As tension built and champions were crowned in both Europe and South America, in Kansas City, the U.S. men's national team began their own continental quest under slightly different circumstances.
And in comparison to the finals of Euro 2020 and the Copa America, the USMNT's Gold Cup opener was, as expected, lethargic.
It was not a pretty game and not a particularly exciting one either. It was a sloppy 1-0 win for a team that played like a bunch of parts still figuring out how exactly the machine is supposed to work.
USMNT head coach Greg Berhalter spoke of "gathering information" from the game, a phrase he repeated frequently throughout his 10-minute, postgame press conference.
Because that is what this Gold Cup is all about, right? Learning something.
Next Match
From the moment the decision was made to turn away from the USMNT's top European stars, this summer became about the bigger picture.
Does the USMNT want to win the whole thing? Of course. Would it be a huge statement to take down Mexico, even if El Tri will be without Hirving Lozano going forward? You bet. But those goals are, in some ways, secondary to taking a 23-player roster, throwing it into the deep end and figuring out what exactly Berhalter has to work with.
And so, after Sunday's win over Haiti, Berhalter now has 90 minutes of information to work with. Some good, some bad, but all useful as he looks to build this team for both short-term success this summer, and long-term production in the weeks, months and years to come.
"As coaches, we talk about gathering information," Berhalter said. "We talk about learning. We talk about improving, and we mention that to the players all the time.
"For us, it's the same thing. It's about being patient, it's about learning, it's about gathering information on the players and the way we can play with this group and then adapting.
"It's going to be a great experience to have to do that. But the important thing today is that we got the win. We got the three points and now we move to the next game."
The biggest lesson, Berhalter said, was that there was work to be done.
Sam Vines' opening goal in the eighth minute was, by and large, the lone bright spot from an attacking point of view. It was a disjointed performance for the U.S. attack, a unit that looked slow to react and a bit timid, despite facing an overmatched Haiti team.
The best attacking moves of the night came via the fullbacks, with Vines and Shaq Moore among the standouts.
Moore marked his first USMNT appearance since 2018 with a Man of the Match-level performance, routinely bombing down the right-hand side to show that he is a much different player than the one who earned a brief look a few years ago.
Berhalter was quick to note that Moore is still in pre-preseason form, having spent the last few weeks training at home with a trainer. He did not look it, though, as he was undoubtedly the standout at the right-back position, one that seemingly gets stronger and stronger by the day.
Vines, meanwhile, got the goal, even if his defending on the counter did leave a little to be desired at times. And, despite those nervy moments defensively, goals are what matters, especially in a game where the attack struggles so mightily.
Part of that will be attributed to the loss of Paul Arriola, whose early injury only further highlights this group's lack of options on the wing. But, with a team featuring a starting XI that averaged 17 caps each, Berhalter expected a bit more composure.
"To me, it was way too slow, way too backwards," Berhalter said. "Not enough intent to turn Haiti around and get the defending in the penalty box, and then, once we're in the penalty box, I didn't like the runs or the movement in the box. I didn't like the service.
"In the attacking end, we were disappointed with the intent that we showed tonight."
Berhalter, though, will be pleased by the performance of his newcomers: GInaluca Busio, James Sands and Eryk Williamson, all of whom shined.
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Having heard chants from his hometown crowd from the opening whistle, teenage Busio was finally introduced in the second half to much fanfare, and he earned every bit of it.
At just 19, Busio may just be this team's most capable midfielder on the ball, as the Sporting KC midfielder looked smooth and composed from minute one.
Williamson, meanwhile, also shone, helping take control of a midfield that was struggling a bit in the second half. Performances like Sunday's make his Olympic exclusion all the more baffling while making a case for more minutes going forward.
And Sands was a pleasant surprise. The New York City FC defender-midfielder hybrid played up to the moment and, with Arriola potentially sidelined, it appears that Berhalter could turn to a three-at-the-back system to help mask the team's lack of wingers.
"I liked the calm," Berhalter said. "The midfield three doesn't change much at all from the 4-3-3 to the 5-3-2 so that was positive. They looked comfortable and they're very technical players, good on the ball. James, Gianluca and Eryk, it's nice to have players you can bring in with that quality."
It would not be a surprise to see that trio inserted into the starting XI for the USMNT's next game, a meeting with Martinique on Thursday. Despite going ahead early, Martinique were thoroughly outclassed by Canada, who, with that 4-1 win, will look to contend with the U.S. atop the group.
Martinique will not be the toughest test the USMNT faces this summer. In fact, they will probably be the least challenging.
But it is another game and another moment that allows Berhalter to gather information on players like Moore, Busio, Williamson and Sands as he looks to help this group progress through a unique Gold Cup run.