2025 Gold Cup: Richards' winner seals qualification; Cardines makes first start

First-team

20 Jun 2025

Crystal Palace are being represented at the biggest international men’s tournament of the summer, with Chris Richards and Matt Turner lining up for CONCACAF Gold Cup co-hosts United States, and Academy starlet Rio Cardines in action for Trinidad and Tobago. Find all the latest updates below!

What's the latest update?

Chris Richards was the star of the show in the United States' second Group D fixture on Thursday evening.

The defender scored his second senior international goal to secure the co-hosts' qualification from Group D, with a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Austin.

Looking to build on a clean sheet and three points from the US' opening match, Richards played the full 90 minutes – and this time went one better with not only the decisive goal midway through the second-half, but also a Player of the Match-winning display.

The 25-year-old made a well-timed run, and produced a composed finish, to slam home a free-kick from Sebastian Berhalter – son of Gregg Berhalter, who was Palace's first-ever World Cup representative back in 2002.

Chris Richards gives the U.S. the lead! pic.twitter.com/eOujSjBvkn
— Gold Cup (@GoldCup) June 20, 2025

It was enough to settle another tight game and secure three points for the United States, who could seal top spot in the group with a draw against Haiti in Arlington on Sunday night.

The match winner is your MOTM!

🫡 @eastmamba pic.twitter.com/YYrEgBMOQf
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 20, 2025

For Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday evening, meanwhile, 18-year-old defender Rio Cardines made his first start at a major international tournament in a 1-1 draw with Haiti in Houston.

The right-back played the full 90 minutes as his team kept their qualification hopes alive with an equaliser midway through the second-half.

Haiti had seen a man sent off shortly before half-time, but struck shortly after the break to surprisingly take the lead – only for Cardines and his team to rally and secure an important point.

They will need to defeat Saudi Arabia in Paradise, Nevada this Sunday night, and hope that Richards and Turner can secure a result against Haiti, to progress.

Earlier this week, in both teams' first Group D fixture, Richards played 87 minutes – and Turner was on the bench – as co-hosts United States recorded a clean sheet and put five goals past Trinidad and Tobago – for whom Cardines featured for the final 28 minutes – at PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

The Stars and Stripes were dominant from the off in their opening match, recording 21 shots to the Soca Warriors' three – and 71% possession – to cruise past their opening opponents.

USA were three goals to the good by half-time, adding a further two late on, to provide the perfect riposte to their previous four defeats in a row.

Cardines, meanwhile, came on to enjoy his first action at a major international tournament finals, having only last month made his senior international for Trinidad and Tobago.

Match Details

Check back on cpfc.co.uk for updates on how our international Eagles get on during the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

All times below are BST.

United States (Matt Turner, Chris Richards)

Sunday, 15th June (23:00): United States 5-0 Trinidad and Tobago (Richards played the first 87 minutes to help keep a clean sheet, with Turner on the bench)

Friday, 20th June (02:15): Saudi Arabia 0-1 United States (Richards played the full 90 minutes and scored the match-winner to secure his team's qualification; Turner was on the bench)

Monday, 23rd June (00:00): United States v Haiti

Trinidad and Tobago (Rio Cardines)

Sunday, 15th June (23:00): USA 5-0 Trinidad and Tobago (Cardines came on in the 62nd minute for his first experience at a major senior international tournament)

Thursday, 19th June (23:45): Trinidad and Tobago 1-1 Haiti (Cardines made his first Gold Cup start and played the full 90 minutes, as his team earned a vital point)

Monday, 23rd June (00:00): Saudi Arabia v Trinidad and Tobago

The tournament explained

Only a year out from co-hosting the World Cup finals in 2026, the USA national side are involved in their final major tournament before the main event.

In preparation for playing host to the world’s best on home soil in 12 months’ time, they must first face their fellow Northern and Central American rivals.

Palace’s American pair of Chris Richards and Matt Turner have both been selected in the USMNT squad of 26 players and will be looking to help their country to international glory.

Last month, Cardines – a regular for Palace's Under-21s in Premier League 2 this season – earned his first senior call-up for Trinidad and Tobago, having played for the Under-17s side last season in the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship.

On that occasion, he played three games and managed to score one goal for Trinidad and Tobago as they made it to the quarter-finals of the tournament. He has also played for the Under-20s last year.

In the 24/25 campaign, Cardines made 20 appearances for Darren Powell’s Palace U21s, scoring twice and assisting once while predominantly playing as a wing-back on the left or right-hand side.

