US advances in CONCACAF Gold Cup but still a work in progress and inconsistent under Pochettino

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The United States is moving to the knockout rounds at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, like it always does.

Yet two wins in two matches have been far from consistent and still raise questions about the young squad coach Mauricio Pochettino is guiding into the quarterfinals.

The Americans advanced out of Group D with a match still to play with Thursday night's 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia thanks to defender Chris Richards' left-footed goal off a free kick from Sebastian Berhalter.

“We need to be calm,” Pochettino said. “This is the second victory in a row in the competition. We still need to be improve. The competition is going to be tougher.”

Richards' goal was the lone moment of finesse from a U.S. attack that scored five goals against Trinidad and Tobago, and then looked mostly stagnant and stifled by Saudi Arabia on a steamy night in Texas.

There were a couple of glaring defensive lapses, as well. Richards had to track back to save the U.S. from an early deficit when a mistake by Alex Freeman nearly surrendered a goal in the first half.

The Americans' two wins in the tournament so far have come against a Trinidad and Tobago team ranked No. 100 in the world, and No. 58 Saudi Arabia. They will end Group D play Sunday against No. 83 Haiti in Arlington, Texas.

Pochettino dismissed the low ranking for Saudi Arabia, noting its first-round victory over eventual champion Argentina in the 2022 World Cup.

“It wasn't an easy game. They are very competitive,” Pochettino said. “They have quality.”

The U.S. will have to navigate a tournament that will only get tougher with a roster Pochettino stitched together with many of the usual stars and starters sitting out for personal reasons, injuries or playing in the Club World Cup.

Missing the tournament for the U.S. are regulars Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun and Sergiño Dest.

And forward Haji Wright did not suit up for the match against Saudi Arabia because team officials said he has an “issue” with his left Achilles tendon. The team did not elaborate.

Richards, who scored his second career goal for the Americans, said he sees a roster that is growing as it navigates the Gold Cup in its last competitive matches before the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Mexico and Canada.

“We're on to the next round. More than anything, we sent a statement to the rest of CONCACAF we're not taking anyone lightly,” Richards said. “The Gold Cup is a lot longer than anything we've played in so far, but CONCACAF teams might not have as much quality, but they definitely have fight.”

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United States' Patrick Agyemang, left, and Saudi Arabia's Ziyad Aljohani, right, battle for control of the ball during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Saudi Arabia's Abdulrahman Aloboud (24) leaps over United States' Diego Luna (10) as he keeps control of the ball during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Fans celebrate after United States' Chris Richards scores against Saudi Arabia during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

United States' Chris Richards (3) celebrates his goal against Saudi Arabia during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Saudi Arabia's Nawaf Alaqidi (1) and Abdulelah Alamri (4) look to block a shot by United States' Chris Richards, left, during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

States will share $10 billion for rural health care next year in a program that aims to offset the Trump administration's massive budget cuts to rural hospitals, federal officials announced Monday.

But while every state applied for money from the Rural Health Transformation Program, it won't be distributed equally. And critics worry that the funding might be pulled back if a state's policies don't match up with the administration's.

Officials said the average award for 2026 is $200 million, and the fund puts a total of $50 billion into rural health programs over five years. States propose how to spend their awards, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services assigns project officers to support each state, said agency administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz.

“This fund was crafted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, signed only six months ago now into law, in order to push states to be creative," Oz said in a call with reporters Monday.

Under the program, half of the money is equally distributed to each state. The other half is allocated based on a formula developed by CMS that considered rural population size, the financial health of a state’s medical facilities and health outcomes for a state’s population.

The formula also ties $12 billion of the five-year funding to whether states are implementing health policies prioritized by the Trump administration's “Make America Healthy Again” initiative. Examples include requiring nutrition education for health care providers, having schools participate in the Presidential Fitness Test or banning the use of SNAP benefits for so-called junk foods, Oz said.

Several Republican-led states — including Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas — have already adopted rules banning the purchase of foods like candy and soda with SNAP benefits.

The money that the states get will be recalculated annually, Oz said, allowing the administration to “claw back” funds if, for example, state leaders don't pass promised policies. Oz said the clawbacks are not punishments, but leverage governors can use to push policies by pointing to the potential loss of millions.

“I've already heard governors express that sentiment that this is not a threat, that this is actually an empowering element of the One Big Beautiful Bill," he said.

Carrie Cochran-McClain, chief policy officer with the National Rural Health Association, said she’s heard from a number of Democratic-led states that refused to include such restrictions on SNAP benefits even though it could hurt their chance to get more money from the fund.

“It’s not where their state leadership is,” she said.

Oz and other federal officials have touted the program as a 50% increase in Medicaid investments in rural health care. Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska who has been critical of many of the administration’s policies but voted for the budget bill that slashed Medicaid, pointed to the fund when recently questioned about how the cuts would hurt rural hospitals.

“That’s why we added a $50 billion rural hospital fund, to help any hospital that’s struggling,” Bacon said. “This money is meant to keep hospitals afloat.”

But experts say it won't nearly offset the losses that struggling rural hospitals will face from the federal spending law's $1.2 trillion cut from the federal budget over the next decade, primarily from Medicaid. Millions of people are also expected to lose Medicaid benefits.

Estimates suggest rural hospitals could lose around $137 billion over the next decade because of the budget measure. As many as 300 rural hospitals were at risk for closure because of the GOP’s spending package, according to an analysis by The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“When you put that up against the $50 billion for the Rural Health Transformation Fund, you know — that math does not add up,” Cochran-McClain said.

She also said there's no guarantee that the funding will go to rural hospitals in need. For example, she noted, one state’s application included a proposal for healthier, locally sourced school lunch options in rural areas.

And even though innovation is a goal of the program, Cochran-McClain said it's tough for rural hospitals to innovate when they were struggling to break even before Congress’ Medicaid cuts.

“We talk to rural providers every day that say, ‘I would really love to do x, y, z, but I’m concerned about, you know, meeting payroll at the end of the month,’” she said. “So when you’re in that kind of crisis mode, it is, I would argue, almost impossible to do true innovation.”

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, speaks during an event about drug prices with President Donald Trump, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)