Goalkeeper Matt Freese was the hero on Sunday as the US defeated Costa Rica 4-3 on penalties to reach the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Freese made three saves in the shoot-out after the game finished 2-2 at the end of 90 minutes to send US manager Mauricio Pochettino’s side into a semi-final against Guatemala.
Harvard-educated New York City goalkeeper Freese saved spot-kicks from Juan Pablo Vargas, Francisco Calvo and Andy Rojas to leave 20-year-old US substitute Damion Downs to sweep in the winning penalty at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Photo: AP
“Penalties are my thing,” Freese said. “On the plane ride over here to Minnesota I was studying the penalties, so I was ready for it if we needed it. It was a full team effort — it really shows the energy and the mentality of this group to come back from 1-0 ... then, you know, everyone steps up for PKs and does a great job.”
The US next face a Guatemala side who stunned Canada in Sunday’s other quarter-final, winning 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
The game had gone to penalties after an entertaining match that saw the US recover from an early goal to take the lead before Costa Rica hit back in the second half.
Pochettino’s side got off to the worst possible start when Costa Rica took the lead from the penalty spot after just 12 minutes.
Poor positioning down the US left flank allowed Costa Rica to attack, and a clumsy challenge from Max Arfsten bundled over Kenneth Vargas in the penalty area.
Guatemalan referee Walter Lopez pointed to the spot and Francisco Calvo duly drilled the spot-kick past Freese.
The US thought they had been handed a lifeline in the 35th minute when Juan Pablo Vargas caught Malik Tillman on the back of the ankle with a sliding tackle.
The incident was reviewed by the video assistant referee and Lopez again pointed to the spot.
Tillman, who had never previously taken a penalty in his professional career, stepped up to face Costa Rica legend Keylor Navas, and promptly smashed his spot-kick against the foot of the post.
However, the US did not have long to wait for their leveler, which came with a large slice of luck in the 43rd minute.
Arfsten found space down the left and picked out Diego Luna in the penalty area, and the midfielder’s shot took a wicked deflection off Alexis Gamboa on its way into the net.
The US started the second half the same way they finished the first, and this time it was Arfsten’s turn to score.
Tillman burst free on the edge of the penalty area and laid off into the path of the overlapping Arfsten, who steered in a low finish into the bottom corner.
The US almost made it 3-1 moments later only for Chris Richards’ powerful header to be clawed away by the 38-year-old Navas.
The US would rue that miss after Costa Rica leveled in the 71st minute.
Carlos Mora showed great trickery to bamboozle Luca de la Torre and Arfsten down the right before cutting inside and shooting. Freese saved, but Mora passed to Alonso Martinez on the rebound who fired in the equalizer for 2-2.
Martinez almost gave Costa Rica a dramatic winner in the 85th minute, but his curling shot cannoned off the post with Freese beaten, setting up the penalty drama.
Tainan TSG Hawks slugger Steven Moya, who is leading the CPBL in home runs, has withdrawn from this weekend’s All-Star Game after the unexpected death of his wife. Moya’s wife began feeling severely unwell aboard a plane that landed at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday evening. She was rushed to a hospital, but passed away, the Hawks said in a statement yesterday. The franchise is assisting Moya with funeral arrangements and hopes fans who were looking forward to seeing him at the All-Star Game can understand his decision to withdraw. According to Landseed Medical Clinic, whose staff attempted to save Moya’s wife,
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt yesterday backed Nick Champion de Crespigny to be the team’s “roving scavenger” after handing him a shock debut in the opening Test against the British and Irish Lions Test in Brisbane. Hard man Champion de Crespigny, who spent three seasons at French side Castres before moving to the Western Force this year, is to get his chance tomorrow with first-choice blindside flanker Rob Valetini not fully fit. His elevation is an eye-opener, preferred to Tom Hooper, but Schmidt said he had no doubt about his abilities. “I keep an eye on the Top 14 having coached there many years
Ukrainian coal miner Andrii’s face lit up when he talked about meeting Oleksandr Usyk. “Wow,” the 36-year-old said in English. Andrii and more than a dozen other war veterans were on hand when Usyk beat Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion. It was a rematch of their 2023 bout that Andrii viewed under vastly different circumstances. “I watched this fight on the front line on my phone,” he said through an interpreter during a stop on Friday at the Ukrainian Embassy in London. “We were watching very quietly, but when he won there was loud
Saudi Arabia yesterday were drawn to take on Iraq and Indonesia in the fourth phase of Asia’s preliminaries for next year’s FIFA World Cup, with back-to-back Asian Cup winners Qatar to face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. The winners of each of the three-team groups, which are to be played in October, would join already-qualified Australia, Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran and Jordan at next year’s expanded 48-nation finals in the US, Canada and Mexico. Saudi Arabia, who are attempting to qualify for a seventh World Cup finals since 1994, are to host Group A and open against Indonesia on
RSS