FRISCO - A trio of FC Dallas players took home the gold as the U.S. Men’s National Team won the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup on Wednesday night.
Midfielder Kellyn Acosta started and defender Matt Hedges and goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez were available off the bench as the USMNT captured it’s sixth Gold Cup with a 2-1 win over Jamaica.
Acosta, in his first major tournament with the Senior Team, changed the course of the match in the 19th minute as he charged into the box after a Jozy Altidore rebound. Connecting with the ball, the midfielder’s follow through injured Jamaica and Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake, forcing an early substitution in goal. Acosta’s chance was denied just a foot off the goal line.
Acosta a foot away from his first #GoldCup2017 goal following up the Altidore rebound.. pic.twitter.com/dRQLWdtCVU
— Carter Baum (@CarterBaum) July 27, 2017
The U.S. took a 1-0 lead in the final minute of the opening half, as Acosta and Altidore both stood over a dangerous free kick from just outside the 18-yard box - a similar position from where the Dallas man scored his first USMNT goal in a friendly on July 1. The veteran Altidore took the set piece and placed a blistering shot in the top, left corner for the opener.
Former FC Dallas defender Je-Vaughn Watson leveled the match in the 50th minute, eluding forward Jordan Morris inside the box to connect on a header. The Sounders’ striker would more than make up for it in the 88th minute, when he sent home the game-winner off a deflection in the box to vault the U.S. to the title.
Acosta led all U.S. midfielders in the tournament with 361 minutes played, appearing in six of the seven American matches with four starts, including the Semifinal and Final. He notched his first Senior Team international goal during a full 90-minute performance in the tune-up friendly against Ghana on July 1.
Hedges - after making his first U.S. start in the tune-up match - started two matches in the Gold Cup, including the Quarterfinal meeting with El Salvador, playing 180 total minutes.
Gonzalez did not see any playing time after being called up prior to the knockout stage, which was expected during the Homegrown’s first U.S. inclusion after switching the nation he represents at the international level earlier this month.
All three FCD players will return to Frisco on Thursday and are expected to be available for Saturday’s match against Vancouver at Toyota Stadium.
