US Men face Guatemala in Semi Finals Wed 7 pm on Fox/Univision
So the US found a way to defeat an average Costa Rica squad 2-2 (4-3) in Minneapolis Sun night at close to 2 million tuned in to the Gold Cup match in primetime Fox broadcast Highlights. The US will face surprise winner Guatemala who took out Canada and American coach Jesse Marsch in PKs. The US MOM (Man of the Match) was goal keeper Matt Freeze who may just be laying claim to the spot as he grows into this tourney. Matching up against legendary GK Keylor Navas (el Pantera) Freeze saved 3 of the 6 PKs (PK Saves) he faced out lasting Navas who only saved 2. The US showed some grit coming back from a 1-0 deficit before scoring 2 then allowing the equalizer with about 20 to go as good ole Coach Pooch again refused to send in subs when it was WAAAAAY past time to send them in. Another questionable coaching job against a horrific team Woo Hoo! Too bad we don’t get Canada in the next round – as that would have given us real competition for the 1st time in this tourney. Oh well — I see us again making it more difficult than it should be – but a 2-1 victory over frankly a worse Guatemala than the pretty bad Costa Rica we just beat. Still we make it much more exciting than it should be. Hopefully Mexico will beat Honduras so we have to beat at least one top 100 team to win this Gold Cup thing.
USMNT GOLD CUP DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (club/country; caps/goals):
GOALKEEPERS (4): Chris Brady (Chicago Fire; 0/0), Matt Freese (New York City FC; 0/0), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/ENG; 51/0)
DEFENDERS (9): Max Arfsten (Columbus Crew; 3/0), Alex Freeman (Orlando City; 0/0), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; 0/0), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC; 68/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 24/1), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 32/3), John Tolkin (Holstein Kiel/GER; 4/0), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 43/3)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/ENG; 47/8); Tyler Adams (Bournemouth/ENG; 44/2), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 0/0), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/ESP; 18/0), Luca de la Torre (San Diego FC; 24/1), Diego Luna (Real Salt Lake; 4/0), Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo; 4/1), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; 0/0); Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 17/0)
FORWARDS (5): Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht/NED; 1/0), Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC; 4/3), Damion Downs (FC Köln/GER; 0/0), Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 4/1), Haji Wright INJURED -(Coventry City/ENG; 15/4)
USWNT Face Canada Wed 7:30 pm on TNT after 4-0 win over Ireland
Forwards Lynn Biyendolo, Yazmeen Ryan and Alyssa Thompson each added goals in Sunday’s victory. Biyendolo scored the opening goal 11 minutes into the match when she buried a volley into the top corner on a cross from Emma Sears. Ryan scored in the 66th minute to tally her first international goal. Thompson scored the fourth USWNT goal in the 87th minute — seven minutes after entering the match — to get on the scoresheet for the second straight game. The USWNT will finish the international window of friendlies Tuesday against Canada in Washington, D.C. at 7:30 pm on TNT and Max.
World Club Cup Getting Interesting As Quarterfinals Commence
So I have to admit I was not a fan of this tourney and I still don’t think they should be playing this instead of the Confederations Cup that used to take place the year before the World Cup in the host country. But if you haven’t watched – the games have been ok. Really cool to see the South American and some African teams beating up on the European favorites. Now that we are down to the Quarterfinals – these games are really worth watching. The games seem to be on TNT & Unimas/TUDN or Univision – of course I prefer to watch in Spanish – so much more exciting. Either way its worth the watch – see full schedule below.
Women’s European Championships Start Wed on Fox
The Women’s Euro’s take center stage in this Summer of Soccer this week on the Fox stations. Spain & France come in as the favorites but teams like England, Germany and the Netherlands may have something to say about that. In general the games will be on at 12 noon and 3 pm everyday on Fox or FS1 or FS2. Read all about below and see the full game schedule.
