Zack Steffen, Wil Trapp, and Gyasi Zardes open the final preparation phase for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup with a 2017 Gold Cup Final rematch against Jamaica on Wednesday, June 5 in the Nation’s Capital.
Within just a few short hours following the match, Gregg Berhalter’s staff will have its last opportunity to evaluate the current 29-man roster before whittling it down to 23 ahead of the midnight deadline for the 2019 Gold Cup roster submission.
Regarding Wednesday’s match, the meeting marks the 26th all-time bout between the Stars and Stripes and the Reggae Boyz. The U.S. leads the all-time series 15-2-8, including a 12-1-3 record on U.S. soil, with the most recent match-up coming in the 2017 final when Jozy Altidore and Jordan Morris each scored to lift USA to a 2-1 victory.
Notably, Zardes was the only current member of Crew SC to be featured in the 2017 Gold Cup Final, and of the current 29-man provisional roster, Zardes holds the fourth-most caps with 44.
Trapp, who has earned 15 caps with the MNT, spoke on the culmination process of the group ahead of the Jamaica match.
“I think they’ve done an excellent job of identifying players that have already had a massive impact on the program as well as bringing guys that are just starting out, as well as those mid-tier guys,” Trapp said.
After falling to the Reggae Boyz, 2-1, in the 2015 Gold Cup semifinal and exacting revenge in 2017, Trapp emphasized the well-roundedness of the group with a focus on the mixture of youth and experience.
“The culmination of this whole group has been put together is a good way and in a smart way where it’s rounded out and complete in a lot of ways, so that gives us a lot of confidence. It provides youth and excitement, which you want in a team.”
The current roster features players tied to clubs in seven different countries: USA (14), England (5), Canada (3), Germany (3), Denmark (1), Mexico (1), Portugal (1), while six players – including Zardes – appeared in the USA’s 2-1 win in the 2017 Final: Jozy Altidore, Paul Arriola, Michael Bradley, Omar Gonzalez, and Jordan Morris.
Steffen, Trapp, and Zardes combine for 67 caps and will look to up that total to 70 come Wednesday night in the District, with kickoff from Audi Field set for 7 p.m. ET on FS1 and UniMas.
