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Jesus Ferreira continued his red-hot run at the Gold Cup as the United States beat Trinidad and Tobago 6-0 to win Group A in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday.
The FC Dallas striker made U.S. soccer history with a first-half hat trick — his second in as many games at the Gold Cup after scoring three against St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday — to put the U.S. on its way to a lopsided victory win that sees B.J. Callaghans Americans edge Jamaica on goal difference atop its group.
Ferreira scored with a classy striker’s finish for his first, a scrappy poacher’s goal for his second and added a third from the spot just before half-time to send the U.S. storming into the knockout rounds after a shaky 1-1 draw against Jamaica to open the tournament last Sunday.
The impressive showing took Ferreira’s total up to a Gold Cup leading six goals and marked the first time in U.S. team history that a player scored three goals in back-to-back games as he joined Landon Donovan as the only two Americans to have three national team hat tricks to their credit.
Substitute Cade Cowell scored his first senior goal for the U.S. shortly after coming on for Alejandro Zendejas, capitalizing on a sloppy back pass from the Trinidad defense and dribbling around goalkeeper Marvin Phillip to fire into an open net.
Gianluca Busio scored an important goal for the U.S. just before the 80-minute mark, slotting past Phillip from the center of the penalty area for his first international goal at senior level to restore breathing room for Callaghan’s side over Jamaica.
Brandon Vazquez then added his second of the tournament for the U.S. to complete the rout as the Americans will now wait to see which side finishes second in Group D to determine its quarterfinal opponent next Sunday.