph, which came on the back of two defeats in friendlies against Jamaica and Venezuela, was the greatest yet for U.S. head mentor Gregg Berhalter, who was procured in December after the United States failed to make a year ago’s World Cup.
One worry for the team was left hamstring damage endured by 20-year-old midfielder McKennie late in the game.
The United States next face Trinidad and Tobago in Cleveland on Saturday.
It will be the first meeting between the two since Trinidad and Tobago’s triumph in October 2017 finished the United States’ qualification campaign for the World Cup in Russia.
In the other Group D game, Guyana will confront Panama, who vanquished Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 prior in the day.
The United States are searching for their seventh Gold Cup title while Guyana are making their first appearance at the competition, which is held every two years and crowns the continental victor of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.