The only true moment of joy for the U.S. men’s national soccer team Sunday came 20 seconds into its 1-0 victory over Canada in the Concacaf Gold Cup, when Shaq Moore scored the fastest recorded goal in program history.
The rest of the afternoon at sold-out Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan., was a nervous slog. The final whistle brought more relief than happiness.
Although they finished with a 3-0-0 mark in Group B, the Americans were outplayed much of the match and endured several scares, some of them self-inflicted, before claiming first place over Canada (2-1-0).