U.S. Men’s Futsal National Team Begins Concacaf Championship with 7-4 Win over Trinidad and Tobago

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (Apr. 13, 2024) – The U.S. Men’s Futsal National Team kicked off its quest to return to the World Cup with a solid 7-4 win over Trinidad and Tobago Saturday morning in the opening match of the 2024 Concacaf Futsal Championship. David Ortiz and Nilton de Andrade each scored twice, with Diego Burato, Franck Tayou and Nicholas Lopez adding one each.

The U.S. now prepares to face the Dominican Republic on Saturday, April 14 in both teams’ second match of Group C play (2pm ET, live on Fox Sports Tubi and Vix). Dominican Republic fell to Guatemala 7-5 later on Saturday.

Trinidad took the first swing less than two minutes into the game, as Darius Olivierra took advantage of a retreating line and took a ball the length of the court before firing past Diego Moretti from the top of the arc for the opening goal.

The US countered with three unanswered goals before the half.

Ortiz scored his first from two yards out after redirecting a short pass from Erik Macias. De Andrade - making his international debut - then doubled the lead a minute later on a nice cut to his right before shooting from the top off the arc after receiving a diagonal ball from Macias. Ortiz added the third just before the break by finishing a buildup that started with Tayou playing Lopez wide left, and Lopez threading a ball low to the back post for Ortiz to tap in.

The second half proved tighter on the scoreboard. Olivierra added his second just minutes after the break, but the USA got the goal back on a beautiful left-footed chip by Burato after receiving a back-heeled passed from Luciano Gonzalez.

Che Benny got Trinidad within a goal when he redirected a sideline free kick from just inside the arc as Moretti was shielded.

The U.S. then stretched its lead with three straight goals. Lopez punched first with a left-footed shot from the right side past Trinidad’s Andre Marchan, Franck Tayou scored re-directed a ball at the back post, and de Andrade finished a well-timed give-and-go with Macias for his second of the night, giving Macias three assists.

Trinidad finished the scoring on a penalty by Matthew Woo Ling with four minutes left.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• This was the USA’s first clash on the court with Trinidad and Tobago, and its 14th opponent in Concacaf all-time.
• The seven goals scored ties the team’s all-time high in the Concacaf Championship, accomplished four times previous. The last time the USA scored seven in this competition was on June 8, 2008 in a 7-1 win over Panama in the third place match in Guatemala.
• Franck Tayou scored his second international goal - and first since May 4, 2016 when he scored against Canada in the first leg of qualifying series for the 2016 Concacaf Futsal Championship.
• Nicholas Lopez and Nilton de Andrade made their international debuts and scored their first international goals.
• Ortiz, de Andrade, Burato and Lopez scored their first goals in the Concacaf Championship / World Cup Qualifying.
• Diego Moretti wore the captain’s armband in his and the team’s seventh straight Concacaf Championship game, including all six in 2021.
• This was head coach Hewerton Moreira’s first match at the helm of the Futsal Men’s National Team.

-U.S. MEN’S FUTSAL NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-

Match: United States Futsal Men’s National Team vs. Trinidad and Tobago
Date: April 13, 2024
Competition: 2024 Concacaf Futsal Championship – Group C
Venue: Polideportivo Alexis Arguello; Managua, Nicaragua
Attendance: -
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. local time)
Weather: 92 degrees

Scoring Summary:             1          2          F
USA                                       3          4          7
TRI                                         1          3          4

TRI - Darius Oliveirra                           18’11” (First Half)
USA -David Ortiz (Macias)                  11’49"
USA - Nilton de Andrade (Macias)     10’14
USA -   David Ortiz (Lopez)                      :05’
TRI - Darius Oliveirra                             17’51” (Second Half)
USA - Diego Burato (Gonzalez)            17’25”
TRI - Che Benny                                      15’47”
USA - Nicholas Lopez (Gonzalez)         8’06”
USA - Franck Tayou (Ventura-Junior)  6’36”
USA - Nilton de Andrade (Macias)         5’13”
TRI - Matthew Woo Ling (PK)                 4’00”

Lineups:
USA: 12- Diego Moretti (Captain), 4- Alencar Ventura-Junior, 5- Luciano Gonzalez, 7- Diego Burato, 8- Franck Tayou
Substitutes: 2-Manuel Andrade, 3- Nilton de Andrade, 6- Sebastian Mendez, 9- Raphael Araujo, 10- David Ortiz, 13- Nicholas Lopez, 14- Erik Macias
Did not play: 1-Robert Damron, 11-Luiz Morales
Head coach: Hewerton Moreira

TRI: 1- Andre Marchan (Captain), 3- Michel Poon-angeron, 7- Darius Olivierra 11-Adrian Welch, 14- Jelani Felix
Substitutes: 4-Shane Hospedales, 5- Matthew Woo Ling, 6-Sedale McLean, 8- Dylon King, 9-Jameel Neptune, 10-Che Benny, 12-Jerwyn Balthazar, 13-Kareem Perry
Did not play: 2-Kelvin Henry
Head coach: Paul Decle

Misconduct Summary:
USA - Raphael Araujo (caution)   11’49” (First Half)
TRI - Che Benny (caution)             5’13” (Second Half)
USA - Franck Tayou (caution)      4’09”

Officials:
Referee: Richard Lay (PAN)
Second Referee: Jonathan Betancourt (MEX)
3rd Referee: Jorge Antonio Flores (SLV)
Timekeeper: Brenda Valdez Perez (CUB)