He duly joined up with the Trinidad and Tobago senior side for the Unity Cup last month at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium, and made his senior international debut against Jamaica, where he played the full match in a late 3-2 defeat.

He almost marked the occasion in style by scoring directly from a free-kick to make it 2-2, but struck the post – although it allowed Kevin Molino to convert the rebound.

He has now been named in Dwight Yorke’s squad for this summer's finals.

With the finals sharing the international football stage with the UEFA Women’s Euros this summer, there is plenty to look forward to.

What is the background?

Held on a regular basis since the first edition in 1991, the CONCACAF Gold Cup is the top continental tournament for North America, Central America and the Caribbean – the regions equivalent to the Copa America or the European Championships.

Mexico are the tournament's most successful country, having lifted the title on nine occasions. USMNT have also had plenty of historic success by winning seven titles, most recently in 2021.

Although the confederation has 41 members, the Gold Cup has occasionally featured invited guest nations as participants. This time Asian side Saudi Arabia will feature, drawn in the same group as the USA and Trinidad and Tobago.

USMNT qualified for tournament through their performance in the CONCACAF Nations League. By progressing to the last four of the 2024/25 tournament, Mauricio Pochettino’s team guaranteed their place at the finals.

It will be Turner’s third outing at the tournament, having featured in both the 2021 and 2023 finals. In the former, he recorded five clean sheets in six games, picking up the tournament’s best goalkeeper award as USA won the title with a 1-0 win over Mexico.

Richards has featured at the Nations League finals, where he scored against Canada as his team won the final, and at the Copa America. However, this will be the defender's first appearance at the Gold Cup finals.

Trinidad and Tobago, meanwhile, qualified convincingly for the competition with a 6-1 win on aggregate over Cuba in the preliminary rounds.

The tournament got underway with Mexico facing Dominican Republic on Saturday, 14th June. All three Palace players were set to come up against each other in the first match, when USA faced Trinidad and Tobago in San Jose.

Alongside USA Trinidad and Tobago and Saudi Arabia, Haiti complete Group D. The top two sides from the four groups will qualify for the quarter-finals.

From that point it is a straight knock-out tournament. If the scores are level after 90 minutes, extra-time and - if required - penalties will decide who progresses.

Our roster for the 2025 @GoldCup is here! 🏆🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/pA2Sx0j9A4
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 5, 2025

How have the USMNT prepared for the tournament?

Pochettino’s team suffered a surprise defeat in March’s international window to exit the Nations League at the semi-final stage, going down 1-0 to Panama.

They were subsequently beaten 2-1 by Canada in the third-place play-off. They then faced two friendly games against Turkiye and Switzerland earlier this month.

Despite an early Jack McGlynn goal, USA went down 2-1 to the Crescent-Stars. They were then well beaten 4-0 by Switzerland in Nashville, meaning they head into the finals looking for a first win in four games. Richards remained on the bench for that one, while Turner completed the full 90 minutes.

How have Trinidad and Tobago prepared for the tournament?

Following their defeat to Jamaica in West London in the Unity Cup, Trinidad and Tobago faced Ghana in a third-place play-off, where Cardines was an unused substitute in a 4-0 defeat.

He then continued to be a part of the Trinidad and Tobago side, ahead of their World Cup qualifiers against Saint Kitts and Nevis and Costa Rica; he was an unused substitute in the 6-2 win over Saint Kitts and Nevis, but did start against Costa Rica.

Cardines played the entire first-half before being subbed off at half-time against the group leaders in what turned out to be a narrow 2-1 loss.

Where will Gold Cup matches take place?

USA is also hosting the tournament, with the majority of the fixtures taking place along the West Coast.

This is to avoid a clash with the FIFA Club World Cup, held at the same time, which predominantly takes place on the East Coast of the country.

Canada’s Vancouver will also host one group game. The final will take place at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

In terms of the USMNT fixtures, group games take place at San Jose, Austin and Arlington, while Trinidad and Tobago also play in Houston and Paradise, Nevada.

How can I watch in the UK?

Pay-per-view channel Premier Sports has secured the CONCACAF Gold Cup broadcast rights in the United Kingdom.

They will broadcast all 31 matches. Premier Sports is available via both Sky TV (channels 419 and 420) and Virgin TV (as channels 551 and 552) as well as on Amazon Prime as an add-on subscription.

You can also stream online via the app from £11.99 per month on a minimum 12-month term.

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