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Tyler Boyd guides USMNT past Guyana to open Gold Cup

Hannah Foslien / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The United States opened its 2019 Gold Cup quest with a victory on Tuesday in Minnesota, blanking Guyana 4-0 to vault Panama for top spot in Group D.

Tyler Boyd scored his first two senior goals, and Paul Arriola and Gyasi Zardes chipped in with tallies of their own as the CONCACAF minnows could do little to thwart the U.S. attack.

Arriola put the host on the scoreboard in the 28th minute when the D.C. United star outpaced Guyana's Jordan Dover before firing a curling effort beyond a lunging Akel Clarke.

The U.S. side was unsurprisingly the better lot in the opening stanza, and the scoreline was nearly doubled minutes before the interval when a dancing McKennie found Nick Lima, who rifled a shot that was parried away by Clarke.

Clarke was the busiest Guyanese player at Allianz Field in the opening 45 minutes, thrice denying Gregg Berhalter's free-flowing attack as the two sides headed down the tunnel separated by a goal.

The U.S. didn't wait long to increase their advantage after the break.

Boyd was the recipient of a perfect pass over the top from Michael Bradley in the 52nd minute. The 24-year-old laced a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner, which gave the U.S. their 1000th goal all time.

Zardes made it 3-0 minutes later. Arriola crept in off the left wing and fired a rocket toward goal that deflected off a Guyana defender before it ricocheted in off the face of Zardes.

Arriola was again the architect of a profitable attack, stretching the right side of the Guyanese defense nine minutes from time before firing a pass to Boyd, who got an inch on his marker and rocketed in an effort beyond a helpless Clarke.

It was far from a fluid performance from the U.S., especially considering Guyana's willingness to make probing runs forward while sacrificing numbers at the back.

Next up for Gregg Berhalter's charges is a rematch with Trinidad & Tobago on June 22 in Cleveland. T&T famously denied the U.S. a spot in the 2018 World Cup for the first time since 1986 courtesy of a shocking 2-1 victory in October 2017.

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