TAMPA — Even with a B-team roster, the United States’ Gold Cup performance against Martinique was a bit nerve-wracking.
The U.S. should have thrashed Martinique, according to many fans and analysts, when they met for a Group B competition Wednesday night at Raymond James Stadium. Instead, it eked out a 3-2 victory over the small Caribbean country composed of mostly lower-level professional players.
“I saw a lot of good performances out of some of our players,” Arena said, rattling off the names of nearly every player in the lineup, including forwards Jordan Morris, who scored two goals, and Juan Agudelo; defenders Eric Lichaj, Matt Besler and Justin Morrow; midfielder Cristian Roldan, who earned his first cap with the U.