MINNEAPOLIS — As Mike Tyson once opined, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. But the United States men's national team went one better in its Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal matchup against Costa Rica.
On Sunday, the USMNT took multiple haymakers to the noggin. Granted, that's the norm in Concacaf, but in this match the U.S. stayed on its feet long enough to deliver the final blow, with Damion Downs converting the home side's final attempt in the penalty shootout to win the tiebreaker 4-3 after extra time finished 2-2. The U.S. will face Guatemala, winner of the day's other quarterfinal against Canada, in the semifinals Wednesday.
This match was filled with a level of turbulence no amount of Dramamine could counteract. Players alternated between villain and hero, sometimes within a single half. You had Max Arfsten conceding a penalty, assisting on Diego Luna's equalizer and scoring his first international goal, only to get beat in the run-up to Costa Rica's second. There was Malik Tillman, who missed a first-half penalty, assisted on Arfsten's goal, converted his attempt in the shootout and took heaps of abuse — both physical and verbal — from Los Ticos all game long.
But throughout the game's upheavals, the U.S. managed to stick to its plan. Luna looked bright in a creative role, and the midfield of Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter and Luca de la Torre showed promise. All of it proved to be enough to advance.
«I think we showed great character, great character,» U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino said. «OK, we [concede] a penalty, we get the penalty, we miss a penalty, and then the team keep going and keep believing in the way to play.»
The biggest hero of them all was Matt Freese. The New York City FC
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