After the USMNT took the first step in turning their summer around over the weekend, they can now secure a spot in the Gold Cup knockout stage as they meet Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
Mauricio Pochettino oversaw two friendly defeats against Turkey and Switzerland leading up to the start of the CONCACAF tournament, which brought fan morale to a new low, especially after the 4-0 demolition at the hands of the Swiss.
Yet a 5-0 victory over Trinidad & Tobago to begin the Gold Cup renewed hope that the USMNT could be on a positive track in their final competitive environment before next summer’s FIFA World Cup on home soil.
Now, three points against Saudi Arabia would put them into the Gold Cup knockout stage.
Saudi Arabia are ranked 58th in the world, finished well behind Japan and Australia in their World Cup qualifying group and are headed for a further playoff round.
MORE: Why are Saudi Arabia playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup?
USA vs. Saudi Arabia lineups, team news
Tyler Adams told The Sporting News he’s dealing with turf toe. After missing the second friendly and opening Gold Cup game, he has returned to USMNT training and should be available for this match, although US Soccer has taken a cautious approach with Adams in the past.
Matt Freese started the opener in goal after Matt Turner was poor in the friendly against Switzerland, and there’s no indication that Pochettino will switch goalkeepers now. In fact, there’s a high likelihood that the entire XI from the opening-round win will see the field again, unless the likes of Haji Wright or Johnny Cardoso are set to be rotated back in.
MORE: How USMNT players fared in embarrassing defeat to Switzerland | Player ratings from 2-1 defeat to Turkey
Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah were left off the USMNT roster at the players’ behest, having asked to rest for the summer. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Gio Reyna are all participating in the Club World Cup and have stayed with their clubs, while Josh Sargent, Joe Scally, and Tanner Tessmann were all passed over for “football reasons” as Pochettino described it.
Meanwhile, Antonee Robinson had knee surgery to solve a chronic issue that has plagued him for months, Folarin Balogun sustained an ankle injury, Ricardo Pepi continues to rehab from a long-term knee injury, Sergino Dest withdrew from the squad to protect his recent recovery from a torn ACL. Zack Steffen suffered a knee injury in pre-tournament camp.
USA starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Freese (GK) — Freeman, Richards, Ream, Arfsten — Berhalter, de la Torre — McGlynn, Tillman, Luna— Agyemang
Injured: Adams (toe, doubt), Pepi (knee), Steffen (knee), Dest (fitness/knee), A. Robinson (knee), Balogun (ankle)
Suspended: None
On a yellow card: None
Full USA squad
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady, Matt Freese, Matt Turner
Defenders: Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Nathan Harriel, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, John Tolkin, Walker Zimmerman
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson, Paxten Aaronson, Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Luca de la Torre, Diego Luna, Jack McGlynn, Quinn Sullivan, Malik Tillman
Forwards: Patrick Agyemang, Damion Downs, Brian White, Haji Wright.
MORE: A full breakdown of the USMNT roster for the 2025 Gold Cup
Saudi Arabia have not brought their best team to the Gold Cup, as their ranks have been reduced thanks to Al Hilal’s participation in the Club World Cup and the fact others have been granted a rest. Experienced veterans Mohammed Al-Owais, Sultan Al-Ghannam, Ali Al-Bulaihi, Yasser Al-Shahrani, Salem Al-Dawsari, Nasser Al-Dawsari, and Abdullah Al-Hamdan are all missing while on club duty.
Even so, every single player save four on the Saudi Arabia roster play domestically in the Saudi Pro League. The only exceptions are Faisal Al-Ghamdi and Marwan Al-Sahafi who both play for Belgian side Beerschot, Roma defender Saud Abdulhamid, and midfielder Muhannad Al-Saad who is with Ligue 2 side Dunkerque in France.
Only one other player on the roster besides central striker Saleh Al-Shehri, who scored in the win against Haiti, has more than two international goals to their name. That would be Firas Al-Buraikan who could potentially be rotated into the lineup for this match after coming off the bench in the opener.
Saudi Arabia predicted lineup (5-4-1, right to left): Alaqidi (GK) — Abdulhamid, Al-Amri, Kadesh, Al-Boushail — Al-Ghamdi, Al-Hassan, Al-Johani — Al-Sahafi, Al-Shehri, Al-Hammami
Injured: None
Suspended: None
On a yellow card: Madu
MORE: Christian Pulisic speaks following criticism of his USMNT absence this summer
Full Saudi Arabia squad
Goalkeepers: Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Ahmed Al-Kassar, Abdulrahman Al-Sanbi
Defenders: Saud Abdulhamid, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Nawaf Boushal, Hassan Kadesh, Abdullah Madu, Ali Majrashi, Salem Al-Najdi, Muhannad Al-Sanqeeti
Midfielders: Mukhtar Ali, Turki Abdulrahman Al-Aboud, Al-Ammar, Ali Al-Asmari, Faisal Al-Ghamdi, Hammam Al-Hammami, Ali Al-Hassan, Ziyad Al-Johani, Muhannad Al-Saad, Ayman Yahya
Forwards: Firas Al-Buraikan, Abdullah Al-Salem, Marwan Al-Sahafi, Saleh Al-Shehri.
USA vs. Saudi Arabia score prediction
Saudi Arabia are a much better side than many of the CONCACAF opponents the U.S. are used to facing in the early stages of the Gold Cup.
However, on home soil, the U.S. should manage to win this match, especially considering how Saudi Arabia were challenged quite hard by Haiti in their opener.
There’s a chance this match ends in a draw, which both sides will benefit from, but a win is on the table for the U.S. if they play well enough to snatch it.
Prediction: USA 2-1 Saudi Arabia
USA vs. Saudi Arabia live stream, TV channel
- Date: Thursday, June 19, 2025
- Time (ET): 9:15 p.m. ET / 6:15 p.m. PT
- TV channel (English): FS1
- Streaming (English): Fubo, Fox Sports app, ViX
- TV channel (Spanish): TUDN, UniMas
- Streaming (Spanish): Fubo, TUDN.com, Universo NOW
The entirety of the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup will be broadcast by Fox Sports, with this USMNT opener televised on FS1.
Some matches, including the USMNT’s opener against Trinidad & Tobago, will be televised on FOX network channel.
All games on Fox family of channels will be available to stream on Fubo, who are offering a free trial for new users.
