U.S. beats Costa Rica in shootout to reach semis

Damion Downs scored successful the sixth circular of a shootout aft 3 saves by Matt Freese, sending the U.S. to the semifinals of the Concacaf Gold Cup with a 3-2 shootout triumph implicit Costa Rica aft a a 2-2 necktie connected Sunday night.

The U.S. precocious to a Wednesday matchup successful St. Louis against Guatemala, which upset Canada on punishment kicks successful the opener of the quarterfinal doubleheader.

Mexico plays Honduras successful the different semifinal connected Wednesday successful Santa Clara, California. The title is successful Houston connected July 6.

The U.S. has reached the semifinals successful 17 of 18 Gold Cups, including 13 consecutive since a quarterfinal nonaccomplishment to Colombia connected punishment kicks successful 2000.

Diego Luna and Max Arfsten scored successful regularisation for the U.S., which faced its highest-ranked hostile of the tourney successful Costa Rica (54th) aft breezing done the radical signifier with an 8-1 extremity differential.

Alonso Martinez scored the tying extremity for the Ticos successful the 71st infinitesimal with a left-footed changeable aft Carlos Mora divided Luca de La Torre and Arsten to instrumentality a changeable connected Freese and prehend the rebound to acceptable up Martinez.

Concacaf changed the rules for this variation of the biennial title for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, eliminating other clip but for the title game.

John Tolkin had the archetypal accidental to triumph the shootout for the U.S. Keylor Navas knocked down his effort successful the 5th round. Freese past denied Andy Rojas with a diving hand, climbing to his feet portion nodding his caput and sticking retired his lingua toward his cheering teammates astatine midfield.

That acceptable up the victor by the 20-year-old Downs.

Missing the tourney for the U.S. are regulars Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun and Sergiño Dest, owed to a assortment of reasons from injuries to remainder to Club World Cup commitments.

The Ticos played without 4 cardinal players. Forward Manfred Ugalde, who had 3 goals successful the tournament, and midfielder Carlos Mora were suspended for yellow-card accumulation. Defender Ariel Lassiter (broken near hand) and guardant Warren Madrigal (broken near leg) were sidelined by injuries.

Three of Costa Rica's six goals during the radical signifier came by punishment kick, and Francisco Calvo added different 1 successful the 12th infinitesimal aft a foul by Arsten. Calvo went debased to zip the shot conscionable retired of scope of a diving Freese.

Malik Tillman, who had 3 radical signifier goals, enactment a 37th-minute punishment footwear disconnected a station and Navas knocked distant Arfsten's effort disconnected the rebound.

Luna picked him up with his archetypal extremity successful planetary contention by rocketing a changeable disconnected the thorax of defender Alexis Gamboa for the equalizer successful the 43rd minute.

Tillman made amends for his miss aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional by poking a walk up for Arfsten, who surged successful from the near helping to nonstop the shot into the other country for the lead.