USMNT's grit, character is shining at Gold Cup, which will help at 2026 World Cup

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- As Mike Tyson erstwhile opined, everyone has a program until they get punched successful the face. But the United States men's nationalist squad went 1 amended successful its Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal matchup against Costa Rica.

On Sunday, the USMNT took aggregate haymakers to the noggin. Granted, that's the norm successful Concacaf, but successful this lucifer the U.S. stayed connected its feet agelong capable to present the last blow, with Damion Downs converting the location side's last effort successful the punishment shootout to triumph the tiebreaker 4-3, aft other clip finished 2-2. Now the U.S. volition look Guatemala, winners of the day's different quarterfinal against Canada, successful the semifinals Wednesday.

This lucifer was filled with a level of turbulence nary magnitude of Dramamine could counteract. Players alternated betwixt villain and hero, sometimes wrong a azygous half. You had Max Arfsten conceding a penalty, assisting connected Diego Luna's equalizer and scoring his archetypal planetary goal, lone to get bushed successful the run-up to Costa Rica's second. There was Malik Tillman, who missed a first-half penalty, assisted connected Arfsten's goal, converted his effort successful the shootout and took heaps of maltreatment -- some carnal and verbal -- from Los Ticos each crippled long.

But passim the game's upheavals, the U.S. managed to instrumentality to its plan. Luna looked agleam successful a originative role, and the three-man midfield of Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter and Luca de la Torre showed promise. All of it proved to beryllium capable to advance.

"I deliberation we showed large character, large character," said U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino. "Okay, we [concede] a penalty, we get the penalty, we miss a punishment and past the squad support going and support believing successful the mode to play."

The biggest leader of them each was Matt Freese. The New York City FC goalkeeper has had his stock of difficulties during the tournament, too: the extremity helium conceded against Haiti was connected him; helium astir apt could person done amended successful the run-up to Alonso Martínez's 71st-minute equalizer erstwhile helium gave up a juicy rebound from Carlos Mora; and erstwhile the punishment shootout beckoned, determination was a consciousness that Costa Rica, with legendary keeper Keylor Navas successful net, had the edge.

But Freese possessed immoderate advantages arsenic well; aft all, this is simply a antheral who during his assemblage days astatine Harvard University did "a precise agelong probe task connected punishment kicks."

"To beryllium capable to trust connected that benignant of happening and woody with a batch of statistic and worldly similar that, work the crippled and work their hips and things similar that is massive," Freese said.

However, mentation volition lone get a keeper truthful far. The present and present successful a shootout provides its ain unsocial acceptable of challenges, astir of them psychological. Freese's prevention from Juan Vargas successful the 2nd circular of spot kicks got the USMNT's chemoreceptor successful front, lone for Berhalter to past entity his effort implicit the bar. The miss required a intelligence reset for Freese, who past saved Francisco Calvo's attempt.

"After the archetypal prevention I went implicit to the country and I kept repeating to myself, 'I privation another, I privation another,'" helium said. "And past aft the 2nd prevention I did the aforesaid thing, kept telling myself, 'I privation another.'"

The psyche occupation was needed. The U.S. had a accidental to triumph the shootout successful the 5th round, but Navas saved John Tolkin's effort. But Freese was acceptable again and denied Juan Rojas with the archetypal footwear successful abrupt death, leaving Downs to occurrence location the winner.

"I don't cognize astir being definite of yourself to win. I deliberation you've got to instrumentality it 1 by one," said Freese astir the shootout. "But I'm super, ace grateful that I was capable to assistance my squad triumph today."

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Pochettino: We showed large quality vs. Costa Rica

Mauricio Pochettino believes his USMNT are starting to amusement their prime aft they precocious to the Gold Cup semifinals.

Everything astir this crippled -- and this tourney -- has yielded layers of acquisition that are priceless for a young group. It's inactive unclear however galore players from this roster volition beryllium astir to lend erstwhile the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins successful a small little than a year's clip -- particularly erstwhile all the stars are reintegrated -- but it's imperative that they beryllium acceptable if their sanction is called, and passing these kinds of tests is what volition supply them with the benignant of instauration that can't beryllium obtained anyplace else. It's encouraging to spot this radical survive, and successful immoderate cases thrive.

"I deliberation everyone successful our squad has that mentality, but there's going to beryllium definite situations wherever you're tested, you cognize what I mean?" said Adams. "So you tin spot it successful training. You tin spot it successful immoderate games, erstwhile games are easy. But it's erstwhile s--- gets hard [you find out] if you're going to measurement up to the plate. And contiguous a batch of guys did that."

This applies to Arfsten possibly astir of all. He said postmatch: "I mean shot is ups and downs. Everybody knows that. But for maine it was conscionable each astir trying to marque my people connected this crippled and get my 'get-back' arsenic immoderate would say. And I consciousness similar I did that, and evidently there's ever country to improve, but I'm blessed with however I showed resiliency."

That said, determination were plentifulness of different lessons to beryllium learned from this match. They are the kinds of experiences that are easier to digest erstwhile you're winning, but could travel backmost to wound the squad aboriginal if they're not corrected. The U.S. seemed good connected apical aft Arfsten's extremity 2 minutes into the 2nd half, and helium clipped the transverse barroom 8 minutes later. But the slayer 3rd extremity ne'er came and arsenic Costa Rica dug heavy into its seat -- adjacent arsenic it was missing 5 players owed to suspension oregon wounded -- the lucifer tilted successful favour of Los Ticos.

"I deliberation you tin enactment the crippled to bed, and I deliberation that's an important infinitesimal that if you springiness immoderate of these teams life, past they're going to beryllium capable to instrumentality it," said Adams.

Semifinal opponents Guatemala, who survived a punishment shootout of their ain to upset heavy favored Canada, person excelled astatine breathing beingness into games that appeared to beryllium retired of reach. The U.S. volition request to beryllium connected its guard.

The seasoned enactment connected the squad wasted nary clip aft the lucifer successful imparting much wisdom. As the U.S. walked disconnected the field, 1 could spot defender Tim Ream with his limb astir Berhalter, apt discussing the game's twists and turns, and providing the nudge needed to determination forward. But with each step, each triumph, and yes, adjacent the mistakes, this USMNT is discovering a small spot much astir itself.

Deficits tin beryllium overcome. Tactical problems tin beryllium solved. And it tin present successful the toughest of circumstances truthful that the squad inactive comes retired connected top.