BY THE NUMBERS: USMNT Milestones Following the 2023 Gold Cup Group Stage
Ferreira Ascending Multiple Goal Scoring Charts; Turner Fastest USMNT Goalkeeper to 20 Shutouts
The U.S. Men’s National Team is now advanced to the Gold Cup knockout round for each of the 17 editions of the tournament. The USA moved on to the quarterfinal through some strong team performances, as well as a few standout individual efforts during the group stage.
Here are the milestone markers heading into Sunday’s quarterfinal.
JESÚS FERREIRA IS SCORCHING HOT
The standout performer for the USMNT during the group phase was 22-year-old forward Jesús Ferreira, who became the first player in team history to collect hat tricks in consecutive matches when he tallied three goals each against St. Kitts and Nevis on June 28 and Trinidad and Tobago on July 2.
Combined with his four-goal output against Grenada in Nations League play last June, Ferreira now has three career hat tricks, tying him with Landon Donovan for the most in team history. Additionally, the Colombian-born, Dallas-raised striker already has four career multi-goal games, tying him for fourth all-time among USMNT players in that category.
| USMNT Career Hat Tricks | USMNT Multi-Goal Games | ||
| Player | Hat Tricks / GP | Player | Multi-Goal Games / GP |
| Jesús Ferreira | 3 / 21 | Landon Donovan | 9 / 157 |
| Landon Donovan | 3 / 157 | Jozy Altidore | 7 / 115 |
| Peter Millar | 2 / 13 | Clint Dempsey | 6 / 141 |
| Jozy Altidore | 2 / 115 |
Christian Pulisic Joe Max Moore |
5 / 60 5 / 100 |
| Clint Dempsey | 2 / 141 |
Jesús Ferreira Brian McBride Eric Wynalda DaMarcus Beasley |
4 / 21 4 / 95 4 / 106 4 / 126 |
| 11 tied with 1 hat trick | 3 tied with 3 multi-goal games | ||
Ferreira’s six goals are the most by a U.S. player during a single Gold Cup group stage and also leaves him with quite a cushion in the tournament’s Golden Boot race, four ahead of the contingent of seven players with two goals through Sunday’s matches.
He’s also taken a big step up the USMNT’s all-time Gold Cup goal scoring list, already tied for fifth all-time in the competition and for third all-time in goals during the group stage.
| USMNT Gold Cup Goal Scoring Leaders | USMNT Gold Cup Group Stage Goal Scorers | ||
| Player | Goals / GP | Player | Goals / GP |
| Landon Donovan | 18 / 34 | Eric Wynalda | 8 / 12 |
| Clint Dempsey | 13 / 24 | Landon Donovan | 7 / 16 |
| Eric Wynalda | 9 / 21 | Jesús Ferreira | 6 / 3 |
| Brian McBride | 8 / 14 | Clint Dempsey | 6 / 10 |
| Jesús Ferreira | 6 / 3 | Chris Wondolowski | 5 / 8 |
| Gyasi Zardes | 6 / 22 | Brian McBride | 4 / 6 |
| DaMarcus Beasley | 6 / 23 | DaMarcus Beasley | 4 / 9 |
| Chris Wondolowski | 5 / 11 | Gyasi Zardes | 4 /11 |
| Jozy Altidore | 5 / 13 | 2 tied with 3 group stage goals | |
Eleven of Ferreira’s 14 international goals have come in official competition, placing him 11th among the team’s goal scoring leaders in competitive matches and just one back of Michael Bradley who sits 10th with 12 goals.
While the chance to claim his first trophy in international competition should keep him hungriest, Ferreira, who has seven goals over five matches in 2023, is also on pace to set a new team record for most goals in a calendar year.
| USMNT Most Goals in a Calendar Year | ||
| Player | Goals / GP | Year |
| Peter Millar | 9 / 9 | 1968 |
| Clint Dempsey | 9 / 10 | 2015 |
| Landon Donovan | 9 / 12 | 2007 |
| Eric Wynalda | 9 / 13 | 1996 |
| Landon Donovan | 8 / 10 | 2013 |
| Jozy Altidore | 8 / 14 | 2013 |
| Frank Klopas | 8 / 15 | 1994 |
| Bruce Murray | 8 / 20 | 1990 |
| Joe-Max Moore | 8 / 23 | 1993 |
MATT TURNER FASTEST TO 20 SHUTOUTS, 20 WINS
With his appearance on Sunday against Trinidad, Matt Turner became just the seventh USMNT goalkeeper to earn 30 caps and hit two big milestones in the process. Turner made three saves to keep his 20th clean sheet and also claim his 20th win for the USMNT, becoming the fastest goalkeeper to 20 in both categories.
