The United States was in an awkward position after their draw last Saturday against Panama. With the strongest two teams in the group having played each other, the following two games were turned into a competition for who could crush the minnows harder in order to take that first place spot (and almost certainly avoid Costa Rica and Mexico until the semis). There was a bit of good luck for the USMNT going into this match, with Panama managing to beat Nicaragua just 2-1. This match, against tiny Martinique, presented a big opportunity for the team to beat on a team made up almost entirely of domestic players and drive up that scoreline.
USA v. Martinique, 2017 Gold Cup: What we Learned
