Gold Cup roundtable: Should the U.S. fear Canada or Mexico more?

Next up for the U.S. men's national team is a CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals clash against Costa Rica on Sunday (7 p.m. ET on FOX).

To recap their group stage. A 5-0 drubbing of Trinidad & Tobago, followed by 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia (an invited team to the tournament) and then an entertaining 2-1 victory over Haiti.

Those aren't the biggest brand-name wins, but that's okay. The way the U.S. entered the tournament amid drama of which players are here (and who isn't), any positive momentum for coach Mauricio Pochettino and his crew was welcome.

So, which players have made the most of it with the 2026 World Cup next summer? Can the U.S. finish this Gold Cup as winners?

Here's what stood out from the group stage of the Gold Cup and what's for this weekend's quarterfinals. 

Which USMNT player has made the best case for a World Cup spot?

McIntyre: Malik Tillman, without a doubt. Three years after almost making the 2022 World Cup roster as a 20-year-old, Tillman began 2025 as a coin flip for next summer. But with three goals in three games at this Gold Cup, he’s staking a claim for a starting spot at main event — even when regulars like Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah return. The silky attacker seems well-suited to occupy a central playmaking role between Pulisic and Weah — the job Gio Reyna has at times filled for the U.S. Tillman’s emergence this month is more bad news for Reyna, who didn’t play in either of Borussia Dortmund’s first two matches at the FIFA Club World Cup. But it’s great for Tillman and the USMNT. 

Malik Tillman has three goals in three games for the United States. (Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images)

Litman: Outside of Tillman, I would say Sebastian Berhalter has raised his profile. He was especially