Matt Freese came up big time for the United States as his three saves in the shootout saw the team outlast Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Gold Cup at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Sunday.
After going through group play undefeated to qualify for the knockout stage of the tournament, the quest to reach the final encountered a huge roadblock on the way, with one of their biggest regional opponents, the Ticos, looking to halt their campaign.
U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino opted for his 4-2-3-1 formation, with Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter, and Diego Luna starting after the team’s game against Haiti the previous weekend.
The Americans dug themselves a hole early in the game when the referee pointed to the spot for a penalty to Costa Rica. Arfsten had lost sight of the ball when Kenneth Vargas came in to take control of it, leaving the left-back to lunge for a reckless challenge in the box.
Francisco Calvo stepped up to convert the spot kick out of Freese’s reach in the 12th minute.
The host nation tried to find their way for equalizer a half hour into the contest. Patrick Agyemang played the ball for Malik Tillman, allowing the German-born midfielder a chance to center it towards Diego Luna. However, he was tripped up in the area with calls for a penalty. The referee reviewed the play through the video assistant referee and confirmed it was an infraction.
Tillman stepped up to level the score, but his shot came crashing off the frame of the goal.
The missed chance was erased minutes later when the U.S. tied up the score through Luna. Arfsten’s cross from the left side found the wide-open winger as his deflected shot sent Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas the wrong way.
Arsten continued to make amends from the first-half penalty by scoring in the 47th minute to give the U.S. the lead. Tillman’s pass on the edge of the 18-yard box found the left-back to steer his shot past Navas.
The Ticos bounced back in the 71st minute to tie the game when Carlos Mora carved through Arsten and Luca de la Torre to fire a shot on target. Freese stopped it, but the rebound allowed Mora to regain it and pass it to Alonso Martinez to put it in the upper left corner of the goal.
Penalties would settle this game as neither could find the game-winner in the waning minutes of the contest.
Tyler Adams scored the first to match Martinez’s shot. Freese then denied Juan Pablo Vargas’ attempt in the second round. Tillman gave the advantage to the U.S. when he sneaked his shot past Navas. Sebastian Berhalter’s attempt went over the bar to keep things even.
As both sides converted their shots in the fourth round, Freese gave the Americans the chance to win when he stopped Francisco Calvo’s shot that was going through the center of the goal. John Tolkin could have sealed it, but Navas parried his shot away to take the shootout to sudden death.
Freese remained hot on the line as he stopped Andy Rojas’ attempt. This left the moment for Damion Downs to send the U.S. to the semifinals, and he did so when his shot past Navas to send his team on to the next stage.
The U.S. will face upset-minded Guatemala for a spot in the Gold Cup final on Wednesday at Energizer Park in St. Louis, Missouri.
