Freese the hero as USMNT grinds out another Gold Cup victory

MINNEAPOLIS -- 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 connected Sunday.

Held astatine U.S. Bank Stadium successful Minneapolis, Minnesota, 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 half, but failed to equalize aft Malik Tillman's 37th infinitesimal accidental deed the woodwork.

U.S. winger Diego Luna leveled the quarterfinal with a deflected changeable that went successful soon earlier half-time and and, aft the break, Arfsten stepped up with a 47th infinitesimal extremity that pushed the Americans up 2-1. In the last stages of regularisation time, Costa Rica past made it 2-2 done a 71st infinitesimal 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 game-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 making his USMNT debut against Turkey successful a friendly, the New York City FC goalkeeper astatine archetypal looked similar a backup enactment that 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, present the question is if Freese is 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 circular 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 idiosyncratic similar erstwhile Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

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

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

Let's archetypal commencement with immoderate deserved praise. The USMNT person present earned their 17th Gold Cup semifinal quality and 13th successful a row, meaning that successful bid to find the past clip they were 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 rollercoaster successful caller games. In their 2 last group-stage matches, the USMNT needed 2nd fractional game-winners that earned constrictive victories against underdogs Saudi Arabia and Haiti. That tense quality past continued into the 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 they volition beryllium dense favorites against Guatemala.

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

Credit besides indispensable beryllium fixed to the 24-year-old full-back. 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 their 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 connected 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 action, is the adjacent one."

Arfsten intelligibly appears to beryllium increasing nether the Argentine's tutelage.