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Bryan Reynolds Estados Unidos Copa Oro 2023@USMNT

Big bad Bryan Reynolds makes his mark! USMNT winners and losers as forgotten full-back shines while Jesus Ferreira and Djordje Mihailovic pile on the goals in Gold Cup thrashing

Fans of the United States men's national team have seen enough of these games to know how to handle them. It's one of the things that happens in CONCACAF: legitimate World Cup teams face legitimate minnows, and it all ends up as a laugher.

That's what we got on Wednesday night in the Gold Cup: a laugher. The U.S. had zero problems with St. Kitts and Nevis, a team playing in their first-ever Gold Cup. After falling 3-0 to Trinidad & Tobago in their opener, the USMNT doubled their misery in a 6-0 win thanks to three goals from Jesus Ferreira, two from Djordje Mihailovic and one more from Bryan Reynolds.

What can we learn from a game like that? Not much. This just isn't a quality of opponent that can teach the U.S. anything. There are no tactical tweaks to take away, no real life-altering performances that will change the trajectory of national team careers. This was, at best, a confidence-building exercise and, at worst, a chance to stat pad.

And pad the U.S. did, but they also did some of the former: confidence building. Several players on the fringes had big games that may not count much to some, but will count plenty to them as this tournament goes on.

With that said, here's a look at the winners, and losers, from the USMNT's win:

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