ST. LOUIS -- Led by a brace from Diego Luna, the U.S. men's national team defeated Guatemala 2-1 in the Gold Cup semifinal Wednesday.
Held at a sold-out Energizer Park that had a majority Guatemala crowd, the USMNT immediately hit the ground running with a goal from Luna in the fourth minute. Pouncing on a rebounded shot, the Real Salt Lake player stunned the boisterous visitors with his short-range attempt that put the U.S. up 1-0 early on.
Eager to maintain attacking pressure, Malik Tillman stepped up with a long-range pass that switched the field in the 15th minute, setting up Luna with space to dribble forward and cleverly slot the ball into the back of the net, thereby making it 2-0. Los Chapines soon upped their intensity in the final stages of the first half, and also after the midway break through a late 80th-minute goal from Olger Escobar.
Ultimately, it was too little, too late for the visitors, and by the final whistle, manager Mauricio Pochettino and his USMNT squad secured a 2-1 victory that has earned the team a place in Sunday's final.
Following the semifinal in St. Louis, here are the three biggest talking points from Wednesday's U.S. victory.
1. Luna puts on a show with first-half brace
Four minutes.
All gas and no brakes, that's all the time it took for the energetic Luna to battle for a rebounded ball off a strike from Luca de la Torre and slip it into the back of the net. Celebrating by sprinting to the corner and pointing to the USMNT badge, the goal-scoring party wasn't over for the 21-year-old.
With space to sprint forward after Tillman's pass in the 15th minute, the buzzing attacking midfielder showcased some fancy footwork before launching a shot from outside the 18-yard box that pushed the USMNT up 2-0. No longer just pointing to the badge, the up-and-coming American star then turned around and began pointing to his own name as he celebrated his brace.
Few players in the current roster, if any, showcase the type of intensity and doggedness that has defined the stocky and heavily tattooed game changer. At the Gold Cup, he seems to show no signs of slowing down with three goals and two assists across five matches.
2. USMNT brushes off the pro-Guatemala crowd
On the field, Pochettino and his men have so far survived a variety of Gold Cup obstacles that include highly organized defenses, physical encounters and a dramatic penalty shootout last week against Costa Rica.
And on Wednesday, a new unique circumstance emerged when the USMNT suddenly found itself on the receiving end of significant boos and jeers from Energizer Park attendees that appeared to be 60-40 in favor of Guatemala. Six hours before kickoff, fans of Los Chapines began congregating outside the venue, beginning the festivities and pregaming at a park next door.
To the credit of the U.S., the players soon brushed off and occasionally silenced the Guatemala supporters that did their part, but were ultimately unable to impact the attacking influence of the Americans, who went up 2-0 in the first half.
In a sense, one could make the argument that Wednesday's atmosphere was a sample of what the U.S. could face in the final, that is, if Mexico get a victory in their own semifinal Wednesday.
3. Shaky moments for the U.S. when closing out both halves
Once it took a 2-0 lead, the USMNT then seemed to drop its intensity and switched off as Guatemala began to desperately push higher up the field. In fact, during the first half, Los Chapines outshot the Americans 15 to six.
Matt Freese had a couple of suspect moments during the first 45 minutes in goal, as did the backline that wasn't able to confidently stifle Guatemala as much as it would have liked.
The same could be said about the closing stages of the match.
Just when it seemed as if the U.S. could soon begin to wind down, Guatemala caught the midfield and defense sleeping and rapidly moved the ball up the field and into the 18-yard box. Escobar, grappling among others for the ball, then gained possession and rapidly launched it past Freese's left and beyond his outstretched gloves.
Pochettino's substitutes, thrown in to settle the game, also looked a bit lost as they were attempting to organize themselves in the final minutes.
If Pochettino's men want to lift Sunday's Gold Cup title, they must stay locked in and not allow the opposition the ability to dictate the match as much as they were able to Wednesday.