Top Stories

QOTD: Who was your USMNT Gold Cup Player of the Tournament?

4 Shares

The U.S. men’s national team’s improbable run to the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup title was the product of an impressive team effort, but there were a select few top standouts who played the biggest roles in helping the American team finish undefeated and holding the trophy.

Miles Robinson, Matt Turner and Kellyn Acosta were all outstanding throughout the tournament, and took turns delivering Man of the Match performances throughout the competition.

Robinson’s dominant defending helped neutralize opposing attacks, and on the occasions when opponents could break through for chances, Matt Turner was there to stop them. In fact, Turner allowed just one goal — a penalty kick — in all six matches of the tournament.

Acosta had a slower start to the tournament due to him playing in a more advanced role in the opening matches, but once he was switched into a defensive midfield role, Acosta took his game to a new level.

Gold Cup organizers wound up giving the official Player of the Tournament award to Mexico’s Hector Herrera, and while Herrera is an excellent player who delivered some very important performances for El Tri, it is tough to justify him beating out any of the USMNT trio listed here for top tournament honors.

Here is the SBI Question of the Day. Which USMNT player was your pick for Gold Cup Player of the Tournament?

Cast your vote below, and let us know in the comments section why you voted the way you did.

[polldaddy poll=10892161]

Comments

  1. Robinson & Turner had the best overall tournament performances (most consistent), and should see more options come WCQ in September.
    Acosta was OK, but not great. He raised his stock as he back-up to Adams @ the CDM position, but I’m not sold on him long term. I’d have liked to have seen Sands tried at the CDM roll, but once Zimmerman went down injured it was clear we couldn’t try that experiment. Sands versatility makes him an interesting option for tournament play (CB, 3-Back system, CDM). Hopefully he’ll get more looks going forward.
    Hoppe, Moore, & Busio showed promise…but they’ll have stiff competition once everyone is available.
    Losers of the Tournament (IMHO) were Lewis, Roldan, & Arriola. I see them relegated to C/B competitions going forwards (games/camps on none FIFA Dates).

    Reply
      • Arriola is a strong two way player. Better finishing and he leaves no doubt about his status. As is, he is versatile, scrappy, and will find minutes during qualifying. He wasn’t just given the armband for the final!

      • Joe A – Agree I overlooked Yueill as someone who’s lost ground in the pecking order.
        Dikranovich – Arriola may have been given the armband for the final, but I think that had more to do with him being the most capped player in the squad than a vote of confidence considering he was Sub-Par all tournament. He’s also a player who has the most competition for a roster spot with Pulisic, Reyna, Musah, Weah, Aaronson, Hoppe & Morris (if he recovers in time) all being options at the wide attacker positions. I just don’t see Arriola making the cut when everyone is healthy.

  2. Does it matter? All three (Turner, Robinson, Acosta) were tourney MVPs, and win a spot on the WCQ roster next month for their hard work.

    Reply
  3. So many so good in this last game! What a performance! And the toughness and the ability under pressure…so impressive. I’m officially gonna stop dumping on MLS now, including my stripy-headed striker friend. They just keep getting better.

    Reply
  4. I think all three players are deserving of special recognition, and I’m so excited about Miles Robinson’s emergence as a legitimate centerback option —— he was amazing. But if I think of it terms of “If we did not have _____________, we would not have won the tournament,” I think it goes to Matt Turner.

    Reply

Leave a Comment