Cristian Roldan’s assist sends USMNT to Gold Cup semis
Roldan makes an impact off the bench, but it means he’ll miss at least another Sounders game.
Cristian Roldan delivered the assist that put the United States men’s national team into the Gold Cup semifinals. Roldan’s floated cross from the right wing was headed in by Matthew Hoppe in the 82nd minute, allowing the USMNT to beat Jamaica 1-0 on Sunday.
FINALLY
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 26, 2021
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Roldan came into the game in the 63rd minute, replacing Paul Arriola, and immediately injected some life into the proceedings. Roldan was essentially deployed as the right-sided forward in a 4-3-3 and was able to help the USMNT hold a bit more possession and sustain attacks.
One particularly illustrative play came a couple minutes before the goal when he chased down a ball that was heading out of bounds. That hustle may have also kept Hoppe on the field, as it looked like Gregg Berhalter was planning to take him out if there had been a stoppage in play.
Roldan ended up finishing with a game-high three chances created, which was a third of the USMNT’s total. He also completed 82% of his passes.
The USMNT will next play Qatar — the Asian Football Confederation champions are invited guests — in the semifinals on Thursday. The winner of that game will face the winner of Mexico-Canada in the final on the final on Sunday. Unlike previous editions of the Gold Cup, there is no third-place game.