Diego Luna scored two goals in the first 15 minutes and the U.S. men’s national team overcame late adversity to beat Guatemala 2-1 and advance to the Gold Cup final.
Fresh off a dramatic penalty shootout in the quarterfinal, the Americans put together a character-building win in front of a raucous, pro-Guatemala crowd on Wednesday in St. Louis. The USMNT dominated early before enduring some nervy moments against a team that had nothing to lose.
It was just a few weeks ago that the headlines surrounding this team were all about Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Antonee “Jedi” Robinson and the other American mainstays who were not on this summer’s roster for one reason or another. Now, after some impressive and gutsy performances, this rag-tag group that has only played together for a few weeks will prepare to play in the Gold Cup final on Sunday.
USA will now face Mexico in the final after Raul Jimenez was Mexico’s hero as his goal sent his nation into a fourth consecutive Gold Cup final following a 1-0 victory over Honduras at Levi’s Stadium.
