The United States men’s national team’s Concacaf Gold Cup schedule was filled with potential intrigue after the tournament structure and dates were finalized on Friday. Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, still smarting from its disastrous fourth-place finish in last month’s Nations League,

This is the final official competition for USMNT before the World Cup on American soil. There are no qualifiers left, no other competitions of the same ilk. The Gold Cup is not a warm-up, it's a legitimate litmus test for the team.

Haiti has seen Gold Cup magic before as it advanced all the way to the semifinals in 2019, but it hasn't fared as well in recent years. Haiti failed to advance past the group stage in both 2021 and 2023, but will rely on Inter Miami winger Fafa Picault to lead it to an upset this year.