The Concacaf Gold Cup was designed to be a testing ground for a young and inexperienced U.S. Men`s National Team squad, and their quarterfinal match against Costa Rica on Sunday proved to be a significant challenge. It wasn`t just the pressure of a win-or-go-home knockout game, but the 2-2 scoreline, ultimately decided by a 4-3 penalty shootout victory, clearly showed the intense pressure and difficulty of the contest.
In a tightly contested match that swung back and forth, the USMNT fell behind early when Francisco Calvo scored a penalty for Costa Rica in the 12th minute. Despite missing their own penalty later in the first half, the USMNT fought back to take a 2-1 lead by the 49th minute. Costa Rica managed to equalize before a dramatic penalty shootout in which Keylor Navas made two saves for Los Ticos, and Matt Freese delivered three crucial saves for the USMNT. Amidst these twists and turns, several players seized the opportunity presented by the head coach.
Matt Freese delivered arguably the most memorable performance on Sunday in Minneapolis. He faced a total of seven penalties, including Calvo`s early one, and demonstrated excellent instincts, diving the correct way on nearly every attempt. He saved almost half the spot kicks he faced and got a touch on most of the others.
The head coach had seemingly planned to evaluate various options throughout the tournament, bringing first-choice keeper Matt Turner but choosing not to play him in the matches leading up to this game. The starting role might have gone to keepers like Patrick Schulte of the Columbus Crew or Zack Steffen of the Colorado Rapids, both of whom were expected to be in contention but withdrew due to injuries before the Gold Cup started. This turn of events opened the door for New York City FC`s Freese. While he may not always stand out in regular game play, he confidently stated in a post-match interview, “penalties are my thing.”
Freese`s standout performance significantly boosted his chances in what is shaping up to be a competitive battle for the goalkeeper spots on the World Cup roster. His proven ability in penalty situations offers a valuable skill set that some other contenders in the player pool have yet to fully demonstrate at the international level. Freese has established himself as a penalty specialist, having won six out of the seven shootouts he`s participated in during his career. This makes him a compelling `break-glass-in-case-of-emergency` option for future high-stakes moments, reminiscent of the Netherlands` strategic use of Tim Krul specifically for the penalty shootout against Costa Rica at the 2014 World Cup.
While Freese was undoubtedly the standout performer, several other promising young USMNT players also made a strong case for their inclusion in future squads, including potentially the World Cup roster. Midfielder Luna was seen as a key prospect coming into the summer tournament. After a slow start to the Gold Cup, he finally seized his moment by scoring the crucial equalizer against Costa Rica. His goal was one of his three shots taken during the match, and he was a constant attacking presence as the U.S. dominated much of the first 50 minutes, keeping Costa Rica`s defense under pressure. Luna`s energetic and intense style was a perfect match for the team`s approach during that period. He had previously impressed the coaching staff with his positive mindset. The key question for the young midfielder was whether he could translate that positive mentality into decisive moments on the pitch. By scoring on Sunday, he began adding to his international statistics, which now stand at one goal and four assists in 10 appearances.
Luna`s emergence adds to the growing competition for attacking midfield roles as the USMNT heads into the final year before the World Cup. This competition is further intensified by Malik Tillman`s strong form and Gio Reyna`s current situation, reportedly on Borussia Dortmund`s bench at the Club World Cup.
A similar dynamic is unfolding at the left-back position, although the competition there seems more focused on backup roles rather than challenging for the starting spot, unlike the battle for attacking midfield featuring Luna, Tillman, and Reyna. Max Arfsten`s performance on Sunday was somewhat uneven, but he undeniably produced several key moments. He assisted Luna`s equalizing goal and scored one himself in the second half, creating a personal redemption story after conceding an early penalty in the 11th minute. The 24-year-old Arfsten displayed dynamism on the left wing during the USMNT`s energetic opening period. He created chances for teammates and completed an impressive 83.3% of his passes in the attacking third during this time.
His inexperience was apparent at times, and it`s difficult to see him displacing Antonee Robinson, who has been consistently excellent for both Fulham and the USMNT recently. However, there`s a case to be made that he could serve as a more effective backup than Joe Scally, who has struggled at times when filling in for Robinson. Arfsten`s versatility, being able to play on both wings, is also a significant asset.
USMNT`s room for improvement
Arfsten`s performance serves as a good illustration of the USMNT`s overall showing in the match – they made progress and showed promise, but clear areas for improvement remain visible. The high tempo maintained during the first 50 minutes was a definite positive, contributing to 11 shots and two goals generated in that period. Their strategies for creating scoring opportunities were effective, particularly with Arfsten`s activity on the left flank, but the final pass or touch in the attacking third often lacked precision. Combined with Tillman missing a penalty earlier in the match, the resulting 1.47 expected goals figure for that period suggests they should have scored more and highlights inefficiency.
The match also highlighted a persistent issue for the USMNT: the lack of a consistently reliable goalscorer leading the forward line. With Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi out injured, and Josh Sargent seemingly out of favor, the responsibility has largely fallen to Patrick Agyemang. Like Luna, Agyemang had shown promise earlier in the year, but has managed just one goal in the Gold Cup tournament so far. Against Costa Rica, he appeared somewhat disconnected from his teammates and hesitant with possession, taking four shots without managing to put any on target.
A general feeling of disconnect persisted at times. While somewhat understandable given the relatively new group of players, it was also a cause for concern. The players are still relatively new to playing together, so developing chemistry naturally takes time. However, the performance in the first 50 minutes, after nearly a month of training and matches together, showed that their collective effort was beginning to yield positive results. However, after gaining the lead, the team collectively seemed to ease off. They took seven shots in the remainder of the match but none were on target, generating only 0.54 expected goals during this period. Most of these shots came after Alonso Martinez`s 71st-minute equalizer. Notably, there was a concerning fifteen-minute spell from the 50th to the 65th minute where the USMNT failed to register a single shot.
As they head into the semifinals, this version of the USMNT still feels somewhat incomplete, which is perhaps understandable given the lengthy list of regular starters and key players absent from this Gold Cup squad. It remains difficult to definitively assess whether this group has the capability to go on and win the Gold Cup. However, they will enter Wednesday`s semifinal against Guatemala as heavy favorites. Guatemala reached the final four for the first time since 1996 after a surprising upset victory over Canada. Ultimately, winning the tournament feels almost secondary this summer. The coach`s primary objective was to identify players who could potentially integrate with the main USMNT squad later in the year. He has certainly found some promising talents, although the process has also revealed a number of areas that need addressing with just one year remaining before the World Cup.
