USMNT Reaches Gold Cup Final for 14th Time After Semifinal Win Over Guatemala

On Wednesday, July 2, the U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Guatemala 2-1, progressing to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup final.

American star Diego Luna opened the scoring for the USMNT with two goals in the fourth and fifteenth minutes of the semifinal match, which was sufficient to secure victory. Luna’s efforts earned him the title of Man of the Match.

After the game, Luna remarked, “I think it’s just finding the rhythm and being able to get the freedom from the coaching staff and from the team.” “I know that they are going to have my back and trust of the defensive responsibilities lets me do what I do on the ball.”

In the end, Guatemala got very close. José Morales almost equalized in stoppage time, but American goaltender Matt Freese stopped the shot to keep the Guatemalans at bay and seal the win. Olger Escobar’s goal in the 80th minute cut Guatemala’s lead in half.

The USMNT will play Mexico in the championship match after winning. In the other semifinal, Mexico won 1-0 over Honduras.

Highlights of the Gold Cup semifinals: USMNT 2, Guatemala 1

Olger Escobar scores: Guatemala 1, USMNT 2.

Guatemala’s Olger Escobar has halved the U.S. men’s lead by scoring a goal. Escobar found the net in the 80th minute, assisted by Arquímedes Ordóñez, bringing Guatemala onto the scoreboard. This goal marked Escobar’s second of the tournament.

There are a lot of yellow cards

This is a list of every yellow card assigned thus far. Notably, in Sunday’s Gold Cup final, a second yellow card would result in a suspension:

USA’s Matt Freese | 77′
USA’s Diego Luna | 51′
Guatemala’s Stheven Robles | 49′
USA’s Chris Richards | 45’+1′

First half ends: USMNT 2, Guatemala 0

When halftime rolls along, the USMNT leads by two points. In the first minute of stoppage, Chris Richards of the USA receives a yellow card and walks into the locker room.

Diego Luna scores again: USMNT 2, Guatemala 0

Diego Luna had another attack. Malik Tillman discovered a Luna up the center, wide open. Luna then put the USMNT ahead 2-0 over Guatemala after dribbling past a defender and scoring with a crisp strike in the the 15th minute. With his second goal of the evening, Luna celebrated by pointing to his last name on the back of his jersey.

Diego Luna scores goal: USMNT 1, Guatemala 0

In the Gold Cup semifinals, the U.S. men’s national team is off to a strong start. Diego Luna scored the initial goal for the Americans in the fourth minute, his second goal in as many games.

How to watch the semifinals of the USMNT Gold Cup

On Wednesday, the United States will play Guatemala at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, and Mexico will play Honduras at 10 p.m. ET on FS1 in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals.