As the United States progressed through the group stage of this year's Gold Cup, they gave fans and media alike plenty of reasons to be skeptical about their chances of hoisting the trophy for the fourth time. There were blown chances, some suspect defending and plenty of nerves. Even as the victories piled up, the suspicion that the Americans were not firing on all cylinders could not be shaken. But as I survey the wreckage from the other groups, and with the quarterfinal brackets now set, it was ...

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