Camps to Check out This Summer
Greyhound Girls Soccer Camp – Murray Stadium
Girls Jul 07 – Jul 09, 2025 at 9:00-10:30 $95 (5th-8th Grade) Register
Carmel High School Soccer Camp- Boys – Murray Stadium 6:30-8:30 pm
July 21-23 $125
Questions? Please contact Coach Shane Schmidt at sschmidt@ccs.k12.in.us
CARMEL FC & PALMEIRAS CAMP
Palmeiras Soccer Camps for players aims to let all participants develop their full technical, tactical and physical potential no matter their skill level. Day by day they will learn to enhance their strengths and will be stimulated to understand their own weaknesses. Players participating will be coached by Palmeiras Professional Coaches and may be invited to join Palmeiras Academy in Brazil for tryout. Register now!
Camp dates: July 21-25 Ages: 7-16 Location: Carmel Clay Community Soccer Complex, Home of Carmel FC: Price: $295 REGISTER
TV GAME SCHEDULE
GC=Gold Cup, WCC = World Club Cup in US WE -Women’s Euros
Wed, July 2
12 noon Fox Iceland vs Finland Women Euros
3 pm Fox Switzerland vs Norway Women Euros
6:30 pm TBS US Women vs Canada
7 pm FS1 Gold Cup Semis USA vs Guatemala
10 PM FS1 Gold Cup Semi Mexico vs Honduras
Thurs, Jul 3
12 noon FS1 Belgium vs Italy W Euros
3 pm Fox Spain vs Portugal W Euros
Fri, July 4th
12 noon FS1 Denmark vs Sweden WE
3 pm Fox Germany vs Poland WE
3 pm TNT, Unimas Fluminense vs Al Hilal WCC
7:30 pm FS1 Dallas vs Minn MLS
9 pm TNT Chelseas vs Palmeiras WCC
10:30 pm Apple LA Galaxy vs Vancouver MLS
Sat, July 5th
12 noon FS1 Wales vs Netherlands W Euros
12 noon TNT PSG vs Bayern Munich WCC
3 pm Fox France vs England WE
4 pm TNT Real Madrid vs Borrusia Dortmund WCC
7 pm FS1 Charlotte vs Orlando MLS
8:30 pm Apple Free Austin City vs LAFC MLS
Sun, July 6th
12 noon FS1 Norway vs Finland W Euros
3 pm FS1 Switzerland vs Iceland WE
5 pm Apple free Seattle Sounders vs Columbus Crew MLS
Mon, July 7 th
12 noon FS1 Spain vs Belgium W Euros
3 pm Fox Portugal vs Italy WE
Tues, July 8th
12 noon FS1 Germany vs Denmark W Euros
Wed, July 9
12 noon FS1 England vs Netherland W Euros
3 pm Fox France vs Wales WE
3 pm TBS Fifa WCC Semis
7 pm CBSSN Philly Union vs NYRB MLS
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US Men
USA vs. Guatemala, 2025 Gold Cup Semi-finals Preview: Taking on an upstart
USMNT’s grit, character are shining at Gold Cup
2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup: Scouting Guatemala
Upstart Guatemala has strong American influence
Poch: Support for Tillman shows U.S. ‘connected’
Embrace the chaos of Concacaf: ‘It’s a different football’
USMNT edges past Costa Rica on penalties in Gold Cup quarterfinals
Freese saves 3 in USMNT win: ‘Penalties my thing’
Ice-cold Freese rescues USMNT in Gold Cup
USA-Costa Rica Gold Cup Player Ratings
Matt Freese has done it before
USMNT: Freese stakes his claim with penalty kick heroics
USMNT vs. Costa Rica player ratings: Freese the shootout hero
If Americans don’t move in this transfer window, is the USMNT’s 2026 World Cup doomed?
World Cup is in forefront of Pochettino’s thinking
Marsch’s non Excuse- sure sounded like an excuse
USMNT: Gold Cup SemifinalsJuly 2, 2025 – St. Louis, MO
Location: Energizer StadiumSection: 119Member Price: $67 (including fees)Ticket type: ElectronicDeadline: First-come, first-served GET TICKETS
US Women
USWNT vs. Canada – June 2025 Friendlies: A classic showdown in DC
Hayes: U.S. entering ‘next phase’ ahead of WWC
USWNT gets another 4-0 win in second Ireland friendly
Why USWNT prospects are running out of time to make the cut for U.S. squad
USA-Ireland Women’s Friendly Player Ratings
Biyendolo: First time captaining USWNT ‘means the world’
Hayes breaks protocol to give Lavelle hometown curtain call
Thompson and Abello leave USWNT camp with injuries
World Club Cup
Mbappe’s Club World Cup debut was badly needed for Real Madrid, FIFA and the player himself
Juve boss: 10 players asked to be replaced in loss
Alonso risks clipping Bellingham’s wings in balancing Madrid
Man City’s old vulnerabilities exposed in Al Hilal upset
Club World Cup shocker: Al Hilal stuns Man City
With the world watching, Guirassy turned in a perfect No. 9’s performance
Beating Messi’s Miami ‘harder than it may seem’: PSG’s Luis Enrique
FIFPro warns of ‘wake-up call’ over extreme heat at Club World Cup
PSG played Inter Miami. It went how you’d expect.
Euros Women
Euro 2025 team-by-team preview, predictions, key players, more
Euro 2025: England’s Lionesses feel pressure as stars pull out
Euro 2025: Bonmati illness adds to questions around Spain’s bid
Euro 2025: Germany eyes return to women’s soccer summit
| Hail GFOP! – Men In Blazers Newsletter Special |
Rog writes: Holy Crap. What an emotion-soaked experience it was to witness our United States G-League Boys survive and advance after a CONCACAF knife-fight quarter final fought via prison rules against Costa Rica. The 4-3 penalty shootout performance felt like a bullet dodged, yet it was also ultimately so energizing, in a style that was reminiscent of Churchill’s life-truth quote: “Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.”  |
Make no mistake, we were in a barroom brawl, and were kicked to the sawdust on the floor. In the 85th minute, when Alonso Martinez’s flash drive thumped the post with Matt Freese stranded, we were millimeters away from a humiliating exit. Our midfield remains eerily uncreative (and Johnny Cardoso oddly MIA.) Yet, Pochettino had promised a team who would fight and struggle and do whatever it takes to win. Clint Dempsey was ebullient in his post-match taping of The Deuce, and said the team will surge with optimism after last night’s performance, “We learned who’s got that mettle, to emerge when your back is against the well… and when you come out of these moments it builds the chemistry as a team. Everyone is going to be fighting more and understanding they are just two games away from Mission Accomplished. You need these types of moments.”   |
Clint also added something beautiful and true for all of us as long-suffering U.S. supporters which I really loved when he admitted, “For us as fans, we needed this after Copa America and Nations League. I was in my living room with my kids cheering and giving each other high fives. I want my kids to feel passionate about the U.S. and aspire to play for them one day. You need these types of moments to pass down from generation to generation. Tonight was a moment.”  |
 Watch Clint Dempsey break down the exhilaration of last night’s U.S. winon this adrenalin-filled episode of the The Deuce.  |
This Was Matt Freese’s Big Night  |
| Three massive, calm, calculated saves by the NYCFC goalkeeper in the 4-3 penalty shoot-out made this a moment in which Matt Freese seriously began to lay claim to the U.S. starting role. Gent came up big, and actually seemed to thrive and enjoy himself in the crucible of a do-or-die roll of the dice against the iconic Keylor Navas. “Penalties are my thing,” he said post-game, like some kind of Harvard Donnarumma. Last night he was able to scream, “How do you like them apples?” at the world. Credit Matt Turner, who cannot be enjoying his ongoing lack of minutes, but is still bringing the joy in any way he can. |
Hot Tillman Summer Is Going On and On  |
