ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Matt Freese's gaffe that cost the U.S. the lead in a CONCACAF Gold Cup group play finale drew a reaction from coach Mauricio Pochettino that the Americans can apply to the rest of their last competitive test before next year's World Cup.
“Move on,” Pochettino said of the goalkeeper's botched clearing attempt before Patrick Agyemang's tiebreaking 75th-minute goal in a 2-1 victory over Haiti on Sunday night.
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A United States fan celebrates a goal during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match against Haiti Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
United States defender Mark McKenzie celebrates with teammates after a win over Haiti in a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match, Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
United States forward Malik Tillman (17) reacts after missing a chance at goal during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match against Haiti, Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
United States goalkeeper Matthew Freese (25) distributes the ball during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match against Haiti, Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
“Remember, the most important action is the next one,” Pochettino said. “If you think in the last one like that, you’re going to do another mistake. This type of accident happened, and it will happen it the future.”
The immediate future for the U.S. after a 3-0 run through Group D is a quarterfinal against Costa Rica next Sunday in Minneapolis. It will be the highest-ranked opponent for the Americans so far in the tournament at No. 54.
The U.S., ranked 16th, ended a four-match losing streak by beating No. 100 Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 in its Gold Cup opener, followed by a 1-0 victory over 58th-ranked Saudi Arabia. Haiti is No. 83.
“The confidence level is super high,” said Brenden Aaronson, who assisted on Malik Tillman's goal that opened the scoring in the 10th minute. “I mean, nine points from three games. We’ve had two shutouts and another win today against a good Haiti team. I think we’re really flying at the moment. Now we have a week to prepare, which we haven’t had for any team.”
Still, the play has been uneven from what amounts to a B team of mostly young and unproven players and A team backups. Several of the usual stars and starters sat 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.
“We were not a clinic with the chances that we had,” Pochettino said of the Haiti win. “I think we should have scored more.”
Freese blundered when took a back pass from Tim Ream and tried to play the ball to John Tolkin with his left foot. The ball went straight to Louicius Don Deedson, who took a touch and scored inside the far post for a 1-1 tie in the 19th minute.
The unsightly moment did nothing to dissuade Pochettino, who suggested his decision to go with Freese over Matt Turner will continue in this Gold Cup. The coach thought Freese followed orders by moving on.
“Continues to build me up,” Freese said of Pochettino. “That’s something I really appreciate. Very grateful for the opportunity. I just want to help the team win as much as I can.”
The U.S. won its group for the 17th time in 18 Gold Cups. The Americans have 43 wins, one loss and five draws in group play, going 3-0 for the seventh time. Still, a four-match losing streak punctuated by Switzerland's 4-0 blowout in the final Gold Cup tune-up is a not-very-distant memory.
“To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” Freese said. “I think always continuing to push ourselves and play against harder teams and show what we can do and learn from it and continue to grow as a group ahead of a big summer next summer is an opportunity we’re all looking forward to. We want to continue to move on.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
A United States fan celebrates a goal during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match against Haiti Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
United States defender Mark McKenzie celebrates with teammates after a win over Haiti in a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match, Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
United States forward Malik Tillman (17) reacts after missing a chance at goal during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match against Haiti, Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
United States goalkeeper Matthew Freese (25) distributes the ball during a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match against Haiti, Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
RHO, Italy (AP) — No ice is colder and harder than speedskating ice. The precision it takes has meant that Olympic speedskaters have never competed for gold on a temporary indoor rink – until the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.
In the pursuit of maximum glide and minimum friction, Olympic officials brought on ice master Mark Messer, a veteran of six previous Olympic speedskating tracks and the ice technician in charge of the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Canada — one of the fastest tracks in the world with over 300 records.
Messer has been putting that experience to work one thin layer of ice at a time since the end of October at the new Speed Skating Stadium, built inside adjacent trade fair halls in the city of Rho just north of Milan.
“It’s one of the biggest challenges I’ve had in icemaking,’’ Messer said during an interview less than two weeks into the process.
If Goldilocks were a speedskater, hockey ice would be medium hard, for fast puck movement and sharp turns. Figure skating ice would be softer, allowing push off for jumps and so the ice doesn’t shatter on landing. Curling ice is the softest and warmest of all, for controlled sliding.
For speedskating ice to be just right, it must be hard, cold and clean. And very, very smooth.
“The blades are so sharp, that if there is some dirt, the blade will lose the edge,’’ Messer said, and the skater will lose speed.
Speedskater Enrico Fabris, who won two Olympic golds in Turin in 2006, has traded in his skates to be deputy sports manager at the speedskating venue in Rho. For him, perfect ice means the conditions are the same for all skaters — and then if it's fast ice, so much the better.
"It's more of a pleasure to skate on this ice,'' he said.
Messer’s first Olympics were in Calgary in 1988 — the first time speedskating was held indoors. “That gave us some advantages because we didn’t have to worry about the weather, wind blowing or rain,’’ he said. Now he is upping the challenge by becoming the first ice master to build a temporary rink for the Olympics.
Before Messer arrived in Italy, workers spent weeks setting up insulation to level the floor and then a network of pipes and rubber tubes that carry glycol — an antifreeze — that is brought down to minus 7 or minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 to 19.4 degrees Fahrenheit) to make the ice.
Water is run through a purification system — but it can’t be too pure, or the ice that forms will be too brittle. Just the right amount of impurities “holds the ice together,’’ Messer said.
The first layers of water are applied slowly, with a spray nozzle; after the ice reaches a few centimeters it is painted white — a full day’s work — and the stripes are added to make lanes.
“The first one takes about 45 minutes. And then as soon as it freezes, we go back and do it again, and again and again. So we do it hundreds of times,’’ Messer said.
As the ice gets thicker, and is more stable, workers apply subsequent layers of water with hoses. Messer attaches his hose to hockey sticks for easier spreading.
What must absolutely be avoided is dirt, dust or frost — all of which can cause friction for the skaters, slowing them down. The goal is that when the skaters push “they can go as far as possible with the least amount of effort,’’ Messer said.
The Zamboni ice resurfacing machine plays a key role in keeping the track clean, cutting off a layer and spraying water to make a new surface.
One challenge is gauging how quickly the water from the resurfacing machine freezes in the temporary rink.
Another is getting the ice to the right thickness so that the Zamboni, weighing in at six tons, doesn’t shift the insulation, rubber tubing or ice itself.
“When you drive that out, if there’s anything moving it will move. We don’t want that,’’ Messer said.
The rink got its first big test on Nov. 29-30 during a Junior World Cup event. In a permanent rink, test events are usually held a year before the Olympics, leaving more time for adjustments. “We have a very small window to learn,’’ Messer acknowledged.
Dutch speedskater Kayo Vos, who won the men’s neo-senior 1,000 meters, said the ice was a little soft — but Messer didn’t seem too concerned.
“We went very modest to start, now we can start to change the temperatures and try to make it faster and still maintain it as a safe ice,’’ he said.
Fine-tuning the air temperature and humidity and ice temperature must be done methodically — taking into account that there will be 6,000 spectators in the venue for each event. The next real test will be on Jan. 31, when the Olympians take to the ice for their first training session.
“Eighty percent of the work is done but the hardest part is the last 20 percent, where we have to try to find the values and the way of running the equipment so all the skaters get the same conditions and all the skaters get the best conditions,’’ Messer said.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Serpentines are set on the ice of the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Workers clean the ice surface during a peed skating Junior World Cup and Olympic test event, in Rho, near Milan, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
