NYCFC at the Gold Cup: The group round update | OneFootball

The CONCACAF Gold Cup group round is complete, and both New York City FC players who are in the tournament are moving on to the quarterfinals. Matt Freese and the USMNT finished at the top of Group D. Then, Alonso Martínez and Costa Rica ended in second in Group A.

Both players started all three games and performed well for their national teams. The Pigeons are fortunate to have two of their stars shining in the Gold Cup. Of course, they are missed, but NYCFC proved they can play and win without them.

Looking at NYCFC in the Gold Cup

When Freese was first called up to the USMNT for the friendlies before the Gold Cup, it was not guaranteed that the NYCFC goalkeeper would head to the tournament. When he was announced to be a part of the roster, the expectation was that Matt Turner would be the starter.

Instead, Freese started all of the games in the group round. He had two clean sheets: the 5-0 result against Trinidad and Tobago and the 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia. Despite giving up a goal after a mistake against Haiti in the 2-1 win, he was still vital to the team. He ended the evening with two saves. His awareness of when to catch the ball also helped the USMNT, for it limited Haiti's chances to attack.

When all is said and done, Freese made five saves across the three matches. Truthfully, the defensive work of the USMNT reduced the work he had to do. It will be interesting to see how he will perform in the quarterfinals.

As mentioned, Martínez has started every Gold Cup game so far for Costa Rica. The striker scored in the opener, which Costa Rica won 4-3 over Suriname. He did not score in the 2-1 win against the Dominican Republic or the 0-0 draw with Mexico.

However, his goal in the first match was very impressive. Not only did it open the scoring for Costa Rica, but his one-touch tap-in directed the ball right to the front bottom right corner, where it just rolled in.

Sadly, the draw with Mexico meant that Costa Rica finished second in their group based on goal differential. However, that means that the NYCFC players will have to face each other in the quarterfinals. Hence, one of them will head home after the next round.

Only Freese and the USMNT or Martínez and Costa Rica can continue their journey beyond the quarterfinals. While it will be nice to have one of them return home and someone will move on, it is still sad to know that one less NYCFC player has the opportunity to raise the Gold Cup trophy.