U.S. win over Cuba highlights 'ridiculous' nature of Gold Cup

BALTIMORE — As United States captain Michael Bradley eloquently said Friday ahead of the team's match against Cuba, the CONCACAF Gold Cup is "ridiculous."

The 27-year-old midfielder meant it in a completely endearing way, but the Americans' 6-0 blowout in the tournament's quarterfinals Saturday was yet another reminder.

In recent editions of the tournament (and CONCACAF play in general), the Americans routinely get dragged into close, hard-fought games against perceived lesser opposition. Though the United States were huge favorites heading in, you wouldn't have been surprised if this game ended 1-0.

"It's an unforgiving tournament. It's a hard tournament. There are no easy games," Bradley said after Saturday's win. "The level of the tournament, all this stuff, we couldn't care less. You have a goal from the beginning of the tournament, to lift the trophy."

"Survive and advance" is really the Gold Cup's M.O. Every two years we watch this grueling adventure unfold, featuring quick turnarounds, poor playing surfaces, long trips, summer heat and most importantly, major disparities in talent.

"You have to be on your toes in these types of games," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. "You cannot have the wrong body language or be maybe a little bit arrogant. There's no reason at all for that."

The U.S. certainly wasn't, creating chances and capitalizing against Cuba, utilizing the well-rounded lineup that Klinsmann was trying to find in the group stage. The team was held to four goals in the three group matches, notably getting outplayed by Haiti in a 1-0 win.

Clint Dempsey scored his first career hat trick for the national team ("took him a long time," Klinsmann joked), scoring the game's opener in the fourth minute and added two more in the second half.

"For strikers especially, a game like this is a huge opportunity," Klinsmann said. "You don't want to miss that chance, maybe getting more opportunities than you usually get in an international game."

But given the up-and-down nature of the Gold Cup, can the U.S. actually take the momentum into Wednesday's semifinal match against Jamaica?

"Good habits carry over," Dempsey said. "Scoring goals, keeping a clean sheet, people getting assists. That confidence grows with each game as the tournament goes on.

"You look at the last World Cup with Costa Rica, Mexico and ourselves getting out of the group, it was a good representation of CONCACAF," Dempsey added.

"Playing in the Gold Cup, you've got to be at your best if you want to win this tournament."

PHOTOS: USMNT at the 2015 Gold Cup