Despite not making his USMNT debut until age 26, Turner (29 years, 8 days) is still the second youngest USMNT goalkeeper to reach 20 clean sheets, coming in behind only Tony Meola who did it at 24 years, 146 days back in 1993.
Turner’s 20th clean sheet also ties him with Brad Guzan for sixth on the USMNT’s all-time shutout list. It was Turner’s sixth shutout in the Gold Cup, tying him for third among USMNT goalkeepers in the confederation championship.
| USMNT Overall Shutout Leaders | USMNT Gold Cup Shutout Leaders | ||
| Goalkeeper | SO / GP | Goalkeeper | SO / GP |
| Kasey Keller | 47 / 102 | Kasey Keller | 14 / 23 |
| Tim Howard | 42 / 121 | Tim Howard | 8 / 13 |
| Tony Meola | 32 / 100 | Matt Turner | 6 / 8 |
| Brad Friedel | 24 / 82 | Tony Meola | 6 /10 |
| Matt Turner | 20 / 30 | 4 tied with 3 Gold Cup shutouts | |
| Brad Guzan | 20 / 64 | ||
In total, Turner has conceded just two goals in eight career Gold Cup matches, leaving him with a USMNT-best 0.24 goals against average among goalkeepers with a minimum of five appearances in the competition. Overall, Turner leads all USMNT goalkeepers with the lowest goals against average among those who have made at least 15 appearances.
|
USMNT Overall Lowest Goals Against Average (minimum 15 GP) |
USMNT Gold Cup Lowest Goals Against Average (minimum 5 games played) |
||
| Goalkeeper | GAA / GP | Goalkeeper | GAA / GP |
| Matt Turner | 0.46 / 30 | Matt Turner | 0.24 / 8 |
| Nick Rimando | 0.78 / 22 | Zack Steffen | 0.40 / 5 |
| Kasey Keller | 0.85 / 102 | Kasey Keller | 0.50 / 23 |
| Zack Steffen | 1.00 / 29 | Brad Friedel | 0.56 / 5 |
| Tim Howard | 1.05 / 121 | Tim Howard | 0.69 / 13 |
SIGNIFICANCE OF CADE COWELL’S GOAL & ASSIST VS. TRINIDAD
Just a month after leading the USA with three goals at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina, forward Cade Cowell registered his first international goal and assist for the senior USMNT in Sunday’s win.
Coming off the bench in the 61st minute, it took the 19-year-old just four minutes to find the back of the net and take the score to 4-0. Cowell then set up Brandon Vazquez’s goal in second-half stoppage time to become just the fifth teenager to register a goal and assist in a USMNT match.
| Teenage USMNT Players With a Goal and Assist in One Match | |||
| Player | Age | G+A | Result (Date) |
| Christian Pulisic | 17 years, 359 days | 2G + 1A |
6-0 W vs. St. Vincent and the Grenadines* (Sept. 2, 2016) |
| Christian Pulisic | 18 years, 187 days | 1G + 2A | 6-0 W vs. Honduras* (March 24, 2017) |
| Gio Reyna | 18 years, 202 days | 1G + 1A | 3-2 W vs. Mexico# (June 3, 2021) |
| Landon Donovan | 18 years, 209 days | 1G + 1A | 2-0 W vs. Mexico (Oct. 25, 2000) |
| Ricardo Pepi | 18 years, 242 days | 1G + 2A | 4-1 W at Honduras* (Sept. 8, 2021) |
| Christian Pulisic | 19 years, 18 days | 1G + 1A | 4-0 W vs. Panama* (Oct. 6, 2017) |
| Cade Cowell | 19 years, 261 days | 1G + 1A | 6-0 W vs. Trinidad and Tobago^ (July 2, 2023) |
| *-World Cup qualifier, #-Concacaf Nations League, ^-Concacaf Gold Cup | |||
Cowell is also the latest of 26 teenagers to score a goal for the USMNT and 14th teen to find the back of the net in official competition.