| GFOP Gil Rutledge wrote me a Raven entitled “TILLMANIA” and I love that term. That is what we are living. Last night, Malik Tillman was the heartbeat of our team. He won a penalty, missed a penalty, but was big enough to raise his game, provide roughly 87% of our forward motion, and keep his nerve when returning to the penalty spot during the shoot-out. The 23-year-old has not only earned his right to take a starting role when the full-strength squad Avenger assembles in the fall window, he will become Poch’s warning sign to the big name starters that they cannot be complacent. This morning Fabrizio Romano announced Malik’s Hot Summer continues: His $40m transfer to Bayer Leverkusen has been agreed. Here We Go. |
| “Oh, For a Team of 11 Diego Lunas…” |
| I love Diego Luna so much. I think he represents all that we yearn for from our U.S. team. Last night the 21-year-old from Sunnyvale, Calif. scored his first-ever goal for the USMNT. Again, it was another enormous deflection. Gent specializes in banging the ball home off other people’s body parts. |
| GFOP @OptimisticCurmudgeon gave him the nickname “Deflecto” on our YouTube last night, but it was his celebration that fired up the fan base – the unbridled passion, the raw emotion, the joy that has become all too rare a currency for our boys. |
Alex Freeman’s Penalty Was a Massive Moment by a Cool, Cool Kid  |
| Do not let this moment be written out of the night’s telling. Sebastian Berhalter had just Baggio’d his penalty over the bar into the Minneapolis night sky. Costa Rica felt ascendant. Up stepped the 20-year-old with all the pressure on his shoulders, and he cooly, calmly did this. Extraordinary moment of chill by a young gent with a massive future. Damion Downs’ winner was also maximally clinical. The Germans don’t miss. |
GUATEMALA AWAIT IN THE SEMI FINALS!  |
| What a moment for their fans. FIFA’s 106th-ranked nation shocked 10-man Canada on penalties and turned Minneapolis into Guatemala City North on Sunday. La Furia Azul (“The Blue Fury”) held their nerve in the shootout and reached their first Gold Cup semi-final since 1969. |
| The semi-final in St. Louis on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET on FS1) will be a rollicking experience. It’s been nine years since the USMNT faced Guatemala. Clint Dempsey was amongst the goals as we rolled 4-0. A 17-year-old Christian Pulisic made his debut in that game. With Honduras also clipping Panama, this Gold Cup has been filled with shocks. I long for a Gold Cup that loves itself, and has self-respect. With CONCACAF teams improving all the time, our region is becoming more and more competitive. This tournament could be, should be, so much more than it is. A true jewel lies within. |
| USMNT Make It to the Gold Cup Semis |
 |
| Rog writes: Our U.S. men’s national team G-Leaguers keep on keeping on. The Gold Cup is all about survive and advance. It’s also about prison rules, dark arts, and occasional fleeting moments of football. And the United States lived it all in a quarter-final 4-3 penalty shootout win over a weakened but still feisty Costa Rica after a 2-2 draw in which Max Arfsten had a hand in pretty much all the goals. I am not going to lie, it felt so good. |
| We now plummet towards a semi-final in St. Louis tomorrow night against Guatemala (Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET, FOX Sports/FS1). What a moment for their fans. FIFA’s 106th-ranked nation shocked 10-man Canada on penalties (much more on that below) and turned Minneapolis into Guatemala City North on Sunday. La Furia Azul (“The Blue Fury”) held their nerve in the shootout and reached their first Gold Cup semi-final since 1996. |
| It’s been nine years since the USMNT faced Guatemala. Clint Dempsey was amongst the goals as we rolled 4-0. A 17-year-old Christian Pulisic made his debut in that game. With Honduras also clipping Panama, this Gold Cup has been filled with shocks. I long for a Gold Cup that loves itself, and has self-respect. With CONCACAF teams improving all the time, our region is becoming more and more competitive. This tournament could be, should be, so much more than it is. A true jewel lies within. |
| Could there be an eighth USA vs. Mexico Gold Cup final on the horizon? Or will we have Guatemala vs. Honduras? The truth is no one knows, but we’ll find out tomorrow night at Energizer Park. Regardless of the outcome, Clint Dempsey will join me on Do It Live! after the final whistle to break down all the action. Come and be with us. |
