Damion Downs scored within the sixth spherical of a penalty shootout after three saves by Matt Freese to ship the US to the semi-finals of the Concacaf Gold Cup after Sunday evening’s match had led to a 2-2 draw.
The US will play Guatemala on Wednesday after they upset Canada in one other shootout within the opener of the quarter-final doubleheader in Minneapolis. Mexico play Honduras within the different semi-final on Wednesday. The ultimate is in Houston on 6 July.
“They confirmed as we speak nice character,” USA coach Mauricio Pochettino stated of his staff’s efforts.
Freese batted away makes an attempt by Juan Pablo Vargas, Francisco Calvo and Andy Rojas within the shootout, which the US gained 4-3.
“Penalties are my factor,” Freese stated. “On the airplane trip over right here to Minnesota I used to be learning the penalties and I’ve been learning all of them week.”
The US have reached the semi-finals in 17 of 18 Gold Cups, together with 13 straight since a loss on penalties to Colombia in a 2000 quarter-final.
Diego Luna and Max Arfsten scored in regulation for the US, who confronted their hardest opponent of the event to date in Costa Rica after breezing by the group stage with an 8-1 aim differential.
Alonso Martinez scored the tying aim for Los Ticos within the 71st minute with a left-footed shot after Carlos Mora break up Luca de La Torre and Arsten to take a shot on Freese and seize the rebound to arrange Martinez.
Concacaf modified the principles for this version of the event, eliminating additional time apart from the ultimate.
John Tolkin had the primary likelihood to win the shootout for the US however Keylor Navas knocked down his try within the fifth spherical of kicks.
Freese then denied Rojas, protruding his tongue towards his cheering teammates at midfield. That arrange the winner by the 20-year-old Downs.
The US are taking part in with a weakened squad for this event after a number of of their finest gamers, together with Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun and Sergiño Dest, withdrew for a wide range of causes, from accidents to relaxation to Membership World Cup commitments.
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Costa Rica performed with out 4 key gamers on Sunday. Ahead Manfred Ugalde, who had three targets within the event, and midfielder Carlos Mora had been suspended for yellow-card accumulation. Defender Ariel Lassiter and ahead Warren Madrigal had been sidelined by accidents.
Three of Costa Rica’s six targets in the course of the group stage got here by penalty kick, and Calvo added one other one within the twelfth minute after a foul by Arsten. Calvo went low to zip the ball simply out of attain of a diving Freese.
Malik Tillman put a Thirty seventh-minute penalty off a put up and Navas knocked away Arfsten’s try off the rebound.
Luna scored his first worldwide aim within the forty third by rocketing a shot off the chest of defender Alexis Gamboa. Tillman made amends for his miss early within the second half by poking a cross forward for Arfsten, who surged in from a wing to ship the ball into the other nook for a 2-1 lead.