USA in the Gold Cup Semis, Eliminate Canada After Penalties

After a tremendous fight that saw extra times and a penalty shootout, the US men’s national team eliminated Canada from the Gold Cup quarterfinals. The result in the regular 90 minutes was 1-1, after additional half an hour, 2-2, and after the penalties 3-2.

The hero of the US team was the goalkeeper Matt Turner who saved two penalties, covering up all the problems, slips and mistakes his team made in this contest.

“I just trusted my instincts, really, and typically when I do that, I find myself having a lot more success,” he said after the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo1ie5nMEOM

Sunday’s event was more than interesting, and it had a wild ending. Two minutes before the end of the regulations, FC Cincinnati’s Brandon Vasquez scored to give the US team a minimal lead. But the Canadians responded in the third minute of the injury time through Steven Vitoria. He converted a penalty that came following Miles Robinson’s handball in the box.

It was a shocking and wild ending to the game and an intro for an even more exciting remainder of the same.

The Canadians took the lead in the 109th minute, as Jacob Shaffelburg managed to beat Turner, but unfortunately for John Herdman’s crew, they had the edge for only five minutes. To make it even more tragic, Canada lost it due to an own goal, scored by their defender, Scott Kennedy.

The penalties began with both teams missing their attempts, as Brandon Vasquez and Vitoria fell short of converting a shot from the white spot. Cade Cowell, Gianluca Busio, and Jesus Ferreira were on target after that for the US unit. On the other side, Kamal Miller and Jacen Russell-Rowe netted for the Canadians, while Liam Fraser missed in the second round, and Charles-Andreas Brym in the final.

The Canadians were disappointed following the event, but they won’t lament over this loss too much. Their head coach Herdman said this is just another test before the 2026 World Cup.

“Really proud of my lads, I thought tonight they dug in,” he said. “They showed quality at times and I think we were able to test our depth as a Canadian squad, ensure that there’s depth for 2026.”

MATT TURNER APPRECIATION POST 🔥

The USMNT defeat Canada on penalties and are through to the Gold Cup semifinals! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/u3guXQFswA

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 10, 2023

As for the USA, this is the 12th consecutive semis at the Gold Cup for the Yanks, who are up against Panama in the next round. That game takes place in San Diego on Wednesday night.

Panama smashed Qatar in the quarterfinals 4-0, displaying a very confident and dominant performance.

The hosts were the favorites, but the Panama squad knew to make all sorts of trouble for the Americans, who have a huge motive to win. They currently have seven Gold Cup titles, one fewer than the Mexican national team. The Sombreros clash with Jamaica in the other semis, set for Wednesday too, only at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the home of the NFL team, the Raiders.

Mexico was routine against Costa Rica, whom they defeated 2-0, with both goals coming in the second 45 minutes through Pineda and Erik Sanchez. As for the Jamaican team, the Reggae Boyz cruised past Guatemala, 0-1, with the sole goal coming in the 51st minute by Amari’i Bell.

The Gold Cup finals are set for Sunday, at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California, the home of the LA Rams and the LA Chargers, and one of the most sophisticated stadiums in the world.