USMNT defeats Guatemala, 2-1, to reach 13th Gold Cup final on Sunday

The United States men’s national soccer team turned a hot start on Wednesday night at Energizer Park and into victory over Guatemala to reach the Gold Cup final.

This win marks the 13th time the U.S. has reached the Gold Cup final, and they will face the winner of Mexico-Honduras to determine who wins it all on Sunday. 

After needing a penalty shootout to reach the semifinals, the USMNT hoped it didn’t need to go that far against Guatemala, and Diego Luna led the way to the 2-1 win. 

It began in the fourth minute, when Luna was in the right place at the right time after a shot on net was saved. His one-two touch went right into the back of the net for the early lead. 

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But just a few minutes later, Luna really gave the USMNT some breathing room after a tremendous effort to extend the lead. 

Malik Tillman got the assist after Luna made one defender miss and launched a shot toward the left side of the net that got past the goalkeeper for a 2-0 lead. 

It was mostly silent as the first half ended and the second half minutes started to dwindle for Guatemala. However, a timely goal brought some momentum to their sideline. 

Olger Escobar got a ball past Matt Freese to make it a 2-1 game in the 80th minute. 

But the USMNT’s defense was stellar at the end of the match to make sure they came away victorious. 

The U.S. is hoping to win its eighth Gold Cup, while Mexico, if they defeat Honduras, would be looking to extend its title lead. They have nine all-time.

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