Cuba improbably advanced to the 2015 Gold Cup quarterfinals despite wielding a minus-seven goal differential in group play, but it received a rude awakening Saturday in Baltimore against Clint Dempsey and the United States in the tournament's first knockout stage.
While U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley told reporters this year's Gold Cup has been "a ridiculous tournament," according to Sports Illustrated's Brian Straus, the quarterfinal affair didn't offer much in the way of complications as the United States held true to form and emerged victorious in a 6-0rout of the Cubans.
Dempsey scored the first international hat trick of his career, which was punctuated in the 78th minute on a feed from Bradley, according to the Gold Cup on Twitter:
According to ESPN FC, the United States entered Saturday on an eight-game winning streak against Cuba, outscoring the opposition 29-5 in that span.