The United States Men's National Team looks to improve upon a reputable start to their title defense in the 2015 Gold Cup Tournament on Friday.
After a narrow 2-1 victory over the hard-hitting and physical Honduras team, team USA knows they need to improve in order to get past the likes of Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica in the latter stages.
One of those looking to improve is United States goalkeeper Brad Guzan who believes that himself and the team can play better against Haiti on Friday, and stay perfect in group play.
"It's huge to start with three points," Guzan told the media. "Any time you enter a tournament, you want to start off with three points and we were able to do that."
Clint Dempsey had a brace in the first game, but Guzan surrendered a late goal to Honduras' Carlos Discua that put tremendous pressure on the U.S. back line in the waning minutes of the match.
"We know it wasn't out best performance, but a sign of a good team is when you don't play well and you win the game anyway, and that's what we did," Guzan continued. "I think we gave the ball away cheaply a few too many times, but in saying that, good teams find a way to win when they don't play well and I think we did that."
Haiti comes into the match after a scoreless draw to Panama in the opener of the tournament. Haiti is happy to walk away from that match with a point, and would love a point (or three) against Jurgen Klinsmann's team at Foxborough on Friday.
For Haiti, this match is by far their biggest of the tournament, and a huge opportunity to showcase their growing skills in the sport against the reigning champions. They are led by manager Marc Collat who would love to upset the current holders on their home soil.
"In Haiti, we have players who play all over the world, in the first divisions in Europe as well as in the MLS," Collat said. "Now it's very hard for a big team to beat a so-called little team, because football is international now. Players are playing everywhere."
Haiti defeated the United States twice in 1970, but the Stars and Stripes have not lost since, posting a victory and two draws over the past 15 years.
Look for the U.S. to come out strong and score early. Another goal in the second half should shore things up as Guzan is determined to keep a clean sheet this time.
Prediction: 2-0 United States
Betting Favorite: USA -2
Over/Under 3.5 Goals
The match is set to kick off on Friday, July 10th at Gillette Stadium (home of the New England Patriots) in Foxborough, Massachusetts at 8:30PM EST. It will air live on Fox Sports 1 and in Spanish on UniMas. It can be live streamed here. If you prefer to watch on your mobile device, download the Fox Sports Go app from your app store.
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