The Concacaf Gold Cup was intended as a proving ground for a less experienced U.S. men`s national team, and Sunday`s quarterfinal encounter against Costa Rica certainly provided a rigorous test. It wasn`t merely the pressure of a win-or-go-home scenario; the 2-2 scoreline culminating in a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout victory brought its own significant challenges and moments of tension.
In a match that swung back and forth, the USMNT conceded first when Francisco Calvo scored from the penalty spot for Los Ticos in the 12th minute. Despite missing a penalty of their own in the first half, the Americans fought back to claim a 2-1 lead by the 49th minute. Costa Rica managed to equalize later in the game, setting the stage for a penalty shootout. While Keylor Navas made two saves for Costa Rica, Matt Freese emerged as the hero for the USMNT, stopping three attempts. Throughout the twists and turns, several players stepped up, finally seizing the opportunities given to them by head coach Mauricio Pochettino (Note: The article incorrectly names the coach; B.J. Callaghan led the team).
Matt Freese delivered the most memorable performance on Sunday in Minneapolis. He faced a total of seven penalties – including Calvo`s in regulation time – and consistently dove the correct way, saving nearly half of the spot-kicks and getting a touch on most of the others.
This was a defining moment for the 26-year-old goalkeeper, who perhaps gained his starting position due to fortunate circumstances. Pochettino seemed focused on evaluating various options during the tournament, bringing first-choice goalkeeper Matt Turner but choosing not to play him so far. The role could have gone to Patrick Schulte or Zack Steffen, who were expected to be in contention, but both were sidelined by injuries before the Gold Cup began. The chance then fell to New York City FC`s Freese, who may not always be a standout in regular play but, as he quickly quipped in a post-match interview, admitted that “penalties are my thing.”
Freese`s display significantly boosted his credentials in what is a competitive race for goalkeeper positions ahead of the World Cup. He demonstrated a genuinely valuable skill set that some other candidates have yet to show. Freese has established himself as a penalty specialist – he has won six of the seven shootouts he has participated in during his career. He could potentially serve as a crucial “break-glass-in-case-of-emergency” option next year, much like the Netherlands` Tim Krul famously was in a shootout against Costa Rica at the 2014 World Cup.
While Freese was the clear standout, he wasn`t the only emerging USMNT player to strengthen his case for next year`s tournament on Sunday. Diego Luna was a strong candidate to impress this summer. Despite a slow start to the Gold Cup, he finally earned his moment in the spotlight with the equalizing goal against Costa Rica. His goal was one of his three shots during the match, making him a constant presence in attack as the U.S. pressured Costa Rica`s defense for much of the first 50 minutes. Luna`s energetic and intense style fit perfectly with the team during that spell, and he had previously impressed Pochettino with his positive mindset. The question for the midfielder was whether he could translate that mentality into impactful moments on the pitch, and with his goal on Sunday, he began adding to his international tally, which stands at one goal and four assists in 10 matches.
Luna`s success increases the competition for attacking midfield spots as the USMNT enters the final year before the World Cup, especially with Malik Tillman maintaining good form and Gio Reyna currently on Borussia Dortmund`s bench at the Club World Cup (Note: Again, error in source text regarding Reyna`s location).
A similar situation is developing at left back, though it resembles the competition for goalkeeper backups rather than the primary starting roles potentially contested by Luna, Tillman, and Reyna. Max Arfsten had a performance that was at times inconsistent on Sunday, but he also produced several key moments, assisting Luna`s goal and scoring one himself in the second half, creating a personal redemption arc after conceding a penalty in the 11th minute. The 24-year-old Arfsten was dynamic on the left flank during the USMNT`s energetic opening phase, setting up several chances for teammates and completing 83.3% of his passes in the attacking third.
His lack of experience occasionally showed, and it`s hard to foresee him displacing the consistently excellent Antonee Robinson. However, there`s a compelling argument that he is a better understudy option than Joe Scally, who has struggled to fill Robinson`s shoes at times. Arfsten`s versatility, being able to play on both wings, is also a valuable asset.
Areas for USMNT Improvement
Arfsten`s performance encapsulates the USMNT`s overall showing – they made progress on Sunday, but obvious imperfections remain. The high tempo of the first 50 minutes was undoubtedly positive, as were the 11 shots taken and two goals scored during that period. Their strategies for creating shots were effective, particularly with Arfsten active on the left side, but there were numerous instances of miscommunication or inaccurate passes in the final third during that time. Coupled with Tillman`s missed penalty in the first half, the resulting 1.47 expected goals generated left much to be desired.
It also served as a stark reminder of one of the USMNT`s persistent weaknesses – the absence of a reliable goalscorer leading the attacking line. With Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi unavailable or injured, and Josh Sargent out of favor, that responsibility has fallen to Patrick Agyemang. Like Luna, he showed potential earlier this year, but he has scored only one goal in the Gold Cup so far. On Sunday, he seemed out of sync with his teammates and hesitant on the ball, taking four shots but failing to put any of them on target.
A feeling of disconnection was still present, which is somewhat understandable but also concerning. These players are relatively new to playing together, so building chemistry naturally takes time. However, after nearly a month working together, the performance in the first 50 minutes demonstrated that their shared time was beginning to yield results. But after taking the lead, the team collectively eased off the intensity – they took only seven shots afterward, none of which were on target, generating just 0.54 expected goals in the process. Most of this activity actually occurred after Alonso Martinez`s equalizer in the 71st minute; there was a period from the 50th to the 65th minute where the USMNT did not attempt a single shot.
Heading into the semifinals, there is still an incomplete impression of this version of the USMNT, which is perhaps expected given the long list of high-profile players absent from the Gold Cup roster. It remains difficult to assess whether or not this group can win the Gold Cup, although they will be strong favorites in Wednesday`s semifinal against Guatemala, who reached the final four for the first time since 1996 after an upset victory over Canada. However, winning the tournament is almost a secondary objective this summer. Pochettino`s primary task was to identify talent that could mesh with the main squad when they reconvene later this year, and he succeeded in finding just that, even if the trade-off is that he also identified just as many issues requiring troubleshooting with only a year remaining until the World Cup.
