Going into the Gold Cup, we all knew what it meant for the U.S. men's national team. After winning the Nations League earlier this summer with a star-studded team, the USMNT's Gold Cup squad was built differently. The aim would be to win the trophy, obviously, but this summer was also about seeing which players on the fringes could step up.
With the gift of hindsight, we now know that the U.S. probably got a bit lucky back in 2021 when they won this competition with a similarly-depleted roster. They won't be winning it this time around as they were eliminated by Panama on Wednesday night, and deservedly so.
Two years ago, several players used that 2021 Gold Cup to springboard themselves into World Cup contention. This time around, some fringe members of the full squad did their chances no harm, even if this tournament didn't end with a trophy, and more USMNT chances will come for them.
On the flip side, though, not every player stepped up and, if they had, we'd be writing a preview for Sunday's Gold Cup finale rather than a tournament post-mortem like this. Indeed, there were many that left a lot to be desired, squandering their chance at making a statement heading into the true start of this new cycle.
GOAL takes a look at the winners and losers of the USMNT's Gold Cup run:
