The United States Men's National Team (USMNT) advanced to the semifinals of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Costa Rica. The match, held on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, ended in a 2-2 draw after regulation time, leading to the decisive shootout.
The Americans will now face Guatemala in the semifinal on Wednesday at St. Louis CITY SC's Energizer Park. Guatemala upset Canada in their quarterfinal match, also decided by penalty kicks. In the other semifinal, Mexico will play Honduras on Wednesday in Santa Clara, California. The final is scheduled for July 6 in Houston.
The USMNT opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Francisco Calvo converted a penalty for Costa Rica after Max Arfsten conceded a penalty kick. The U.S. responded with goals from Diego Luna in the 43rd minute and Max Arfsten in the 47th minute, giving the USMNT a 2-1 lead. However, Costa Rica equalized in the 71st minute when Alonso Martínez scored from close range.
With the score tied 2-2 at the end of regulation, the match went straight to penalty kicks, as extra time has been eliminated for all but the championship game in this year's tournament.
In the shootout, USMNT goalkeeper Matt Freese proved to be the hero, making three saves. Damion Downs scored the decisive penalty in the sixth round to secure the victory for the United States. The final score in the penalty shootout was 4-3.
This will be the 44th all-time meeting between the United States and Costa Rica in international play. The U.S. holds the edge in the series with 20 victories, while Costa Rica has 17 wins, and there have been 6 draws. In the last six encounters across all competitions, Costa Rica has suffered five defeats against the Stars and Stripes, with their lone win coming during the final round of FIFA World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 on March 30, 2022, at the Estadio Nacional in San José. The Ticos won that match 2-0 with goals from Juan Pablo Vargas (51') and Anthony Contreras (59'). The most recent meeting took place in a friendly on January 22, 2025, in Orlando, Florida, where the United States earned a 3-0 victory thanks to goals from Brian White (21'), Caden Clark (77'), and Patrick Agyemang (90').
The USMNT is aiming to regain its Gold Cup dominance. They advanced to the knockout stage for the 18th consecutive edition, boasting a 3-0-0 record in the Group Stage. They started their campaign with a 5-0 victory against Trinidad and Tobago, followed by a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia, and a 2-1 victory against Haiti. Malik Tillman currently leads the team with three goals, while Diego Luna and Max Arfsten each have two assists.
