Sports

Photos: U.S. men's national team dominates St. Kitts and Nevis in 6-0 blowout

St. Louis Public Radio | By Tristen Rouse

Published June 29, 2023 at 11:39 AM CDT

Two soccer players on the right side of the frame, one in a white uniform and one in a red, move around each other. Their eyes are on a soccer ball in the lower left corner of the frame. — Forward Jesús Ferreira, left, fights for the ball with St. Kitts and Nevis defender Gerard Williams on Wednesday at CityPark in St. Louis. Ferreira ended the night with three goals.

The U.S. men's national team defeated St. Kitts and Nevis 6-0 at St. Louis' CityPark on Wednesday night. The match was the U.S. team's second in the group stage of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, a biennual tournament to determine the continental champion of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

The U.S. got going early, scoring three goals in the first 16 minutes of the match. Interim head coach B.J. Callaghan credited at least part of that success to the more than 21,000 fans packed into CityPark stadium.

With many of the crowd decked out in red, white and blue, chants of "USA! USA!" started as soon as the kickoff, accompanied by a drumbeat blasting from the American Outlaws fan section of the stadium.

Speaking to the press after the match, Callaghan said his players had hinted at CityPark's raucous atmosphere.

“We were anticipating that, and we knew we could use that to our advantage from minute one, and we did," he added.

Midfielder Djordje Mihailovic scored two goals, while defender Bryan Reynolds had one. The standout of the night was forward Jesús Ferreira, who had a hat trick by minute 50 of the match.

“A complete performance tonight, in my mind, from Jesús,” Callaghan said. “He’s a relentless player.”

The win moves the U.S. team to the top of its group stage standings, ahead of Jamaica, which earlier in the night beat Trinidad and Tobago. The U.S. had played Jamaica to a 1-1 draw in a first group stage match.

The U.S. team's final match in group play will be at 6 p.m. Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago in Charlotte, North Carolina.

See photos from the match below from photojournalist Tristen Rouse:

A diptych of two vertical photos. In the left photo, a crowd of people in a stadium place their hands over their hearts. In the foreground, a pair of out of focus soccer players do the same. The right photo is an extreme close up of a man's face, painted to look like an American flag, while his screaming mouth makes an "O" — LEFT: Fans place their hands over their hearts for the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" on Wednesday at CityPark in St. Louis. RIGHT: Jack Gietl screams while wearing American flag-themed face paint, after the match on Wednesday at CityPark in St. Louis.

A soccer player in a white uniform looks down while rearing back his left leg to kick a ball. In the background are other players in the same uniform. — Midfielder Djordje Mihailovic lines up a shot on goal during the U.S. team's Gold Cup match against St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday at CityPark in St. Louis. Mihailovic ended the night with two goals, scoring his side's first and last points of the night.

A multi-layered crowd of people raise their hands, smile and scream in excitement. — Fans celebrate a goal by Jesús Ferreira on Wednesday at CityPark in St. Louis.

In the foreground, three soccer players jockey for the ball. Two are in red uniforms, while the one in the center is in a white uniform. The ball is currently next to the player on the right of the frame, and all players are looking at it, turning toward it. In the background, two more players — one in white and one in red — look on as they run toward the scramble. — Forward Jesús Ferreira, center, battles for the ball with Raheem Somersall, right, and Jameel Ible during the game on Wednesday at CityPark in St. Louis.

A soccer player in a white uniform runs onto the field. Behind him you can see a packed stadium of fans. — Forward Brandon Vazquez crosses the field as fans watch the match between the U.S. men's team and St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday at CityPark in St. Louis. More than 21,000 fans attended the game.

A soccer player, wearing a red and blue striped jersey with "USA" written on the back and a purple pullover jersey, stands and looks out of frame. — Forward Julian Gressel looks on from the sidelines on Wednesday at CityPark in St. Louis.

A soccer player in white rises above a gaggle of other players in white and red, closing his eyes as a soccer ball bounces off his forehead. — Midfielder Aidan Morris goes up to head the ball during the U.S. men's national team's Gold Cup match against St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday at CityPark in St. Louis.

A soccer player in a white uniform has his leg extended, having just kicked the ball. Said ball is now underneath the leg of a sliding player in a red uniform. In the background are other players in red and white, watching the play. — Defender Malique Roberts, bottom left, stops a ball kicked by midfielder Djordje Mihailovic during the USMNT’s Gold Cup match against St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday at CityPark in St. Louis.

A group of trainers stand around while one holds the legs of a soccer player in red. To the right of the frame, another player looks down, while a referee points out of frame. — A trainer assists Gerard Williams, bottom center, who had been injured during play Wednesday. Williams was able to get up and leave the field on his own.

A soccer player in red gestures with his arms raised above his head, yelling out of frame. — Defender Gerard Williams yells toward his St. Kitts and Nevis teammates during the U.S. men's game against St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday at CityPark in St. Louis.

A soccer player in white turns and dribbles the ball away from a player in red, who is behind and pursuing him. — U.S. forward Alex Zendejas, left, dribbles the ball away from Andre Burley on Wednesday.

A gaggle of young boys hold out shirts, jerseys and sharpies as, in the foreground, a soccer player in a white uniform walks past. Several of the boys, leaned out over the metal gate in front of them, have a look of desperation in their eyes. — Young fans ask U.S. players for autographs as the athletes leave the field, having defeated St. Kitts and Nevis 6-0 during their group stage Gold Cup match on Wednesday at CityPark in St. Louis.