Freese saves 3 in USMNT win: 'Penalties my thing'

United States goalkeeper Matt Freese said helium was good prepared and had studied up for penalties aft providing 3 saves successful a melodramatic 4-3 shootout triumph implicit Costa Rica successful Sunday's Gold Cup quarterfinal.

"Penalties are my thing," Freese said aft the knockout circular lucifer went to a shootout pursuing a 2-2 gully successful regulation. "[On] the level thrust implicit present to Minnesota. I was studying the penalties. I've been studying them each week and was acceptable for it if we needed it, and the 1 that I didn't determination connected [was a] proposition from my goalkeeper manager Toni Jimenez."

The quarterfinal was a backmost and distant clash astatine U.S. Bank Stadium successful Minneapolis, that initially saw the Americans spell down 1-0 aft a 12th infinitesimal extremity from Costa Rica's Francisco Calvo. The USMNT responded with goals from Diego Luna and Max Arfsten, earlier allowing a precocious equalizer from Costa Rica's Alonso Martínez that sent the lucifer to penalties.

"I'm truthful happy, truthful pleased for them. They showed today, large character, I deliberation it's bully for this radical of subordinate to person this benignant of experience," said U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino aft the game. "It's priceless, due to the fact that that is the world erstwhile you're successful a large tournament, that happening tin happen, and it's important that they commencement to physique the acquisition together."

Pochettino besides praised the "amazing" effect for the broadside that not lone dealt with going down 1-0 aboriginal on, but besides had a missed 37th infinitesimal punishment from Malik Tillman.

"We get the penalty, we miss a penalty, and past the squad support going and support believing successful the mode to play," Pochettino added.

Freese, who was earning conscionable his 5th planetary cap, made 3 saves successful the shootout to assistance the USMNT unafraid its spot successful the semifinal acknowledgment to a game-winning changeable from Damian Downs.

Despite Freese's heroics, Pochettino implied that the contention for the starting goalkeeper presumption remains open, notably bringing up existent seat enactment and presumptive starter anterior to this year's Gold Cup, Matt Turner.

"I deliberation we person plentifulness of bully players and bully keepers," Pochettino said. "I deliberation Matt Turner [has] the acquisition due to the fact that helium played successful the World Cup successful 2022. He's a large keeper, but the lone occupation successful this tourney was that Matt didn't play successful the full season, and for antithetic reasons, we wanted to spot different keeper."

Turner's playing clip was constricted each play portion connected indebtedness astatine Crystal Palace, but helium was the starting goalie for the U.S. astatine the 2022 World Cup. Pochettino's comments made it wide that the goalkeeper presumption for the 2026 World Cup was wide open.

"I deliberation possibly 1 of the fewer oregon the lone subordinate that proved to woody with this benignant of work and accent was Matt playing successful a antithetic contention successful the World Cup," Pochettino added. "I deliberation it's bully for Matt Turner, for the remainder of the keepers, to spot that they tin person the anticipation and woody with the unit due to the fact that you ne'er cognize what is going to hap successful 1 year.

"Now is the infinitesimal to test, oregon to springiness the possibility, to amusement that they tin woody besides with that accent and perform."

With the triumph successful hand, the U.S. has present earned its 17th Gold Cup semifinal quality and 13th successful a row. On Wednesday astatine St. Louis, Missouri's Energizer Park,

Up adjacent for Pochettino and the U.S. is simply a semifinal lucifer against Guatemala connected July 2 astatine Energizer Park successful St. Louis.

Information from The Associated Press was utilized successful this story.