The USMNT beat a tenacious Haiti team 2-1 behind Patrick Agyemang’s 75th-minute goal Sunday night at AT&T Stadium. His strength and hold-up play have been on display during the Gold Cup, but his finishing hasn’t been good enough, despite scoring twice.
The Charlotte FC striker entered the Gold Cup with considerable promise, having scored six goals in 16 MLS games. Looking strictly at Agyemang’s USMNT stats, he’s certainly been effective. In nine games with the national team, he’s managed to put five goals in the net.
Stats aren’t everything, though, and there are still parts of Agyemang’s game that will need to improve before he can be considered a top US striker. With the World Cup less than a year away, he likely won’t have enough time to improve for this cycle.
Due to injuries and unavailable players, Agyemang is now one of only two strikers available on the Gold Cup roster. Haji Wright, who scored in the first Gold Cup match, has been ruled out of the tournament after aggravating an achilles injury. Young striker Damion Downs picked up a contusion in the win over Saudi Arabia and wasn’t available for the Haiti match. This leaves Brian White and Agyemang, giving the latter his third straight start.
Malik Tillman got the red, white, and blue off to a roaring start in the tenth minute against a Haiti team that knew they had to win to advance. A beautiful cross from Brenden Aaronson found Tillman open on the back post, where he finished with a beautiful header back across the net.
Nine minutes later, Haiti would equalize off an atrocious giveaway in the box by goalkeeper Matt Freese. Centerback Tim Ream tracked a long pass, tapping it back to Freese for a clearance. The left foot of Freese failed him, as he passed it straight to Haiti’s Louicious Don Deedson, who bent it into the right side netting.
Agyemang’s second goal of this Gold Cup would prove the difference and allow the USMNT to finish at the top of Group D and advance to play Costa Rica in the quarterfinals. A wonderful long ball from left back John Tolkin found Agyemang behind the Haitian defense. A quick touch around keeper Johnny Placide allowed him to tap the ball into the net from a sharp angle, making it look easier than it was.
Despite his calmness on the ball during his goal, Agyemang has struggled to finish not just in the Gold Cup but in most of his professional games. He often finds himself in good spaces, showing the ability to turn quickly and get into the box, but he lacks the decisiveness and accuracy to finish when he gets there. He’s converted only 12% of his shots on target in MLS this year.
Against Haiti, Agyemang had several chances in the first half to score or find open players on the break. At 6’1”, he has the strength to hold off defenders and cause problems. His body control often lets him down, however, causing off-balance or wrong-footed shots. Another area he needs to improve upon is his vision which is a step too slow, often choosing to pull back an attack instead of finding slashing teammates in the box.
That’s not to say Agyemang doesn’t have an upside. He ranks in the top 10% of MLS forwards in successful hold-up play. He’s shown the same penchant with his back to goal for the USMNT. Using him as the lone striker holding up play allows players like Tillman and Christian Pulisic to find space underneath and run off him.
His five goals in nine caps tie Jozy Altidore for the sixth-fastest to reach five goals. Altidore is a good comparison to who Agyemang could be. They have a similar build and style of play. Altidore scored 42 goals for the national team over his 115 caps. If Agyemang can find control, he can have just as successful a national team career as Altidore did.
Despite Agyemang’s two goals in three Gold Cup games, he’s still on the outside looking in for the 2026 World Cup roster. He knew absolutely nothing about his first credited goal, as Diego Luna fired a shot toward Trinidad and Tobago’s goal that ricocheted off Agyemang’s foot and into the net. He’s found plenty of space, but failed to put enough shots on frame.
Next year’s World Cup is huge for the USMNT primarily because they are one of the host nations. They likely won’t find themselves with a better draw than they’ll receive in 2026. The roster must include proven players who can help the team have a deep run in the tournament. The roster will likely include four strikers, and Agyemang finds himself outside of the top five currently.
The raw skills are there for Agyemang to have a future with the USMNT, but only if he improves his finishing. He’ll still be under 30 during the next cycle and has the opportunity to be a veteran leader for the Stars and Stripes, but not in 2026.
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