Daryl Dike scored a brace and helped cause an own goal, helping power the US men's national team to an emphatic 6-1 victory over Martinique in the Concacaf Gold Cup Group B matchup between the sides at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City on Thursday that advances Gregg Berhalter's group on to the Quarterfinals of the tournament.
Miles Robinson, Gyasi Zardes and Nicholas Gioacchini scored the other goals to pace the US, while Martinique got their lone tally of the match on a 64th-minute penalty kick that was won by Kevin Fortune and converted by Emmanuel Rivière. The US remain in second place in Group B behind Canada with the result, as the Yanks drew even on goal differential, but remain behind by one on the total goals tiebreaker.
Dike got the US on top early with the opener in the 14th minute. The Orlando City SC man leapt up to meet a pinpoint cross from Matthew Hoppe and cashed home a clinical close-range header to put the US up 1-0.
The duo of Dike and Hoppe was involved again as the US then doubled that advantage in the 23rd minute. The sequence began with a shot that Sporting Kansas City homegrown Gianluca Busio smashed off the crossbar after a slick backheel feed from Hoppe. Dike then chested down the rebound into the path of a charging Martinique defender Samuel Camille, who deflected it in for an own goal.
Robinson kept the party rolling shortly after second-half kickoff with his second international goal. Portland Timbers midfielder Eryk Williamson played the role of provider, running down a corner kick that trickled all the way through the box and sending in a cross that the Atlanta United center back cashed home with a thundering header. Dike then found his brace in the 59th minute, collecting a feed from Seattle Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan and capping off a powerful run with a gorgeous chipped finish.
Martinique got on the scoresheet five minutes after that, when Fortune won a penalty kick after drawing a foul in the US area on Kellyn Acosta, giving Rivière a spot kick that he converted past Matt Turner. The US would pull that goal back in short order, though, as Zardes found a fifth just after entering for Dike as a second-half substitute. The Columbus Crew striker got loose on the break after getting sprung by a through ball from Roldan and laced home the finish from a difficult angle, before Gioacchini's 90th-minute finish off a cross from Busio rounded out the scoring.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: It was a dominant effort by a new-look line-up from Berhalter coming off the Yanks' 1-0 victory over Haiti in their Group Stage opener, sending the US through to the Quarterfinals with a match to spare. It sets up a high-stakes showdown with Canada on Sunday that will determine the Group B winner, with the US needing a victorious effort in that match to take over first place after they couldn't quite find a final goal that would have meant they would have only needed to draw. Still, ahead of their toughest match of the tournament, this performance gives the US some positive momentum.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Dike's second goal was a perfect illustration of all the attributes that make him so dangerous: The elite power and athleticism and the technical ability to chip home this finish.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: This one was all about Dike, one of the players US fans were most anticipating watching going into the tournament. There's good reason for all the hype around the dynamic young forward, which he showed throughout his time on the field in this contest.
Next Up
- USA: Sunday, July 18 vs. Canada | 5 pm | FOX
- MTQ: Sunday, July 18 vs. Haiti | 5 pm | FS2
