'We needed this': Richards keys U.S. men as Gold Cup knockouts await

The U.S. men's national team is into the Gold Cup quarterfinals. 

In its second group stage match of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup, the USMNT beat Saudi Arabia with a 1-0 result on Thursday at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.

After a cagey first half, U.S. defender Chris Richards broke a scoreless deadlock with just under a half hour remaining to give the Americans their second consecutive victory at the tournament. 

"We needed it tonight," Richards told FOX Sports' Jenny Taft following the match. "It was a tough game against a tough opponent … sometimes you gotta get physical. Sometimes you gotta get nasty. I think that's exactly what we did."

Combined with the Group D tie between Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago earlier in the day, the three points were enough to ensure that the U.S. men will advance to the quarterfinals of the 16-team regional championship. 

Here are three quick thoughts on the match.

It didn't come as easily as the 5-0 throttling of T&T in Sunday's tourney opener, but the hosts got three points nonetheless. Coach Mauricio Pochettino went with the same startling lineup for the second consecutive match, and while the U.S. struggled to generate scoring chances – it took 44 minutes before Patrick Agyemang recorded the USMNT's first shot – their patience and commitment defensively warrants praise. 

Pochettino's side managed the last 30 minutes expertly. This team's confidence is clearly growing. Clinching advancement with a game to spare will give the Argentine manager the leeway to rotate a few players before the knockout phase begins. Tyler Adams (turf toe) and Johnny Cardoso (illness) didn't dress for the first game; both came off the bench in the second half and will surely play a bigger role later on.

During a