United States goalkeeper Matt Freese said he was well prepared and had studied up on penalties after providing three saves in a dramatic 4-3 shootout win over Costa Rica in Sunday’s Gold Cup quarterfinal.
“Penalties are my thing,” Freese said after the knockout-round match went to a shootout following a 2-2 draw in regulation. “[On] the plane ride over here to Minnesota. I was studying the penalties. I’ve been studying them all week and was ready for it if we needed it, and the one that I didn’t move on [was a] suggestion from my goalkeeper coach Toni Jimenez.”
The quarterfinal was a back-and-forth clash at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis that initially saw the Americans go down 1-0 after a 12th-minute goal by Costa Rica’s Francisco Calvo. The USMNT responded with goals from Diego Luna and Max Arfsten, before giving up an equalizer in the 71st minute by Costa Rica’s Alonso Martínez that sent the match to penalties.
“I’m so happy, so pleased for them. They showed today, great character, I think it’s good for this group of players to have this type of experience,” U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino said. “It’s priceless, because that is the reality when you’re in a big tournament, that thing can happen, and it’s important that they start to build the experience together.”
Pochettino also praised the “amazing” response from the team that not only dealt with going down 1-0 early but also missed a 37th-minute penalty by Malik Tillman.
“We get the penalty, we miss a penalty, and then the team keep going and keep believing in the way to play,” Pochettino added.
Freese, who earned his fifth international cap, made three saves in the shootout to help the U.S. secure its spot in the semifinals thanks to a clinching penalty by Damian Downs.
Despite Freese’s efforts, Pochettino implied that the race for the starting goalkeeper position remains open, notably bringing up current bench option and presumptive starter before this year’s Gold Cup, Matt Turner.
“I think we have plenty of good players and good keepers,” Pochettino said. “I think Matt Turner [has] the experience because he played in the World Cup in 2022. He’s a great keeper, but the only problem in this tournament was that Matt didn’t play in the whole season, and for different reasons, we wanted to see another keeper.”
Turner’s playing time was limited all season while on loan at Crystal Palace, but he was the starting goalie for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup. Pochettino’s comments made it clear that the goalkeeper position for the 2026 World Cup was still to be determined.
“I think maybe one of the few or the only player that proved to deal with this type of responsibility and stress was Matt playing in a different competition in the World Cup,” Pochettino said. “I think it’s good for Matt Turner, for the rest of the keepers, to see that they can have the possibility and deal with the pressure because you never know what is going to happen in one year.
“Now is the moment to test, or to give the possibility, to show that they can deal also with that stress and perform.”
The U.S. has now earned its 17th Gold Cup semifinals appearance and 13th in a row.
Up next for Pochettino and the U.S. is Guatemala on Wednesday at Energizer Park in St. Louis.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
