United States meets Saudi Arabia for first place in group | OneFootball

MIAMI – The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup continues with a battle for sole ownership of first place in Group D on Thursday at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.

This will be the first Gold Cup meeting between the teams, with Saudi Arabia playing its debut campaign as a tournament guest. The two nations have shared the pitch in seven previous encounters, five friendlies and two matches in the FIFA Confederations Cup, with the United States leading the all-time series 3-2-2.

The United States kicked off the tournament with 5-nil win against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday. Malik Tillman scored a brace to earn his first two goals with the senior national team. Diego Luna also shined with two assists.

The Stars and Stripes also got goals from their bench when Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright extended the lead in the second half.

Saudi Arabia became the fourth guest nation to win its Gold Cup debut with a 1-nil win over Haiti. Saleh Al-Shehri struck the lone goal of the encounter by converting from the penalty spot for The Green Falcons.

All-Time Series United States v. Saudi Arabia –

The United States and Saudi Arabia will meet for the first time ever in the Concacaf Gold Cup, although they share a modest history of seven previous encounters—five friendlies and two matches in the FIFA Confederations Cup. The all-time series slightly favors the U.S. with three wins, two draws, and two losses.

Their first meeting came in the semifinals of the 1992 King Fahd Cup (the precursor to the Confederations Cup) at King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia earned a 3-0 win thanks to goals from Fahad Al Bishi (48’), Youssef Al Tunian (74’), and Khalid Al Mullawhid (84’).

The U.S. responded a year later with a 2-0 friendly win in Riyadh on April 9, 1993, with late goals from Joe-Max Moore (79’) and Janusz Michallik (82’).

The Americans are unbeaten in their last three meetings with Saudi Arabia (2 wins, 1 draw). Their most recent win came in the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, where the U.S. defeated the Saudis 2-0 in the third-place match at Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara. Paul Bravo (28’) and Brian McBride (80’) found the net to seal the bronze medal.

Their most recent matchup came on September 27, 2022, in a friendly played in Murcia, Spain, which ended in a scoreless draw—the second 0-0 result in the series, the first being back in 1994.

All-Time Series (All Competitions):

- 7 matches

- 3 wins for the United States (9 goals)

- 2 wins for Saudi Arabia (8 goals)

- 2 draws