The U.S. Men’s National Team’s Concacaf Gold Cup run continues against Guatemala in the semifinals at Energizer Park in St. Louis (7 p.m. ET on FS1).
After both teams won their quarterfinal match in a dramatic penalty shootout, tonight they will battle for a spot in the final.
Here are five things you need to know before the USA vs. Guatemala semifinal:
1. Starting to Gel
This current USMNT roster has been together for just about a month since they began camp in early June. Overall, the 26-player roster entered the Gold Cup with little international experience, averaging just 16 caps.
Now, coming off an exciting victory over Costa Rica in the quarterfinal, they feel they’re starting to gel.
“I watch, sit back and look at these guys in the game, in the changing room, at meals, and just the bonds that are being created in such a short amount of time, I don't think you can speak about it enough,” captain defender Tim Ream said.
In the last knockout match, the team rallied behind midfielder Malik Tillman after his penalty kick in regulation clanged off the post, and the Costa Rican players had choice words after Tillman’s miss. Ream pointed to that moment where his teammates fought for Tillman as an example of how they’ve come together.
And head coach Mauricio Pochettino couldn’t be more pleased with the team’s bond.
“That is what we want, that is how we feel, how we want to represent our country,” Pochettino said. “We want to fight for our flag, for our share.”
2. Familiar Faces
The Guatemala side features a couple of familiar faces to U.S. Soccer.
Rubio Rubín and Aaron Herrera both played for the red, white and blue with dual nationality at different levels. Rubínrepresented the senior team, earning seven caps before switching to play for Guatemala in 2022. Herrera mostly played at the youth level for the U-20 Men’s National Team. He competed in the U-20 FIFA World Cup with USMNT leader Tyler Adams. Adams was close with Herrera and said it’ll be a “little bit strange” facing his former national teammate.
“It will be a really unique experience,” Adams said. “[But] we know how strong Guatemala is. There's a reason that they're in the semifinal, so we can't take that for granted.”
Rubín and Herrera have become leaders for Guatemala in their own right. In this tournament, Rubín has netted two of Guatemala's four goals.
3. Veteran Homecoming
Tim Ream, a St. Louis native, will play in his hometown for the first time in a Gold Cup setting. He’s played friendlies and World Cup Qualifying matches in the Gateway City.
Ream, 37, still has a deep appreciation for getting a chance to play for his country at home.
“It’s something as a kid you always dream of, never knowing that you’ll get the opportunity,” Ream said. “And to be able to do it representing your country, representing your town, your family, your friends is always special.”
He’s started every game in the tournament and will get a chance to help propel the USA to its 13th Gold Cup Final.
4. USMNT vs. Guatemala History
The USMNT has battled Guatemala 27 times in history, dating back to 1977. The USA has a 16-5-6 winning record over the Central American nation. They have met three times in the Gold Cup, including in 1996 when Guatemala last advanced to the semifinal. Both the United States and Guatemala fell in their semifinal game and met in the third-place match, where the USA won 3-0.
The two nations most recently matched up in 2016 in a World Cup Qualifying game that the USA won 4-0 in Columbus, Ohio. Seventeen of the 27 total matches have come in tournament competition, and the U.S. came out the victor 11 times.
5. How They Got Here
The USMNT beat Costa Rica 2-2, 4-3 on PKs to punch its semifinal ticket. Diego Luna and Max Arfsten scored regulation goals for the Americans. Before that, they came out of the group stage at the top of Group D, winning every match.
Meanwhile, Guatemala had a similar quarterfinal outcome, toppling the highly-favored Canada 1-1, 6-5 on PKs. However, Guatemala’s journey otherwise has been quite different. They came in as complete underdogs as the third-lowest FIFA-ranked team in the tournament. Yet, the team came out of its group after an upset win over Jamaica.