BUSIO SCORES IN HIS HOME STATE
Midfielder Gianluca Busio also bagged his first international goal, tallying the fifth of the night in the 79th minute. Hailing from Greensboro, N.C., about 90 minutes from Charlotte, Busio became the 14th USMNT player to record his first goal in his birth state.
The 21-year-old is also just the third player not born in California to score in his birth state or district.
| USMNT First Goals in Birth State | |||
| Player | Birthplace | Game Venue | Result (Date) |
| James Murphy | St. Louis, MO | St. Louis, MO | 2-3 L vs. Canada* (July 6, 1957) |
| Jeff Hooker | Walnut, CA | Los Angeles, CA | 3-1 W vs. El Salvador (Oct. 9, 1984) |
| Paul Caligiuri | Westminster, CA | Torrance, CA | 1-0 W vs. Trinidad* (May 19, 1985) |
| Roy Lassiter | Washington, D.C. | Washington, D.C. | 4-3 W vs. Saudi Arabia (Oct. 8, 1995) |
| Landon Donovan | Ontario, CA | Los Angeles, CA | 2-0 W vs. Mexico (Oct. 25, 2000) |
| Chad Marshall | Riverside, CA | Fullerton, CA | 3-0 W vs. Colombia (March 9, 2005) |
| Jonathan Bornstein | Torrance, CA | Carson, CA | 3-1 W vs. Denmark (Jan. 20, 2007) |
| Sacha Kljestan | Huntington Beach, CA | Carson, CA | 3-2 W vs. Sweden (Jan. 24, 2009) |
| Chris Wondolowski | Danville, CA | San Diego, CA | 6-0 W vs. Guatemala (July 5, 2013) |
| Steve Birnbaum | Newport, CA | Carson, CA | 3-2 W vs. Iceland (Jan. 31, 2016) |
| Sebastian Lletget | San Francisco, CA | San Jose, CA | 6-0 W vs. Honduras* (March 24, 2017) |
| Uly Llanez | Lynwood, CA | Carson, CA | 1-0 W vs. Costa Rica (Feb. 1, 2020) |
| Brandon Vazquez | Chula Vista, CA | Los Angeles, CA | 1-2 L vs. Serbia (Jan. 25, 2023) |
| Gianluca Busio | Greensboro, NC | Charlotte, NC | 6-0 W vs. Trinidad^ (July 2, 2023) |
| *-World Cup qualifier, ^-Concacaf Gold Cup | |||
TEAM MILESTONES THROUGH THE GOLD CUP GROUP STAGE
The wins against St. Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago mark the first time the USMNT has recorded consecutive wins by six goals or more in official competition.
Meanwhile, the 13 goals in the group stage set a new team record, besting the 11 goals that were scored during the first round in both 2013 and 2019.
| Most Goals in Gold Cup Group Stage | ||
| Edition | Goals | Different Goal Scorers |
| 2023 | 13 | 6 - Ferreira (6), Vazquez (2), Mihailovic (2), Busio, Cowell, Reynolds |
| 2013 | 11 | 7 – Wondolowski (5), Donovan (2), Corona, Holden, Orozco, Shea |
| 2019 | 11 | 6 – Zardes (3), Arriola (2), Ty. Boyd (2), Long (2), Altidore, Pulisic |
On the defensive end of things, Sean Johnson (St. Kitts and Nevis), Matt Turner (Trinidad and Tobago) and the USMNT back line combined for the team’s 49th and 50th Gold Cup shutouts during the group stage.
MILESTONE WATCH HEADING TOWARD THE KNOCKOUT ROUND
With Cowell and Busio collecting their first international goals on Sunday night, the USMNT now has 249 different goal scorers since it first began play in 1916. There are nine outfield players left on the Gold Cup roster who have yet to score a goal, so assuming one of them finds the back of the net, the next would be the 250th goal scorer in USMNT history.
Those players still looking for their first international goal: Julian Gressel, DeJuan Jones, Aidan Morris, Jalen Neal, Cristian Roldan, James Sands, John Tolkin, and DeAndre Yedlin