The biennial Concacaf event, which opens for the Americans on Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago, gives them a chance to change the narrative.

In recent years, the Gold Cup has been relegated to a developmental tournament with U.S. Soccer opting to instead send its best team to the CONCACAF Nations League or last year's Copa America. But this summer's Gold Cup could have been different with it being the final competitive tournament for the USMNT before next year's World Cup.

U.S. Men’s National Team boss Mauricio Pochettino isn’t letting a single player “dictate the plan” he has for the American squad, even if that player is Christian Pulisic. The ongoing controversy surrounding Pulisic’s absence from the squad after deciding not to play in this summer’s Gold Cup has been the focal point of American soccer.