The US needed more than a trophy from the Gold Cup, and they may just get it | USA

You can, as they say, only beat the teams in front of you. You can only play with the guys you have. And you can only overcome the challenges you face.

When the United States national male team met to embark on the Concacaf Gold Cup in progress in early June, the success of the regional championship was difficult to define for the seven champions. After all, they appeared absent 10 regular and entered an event that hardly offered the strongest opposition in the world.

However, this deeply diluted and sometimes simple American side passed the test after the test.

In the group phase, the Americans played well -organized opponents; Adversaries who were animated; Opponents who were simple with God. And that beat them all-that is to say respectively Saudi Arabia, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago.

Sunday evening in Minneapolis, the USMNT checked several other boxes by beating Costa Rica in the quarterfinals to go to a semi-final with Guatemala in St Louis on Wednesday. The Mauricio Pochettino team did it by overcoming its first deficit in the tournament, corresponding to a fiery opponent in their zeal and their energy and, in the end, surviving a 4-3 penalty shootout after 2-2 equality.

Thus, the Yanks just avoided becoming the third favorite to be annoyed by the penalties during this quarter -final, after Panama lost against Honduras on Saturday and that Canada was rebounded by Guatemala earlier on Sunday.

In the 10th minute, his besieged left back from the United States, Max Arfsteten, blocked a cross in his own box, then tried to clean it, kicking in Kenneth Vargas who asked for contact. Francisco Calvo slipped the penalty kick just after the American goalkeeper Matt Freese to put the Costa Rica early.

But on a slow lawn field placed on an artificial stadium at the US Bank stadium, sending players slippery and slippery, the United States has shown the kind of character that has so often lacked by deprirage for more than a year – in another half -empty gold cup room.

After half an hour, Juan Pablo Vargas cut Malik Tillman with ankle after a cross in the box. Tillman, who was sort of the most influential and most unhappy player in the United States of this tournament, took his own penalty kick but deployed it from the left post. It was his first attempt to kick as a senior professional.

Diego Luna, however, scored his first goal from the national team before the break on a shot that took a big deviation. And a few minutes after the intermission, Arfsten, of everyone, put the United States by finishing an attack nicely worked by Tillman and the heroic heroic game of Patrick Agyemang leading the American line again.

Keylor Navas, cunning veteran of Costa Rica in order, made a splendid backup of Chris Richards’ head a few minutes later. And an Arfsteten cross was diverted on the Ticos’ Transversal bar. The United States has never approached a third goal.

This would regret this negligence.

After a series of defensive breakdowns in the American Box, Carlos Mora took a clear blow on Freese and Alonso Martínez was allowed to run freely and to sweep the rebound to equalize in the 71st minute. Martínez almost won with a shot that crafted the distant post in the 85th minute.

Under the penalties, however, Tillman redeemed himself and Damion Downs marked the winner during the sixth kick. Freese has saved no less than three times, his tongue to celebrate and nod with the crowd, clearly spending a delicious evening. “Penalties are my thing,” he told Fox after the match. “By plane, I am here in Minnesota, I studied the penalties. I studied them all week. I was ready for that if we needed it.”

Although an early elimination here has triggered an inquisition and yet more existential questions about the state of the American program, the safe transition to the next round suggests something larger and ultimately more useful than a 17th appearance in the semi-final in the Gold Cup.

A team that often seemed to be deflated, disinterested and generally without sip in the past year looked like something completely different on Sunday. Fiery. Striving fiercely. Quick to obtain the faces of opponents. Luna made a pocket favorite to play cheerfully through a broken nose at the start of the Argentinian mandate. Now this attitude seems to have spread. Sebastian Berhalter, the son of the Pochettino predecessor and a surprise starter of this tournament, may have missed a penalty kick and sometimes disorderly on the ball, but he seemed to be in the center of each melee while his family looked at, causing the intensity of the team.

This largely inexperienced American team no longer has the appearance of an incongruous outfit which could be accused of not worrying. And these players will be hardened by having experienced a tense game like this.

“I think it is good for this group of players to have this type of experience,” said Pochettino after the match. “It is invaluable, because it is reality when you are in a big tournament, that things can happen, and it is important that they are starting to build the experience together.”

The Americans were faced with three major setbacks – giving a penalty and an early objective; miss his own penalty; And a late equalizer – and rebounded by everyone, rising under swelling pressure. “We have shown great character,” said Pocsettino. “Ok, we [give away] A penalty? Do we miss a penalty? The team continued and believed in the way we play. In some times, we played really well. We are starting to play like a team and showing quality. »»

What the USMNT needed this cup of gold was not silverware but to rebuild its culture and confidence. It can still get all these things.