Freese saves the day as USMNT grinds out another Gold Cup victory

Thanks to 3 saves from goalkeeper Matt Freese successful a melodramatic punishment shootout against Costa Rica successful a Gold Cup quarterfinal, the United States earned a comeback triumph aft a 2-2 effect successful regularisation clip Sunday astatine U.S. Bank Stadium.

The USMNT initially suffered an aboriginal setback aft Costa Rica's Francisco Calvo scored disconnected a punishment successful the 12th infinitesimal pursuing a foul from Max Arfsten. Throwing plentifulness of numbers guardant successful response, caput manager Mauricio Pochettino and his men aboriginal won a punishment of their ain successful the archetypal fractional but failed to equalize aft Malik Tillman's 37th-minute accidental deed the woodwork.

U.S. winger Diego Luna leveled the quarterfinal with a deflected changeable that went successful soon earlier halftime and, aft the break, Arfsten stepped up with a 47th-minute extremity that pushed the Americans up 2-1. In the last stages of regularisation time, Costa Rica made it 2-2 done a 71st-minute extremity from Alonso Martínez, mounting the lucifer up for penalties to determine the adjacent semifinalist.

In the shootout, Freese stood gangly with his 3 saves, providing striker Damion Downs with the level to people the winning accidental to marque it 4-3 successful penalties.

With a semifinal present acceptable against Guatemala, present are the 3 biggest talking points from Sunday's U.S. victory.

1. Freese the punishment shootout hero

Just a fewer weeks ago, erstwhile Freese made his USMNT debut successful a affable against Turkey, the New York City FC goalkeeper looked similar a backup enactment who would beryllium warring for a spot connected the seat successful the 2026 World Cup.

Five starts aboriginal and arsenic arguably the Man of the Match against Costa Rica, Freese mightiness present beryllium an indisputable starter for the nationalist team.

Despite being progressive successful an mistake successful the radical stage, the 26-year-old was a reliable enactment successful nett for Pochettino with 2 cleanable sheets, thereby earning a spot successful the XI for Sunday's knockout-round match. Pointing the blasted and superior disapproval astatine Freese for either of Costa Rica's 2 goals during regularisation clip would beryllium a stretch, and during the punishment shootout, the American keeper recovered a mode to outshine erstwhile Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

Now Freese has 3 shootout saves, a spot successful the semifinal circular of the Gold Cup and, astir notably, a continued spot arsenic the existent No. 1 goalkeeper for the USMNT.

2. Poch's alternate roster gets the occupation (narrowly) done

Let's commencement with immoderate deserved praise. The USMNT has present earned its 17th Gold Cup semifinal quality and 13th successful a row. The past clip it was eliminated successful the quarterfinals of the tourney was successful 2000 vs. Colombia connected penalties.

Keeping successful caput that Pochettino has had to enactment with an alternate roster that is missing a fig of cardinal players this summer, the manager and his players should beryllium fixed the payment of immoderate doubts that person emerged done their -- truthful acold -- undefeated Gold Cup run.

That said, the process has been a roller coaster successful caller games. In its 2 last group-stage matches, the USMNT needed 2nd fractional winners that earned constrictive victories against underdogs Saudi Arabia and Haiti. That tense quality past continued into a quarterfinal that went to penalties, and, were it not for Freese, we mightiness beryllium having a antithetic speech altogether astir the nationalist team.

Nonetheless, that negativity volition person to beryllium enactment connected hold. Nervy results oregon not, Pochettino has gotten the occupation done astatine the Gold Cup and has motivated his broadside to a semifinal invitation wherever it volition beryllium a dense favourite against Guatemala.

3. Another setback, followed by a leap guardant for Arfsten

Credit besides indispensable beryllium fixed to the 24-year-old fullback. When Arfsten brought down Costa Rica's Kenneth Vargas successful the archetypal half, the mistake that led to a punishment seemed to solidify a disappointing Gold Cup for the subordinate that had looked similar a antiaircraft liability successful his erstwhile quality against Saudi Arabia past week.

It's not casual to bounce backmost from specified a high-profile mistake successful the knockout round, but the Columbus Crew SC subordinate did conscionable that with not lone an assistance for Luna's equalizer, but besides with a second-half extremity that enactment the Americans up successful the quarterfinal.

Granted, immoderate mediocre man-marking provided Costa Rica with a way to find its 2nd goal, but Arfsten should inactive beryllium applauded for his beardown mentality, which is emblematic of what Pochettino is trying to physique wrong his roster that bounced backmost Sunday.

During a media availability earlier successful the radical stage, the coach, noting that players shouldn't dwell connected immoderate errors, rhetorically asked those successful attendance what the astir important enactment connected the tract is.

Pochettino's answer: "The astir important enactment is the adjacent one."

Arfsten appears to beryllium increasing nether the Pochettino's tutelage.