A rejiggered US national team made mighty heavy work of the task, but eventually slipped past plucky underdogs Martinique to earn a 3-2 victory in their Gold Cup Group B encounter at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Wednesday night.
The Chicago Fire's Dax McCarty began the game on the U.S. bench as head coach Bruce Arena trotted out eight new starters compared to the lineup that struggled to a 1-1 draw with Panama in Nashville over the weekend, and perhaps as a result, were woefully lacking in rhythm and consistency in a scoreless first half.