⚽ Gold Cup Update
🇺🇸 USMNT Edge Past Costa Rica in Thrilling Shootout
The U.S. Men`s National Team secured their place in the Gold Cup semifinals on Sunday, but only after a dramatic struggle against Costa Rica. The match ended 2-2 after extra time, with the USMNT ultimately prevailing 4-3 in a penalty shootout.
The match began poorly for the U.S. when Max Arfsten conceded a penalty in the 11th minute, converted by Francisco Calvo for a 1-0 Costa Rica lead. Despite a lively first half creating numerous opportunities, including a missed penalty by Malik Tillman in the 37th minute, the USMNT finally equalized through Diego Luna in the 41st minute. Arfsten then put the U.S. ahead in the 49th. However, the U.S. relaxed, allowing Alonso Martinez to equalize in the 71st minute, pushing the game to penalties. The shootout went six rounds, with goalkeeper Matt Freese making three crucial saves and Damion Downs netting the decisive spot kick to send the USMNT into the next round.
Goalkeeper Matt Freese had a standout moment, emerging as the unexpected first-choice keeper in a tournament designed to evaluate the wider player pool. Originally an understudy, injuries thrust Freese into the spotlight. The 26-year-old`s experience in MLS Next Pro, where games go straight to penalties, proved invaluable. He boasts a strong penalty shootout record (six wins in seven), a fact he highlighted after the match.
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Freese: `Penalties are my thing. [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.`
Freese joins players like Malik Tillman in making a name for himself during this Gold Cup, which offers significant chances for less experienced players. Diego Luna also impressed, combining his competitive spirit with a key goal against Costa Rica, while Max Arfsten contributed significantly to the USMNT`s early energy despite his earlier penalty concession.
🔗 Club World Cup Report
🏆 Favorites Assert Control in Club World Cup Knockouts
The knockout rounds of the Club World Cup are now in full swing, with quarterfinal spots being claimed. The initial field featured a diverse mix of teams, but as the knockout stage progresses, the favorites are increasingly asserting their dominance. There`s a growing sense that the tournament may tilt heavily in favor of European clubs.
Some results were predictable, such as Paris Saint-Germain`s emphatic 4-0 victory over Inter Miami on Sunday. As James Benge notes, Lionel Messi had limited impact as the last MLS representative was decisively beaten by the UEFA Champions League winners, highlighting the challenges when one player carries too much burden in a team sport.
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Benge: `Inter Miami felt like a Lionel Messi team, just not the ones you remember most fondly. Instead, they were redolent of those last few years at Barcelona when he was carrying too heavy an offensive load, the weird PSG sojourn where all the attacking talent was on his side but the other team were playing as a unit. Whatever the value Messi has brought to the American footballing project — and indeed to Inter Miami`s results in his time with the club — it is fair to note that catering for the great man has made for a team uniquely ill-suited to taking on the best teams in the world. Rather than surround Messi with the legs to do his running for him, the club hierarchy afforded the Argentine a chance to reunited with his 30-something mates.`
In other matches, Chelsea overcame Benfica in an extra-time match impacted by a weather delay, while Palmeiras defeated Botafogo in an all-Brazilian clash. Bayern Munich`s 4-2 win over Flamengo sets the stage for a potentially European-heavy quarterfinal lineup. Only two remaining Round of 16 ties feature European vs. South American teams (Inter vs. Fluminense being one), meaning Palmeiras might be the sole CONMEBOL representative in the last eight. Upcoming ties also favor European sides: Real Madrid face Juventus (both European), Manchester City are favored against Al-Hilal, and Borussia Dortmund against Monterrey.
This scenario points towards a final outcome that might lack surprises and the international variety that characterized the earlier stages of the tournament.
