USMNT's grit, character is shining at Gold Cup, which will help at 2026 World Cup

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- 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. Now the U.S. will face Guatemala, winners 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 three-man 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," said U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino. "Okay, 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 goalkeeper has had his share of difficulties during the tournament, too: the goal he conceded against Haiti was on him; he probably could have done better in the run-up to Alonso Martínez's 71st-minute equalizer when he gave up a juicy rebound from Carlos Mora; and when the penalty shootout beckoned, there was a sense that Costa Rica, with legendary keeper Keylor Navas in net, had the edge.

But Freese possessed some advantages as well; after all, this is a man who during his college days at Harvard University did "a very long research project on penalty kicks."

"To be able to rely on that type of thing and deal with a lot of statistics and stuff like that, read the game and read their hips and things like that is massive," Freese said.

However, preparation will only get a keeper so far. The here and now in a shootout provides its own unique set of challenges, most of them psychological. Freese's save from Juan Vargas in the second round of spot kicks got the USMNT's nose in front, only for Berhalter to then sky his attempt over the bar. The miss required a mental reset for Freese, who then saved Francisco Calvo's attempt.

"After the first save I went over to the corner and I kept repeating to myself, 'I want another, I want another,'" he said. "And then after the second save I did the same thing, kept telling myself, 'I want another.'"

The psyche job was needed. The U.S. had a chance to win the shootout in the fifth round, but Navas saved John Tolkin's effort. But Freese was ready again and denied Juan Rojas with the first kick in sudden death, leaving Downs to fire home the winner.

"I don't know about being sure of yourself to win. I think you've got to take it one by one," said Freese about the shootout. "But I'm super, super grateful that I was able to help my team win today."

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Pochettino: We showed great character vs. Costa Rica

Mauricio Pochettino believes his USMNT are starting to show their quality after they advanced to the Gold Cup semifinals.

Everything about this game -- and this tournament -- has yielded layers of experience that are priceless for a young group. It's still unclear how many players from this roster will be around to contribute when the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins in a little less than a year's time -- especially when all the stars are reintegrated -- but it's imperative that they be ready if their name is called, and passing these kinds of tests is what will provide them with the kind of foundation that can't be obtained anywhere else. It's encouraging to see this group survive, and in some cases thrive.

"I think everyone in our team has that mentality, but there's going to be certain situations where you're tested, you know what I mean?" said Adams. "So you can see it in training. You can see it in some games, when games are easy. But it's when s--- gets hard [you find out] if you're going to step up to the plate. And tonight a lot of guys did that."

This applies to Arfsten perhaps most of all. He said postmatch: "I mean football is ups and downs. Everybody knows that. But for me it was just all about trying to make my mark on this game and get my 'get-back' as some would say. And I feel like I did that, and obviously there's always room to improve, but I'm happy with how I showed resiliency."

That said, there were plenty of other lessons to be learned from this match. They are the kinds of experiences that are easier to digest when you're winning, but could come back to bite the team later if they're not corrected. The U.S. seemed well on top after Arfsten's goal two minutes into the second half, and he clipped the cross bar eight minutes later. But the killer third goal never came and as Costa Rica dug deep into its bench -- even as it was missing five players due to suspension or injury -- the match tilted in favor of Los Ticos.

"I think you can put the game to bed, and I think that's an important moment that if you give some of these teams life, then they're going to be able to take it," said Adams.

Semifinal opponents Guatemala, who survived a penalty shootout of their own to upset heavily favored Canada, have excelled at breathing life into games that appeared to be out of reach. The U.S. will need to be on its guard.

The veteran leadership on the team wasted no time after the match in imparting more wisdom. As the U.S. walked off the field, one could see defender Tim Ream with his arm around Berhalter, likely discussing the game's twists and turns, and providing the nudge needed to move forward. But with every step, every triumph, and yes, even the mistakes, this USMNT is discovering a little bit more about itself.

Deficits can be overcome. Tactical problems can be solved. And it can deliver in the toughest of circumstances so that the team still comes out on top.