Matt Freese Penalty Heroics Send United States To Gold Cup Semifinals

New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese played a big role in the United States' progress to the semifinals of the Concacaf Gold Cup.

The USMNT was drawing 2-2 following the end of regular time in its quarterfinal match against Costa Rica. In this tournament, a draw after 90 minutes means the game goes straight to penalties rather than extra time (with the exception of the final), so Mauricio Pochettino's side needed to get the job done from the spot.

Neighbors Canada had exited the tournament on penalties against Guatemala the night before, and the US were hoping to avoid a similar upset, albeit against a stronger opponent.

Goalkeepers can become heroes in penalty shootouts, and that was the case for Freese against Costa Rica, as he saved three of their six spot kicks.

"I trusted the preparation and trusted myself," Freese said after the game.

"I have the length and athleticism to get there, so I've just got to guess the right side and let the rest play out."

Freese had received criticism for an error in the previous game, against Haiti, but recovered strongly, both within that game itself and the subsequent quarterfinal.

If Pochettino really wanted to test his new goalkeeper in this tournament, there is no better way to do so than seeing how he recovers from an error, and Freese has done just that.

It is why there would have been no point dropping Freese after one error, as this is part of the learning process.

This recovery and mindset were tested early on in the game against Costa Rica when an underhit pass was played to him, but he dealt with it with minimal fuss.

Freese appeared to have a much clearer idea of what he wanted to do with the ball as it came his way. It's a lesson learned.

In the penalty shootout, he also had a clear idea of what to do. The only penalty he didn't second-guess was that of his NYCFC teammate Alonso Martínez, who had also scored one of Costa Rica's two goals in the game itself.

A little wink from Martínez as he stepped up to slot his penalty past Freese was an indication of the two players' relationship at club level at NYCFC, but from then on, it was Freese getting the edge against Martínez's international teammates.

All three saves were good, but the standout moment was when the City stopper stood in the middle of the goal and punched the ball away, having predicted that Francisco Calvo would go down the middle.

For a goalkeeper, standing still and not attempting a dive in either direction at a penalty situation takes some nerve, and Freese held his to win the game for his team with one final save from 19-year-old New York Red Bulls forward, Andy Rojas.

"Penalties are my thing," Freese said in a post-match interview with Fox.

"On the plane ride over here to Minnesota, I was studying the penalties. I've been studying them all week.

"I was ready if we needed it. The one I didn't move on was a suggestion from goalkeeper coach Toni Jiménez. He's the reason that save was made."

Substitute Damion Downs, who plays in Germany for FC Köln but has been linked with English Championship side Southampton, scored the winning penalty for the United States, which set up a semifinal meeting with Guatemala in St. Louis on July 2.

But it was Freese and his three saves that took the headlines, sparing the blushes of Sebastian Berhalter and John Tolkin, who missed penalties for the USMNT, and more than repaying his teammates after they got the job done following his error against Haiti.

"During penalties, I always want to have fun with it," Freese said of his mindset in that moment.

"It's a high-pressure moment, and you've got to be able to have fun, you know, show your confidence and show your style, and that's my style during penalties.

And then, after the game, it's obviously very, very exciting, and I was super happy that I was able to help the team win.

"We're a team, and we have each other's backs in the high moments and in the low moments – you've seen that throughout the game and throughout the last few weeks."