The U.S. men’s national team made it dramatic, but booked its spot in the semifinals of the Concacaf Gold Cup on Sunday night, beating Costa Rica in penalty kicks in the semifinal.
New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese stopped three penalty kicks in the shootout, while Damion Downs scored the winning shot for the Stars and Stripes after the teams tied 2–2 through 90 minutes of play.
Costa Rica were first to hit the back of the net in the matchup, when Francisco Calvo slotted home a 12th-minute penalty kick, keeping his side in the lead until Diego Luna equalized things at 1–1 in the 43rd minute for the Americans.
Max Arfsten with a perfect finish! pic.twitter.com/dRXfJuZBhY
— Gold Cup (@GoldCup) June 30, 2025
Coming out of halftime, the USMNT grabbed their first lead of the night, as Max Arfsten slotted home his first international goal in the 49th minute. However, head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s team surrendered the lead in the 71st minute, as Freese’s NYCFC teammate Alonso Martinez found his second goal of the tournament.
With no extra time, the match went straight to penalties, where the USMNT prevailed and booked their spot in the semifinal against Guatemala, the No. 106-ranked side in the world, which beat No. 30 Canada earlier in the day.
USMNT Player Ratings vs. Costa Rica (4-2-3-1)
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Costa Rica Player Ratings vs. USMNT (4-2-3-1)
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as USMNT 2–2 Costa Rica: Player Ratings as U.S. Clinch Gold Cup Semifinal Berth on Penalties.