| The Deuce with Clint Dempsey – “This Must Be What It’s Like to Be an Everton Fan”USMNT vs Costa Rica Live Reactions with Clint Dempsey | Gold Cup Quarterfinals 6/29 9PM ETClint Dempsey on the reports that Poch recently interviewed for the Brentford manager opening “I hope it’s not a situation of where there’s smoke, there’s fire. You don’t want that a year out from a World Cup. But credit to the boys, they blocked all that out and they got the job done tonight.”Clint Dempsey likes what he saw from Malik Tillman “What I’m more impressed about is how he recovered in the game… Being able to get the assist. And then to step up and take the (shootout) penalty, going to the same side. For me that shows he’s built for these moments, and he’s growing in front of our eyes. He is someone that when I’ve watched him play, I like the style in which he plays, the skill that he shows, but also the character that he has to take on a situation of missing a penalty but bouncing back.”Clint Dempsey gives Matt Freese his flowers “The first one, I feel like he (Freese) went too early. I like that he took his time a little on the other ones. Make ’em beat you. He’s got a big frame… I just think he did a great job of being a dominant presence in there. He guessed right on a lot of occasions, got his hand to a few, but you know, some of those big saves he made, he was the man of the match for sure.”Clint Dempsey breaks down the current USMNT depth chart, based on what he’s seen so far in the Gold Cup “In terms of when we have our full team completely fit, I think Tillman gets into the lineup. I think if Freese keeps performing like he’s doing, I think he goes in there. Freeman has done a good job, but I still think it’s gonna be tough to knock out Dest, and Antonee Robinson… I don’t think anybody’s taking his spot. Chris Richards, he’s for sure the first center-back they put there. If Tim Ream can keep going, then that’s what’s up.But, I think up top. I don’t know, that depends on people’s fitness, and how healthy they are. Like I said, I’m a big Balogun fan from what I saw in Copa America, but Aygemang’s been the guy who’s been scoring goals. He’s just really raw still. I think he needs to do a little bit better job of his holdup play, bringing people in and being a little bit more clinical with his chances, but he’s definitely a handful there.”Clint Dempseyon the USA’s newfound optimism after Sunday night’s performance “We learned who’s got that mettle, to emerge when your back is against the wall… and when you come out of these moments it builds the chemistry as a team. Everyone is going to be fighting more and understanding they are just two games away from Mission Accomplished. You need these types of moments.”Clint Dempsey also added something beautiful and true for all long-suffering U.S. supporters “For us as fans, we needed this after Copa America and Nations League. I was in my living room with my kids cheering and giving each other high fives. I want my kids to feel passionate about the U.S. and aspire to play for them one day. You need these types of moments to pass down from generation to generation. Tonight was a moment.” Watch the full episode to get all of Clint’s thoughts on the USMNT’s win against Costa Rica, and make sure to follow The Deuce on TikTok and YouTube for even more Texas-infused insight. |
 Enjoying USMNT Only? Check out our other newsletters covering the USWNT and Premier League here. |
So, How Did Guatemala Get Here Exactly?  When La Furia Azul last reached a CONCACAF Gold Cup semi-final, “Independence Day” was dominating the box office and Manchester United were one of the best teams in world football. If you’re of a certain vintage, 1996 doesn’t feel like it was 29 years ago, but for Guatemalan football fans, who cling to cult heroes like Juan Carlos Plata and Carlos Ruiz, it’s been an age. Their quarter-final win on penalties against Canada in Minneapolis on Sunday will be forever distilled as one of the greatest moments in their footballing history, not just because of the result, but the manner in which they reached it.Yes, Canada’s Jacob Shaffelburg was red-carded just before half time, but at that point, Guatemala were losing 1-0, and the cliché that it’s tough to break down a 10-man side defending a lead exists for a reason. Guatemala are FIFA’s 106th-ranked team, while Canada are 30th, so to have 58% possession and more than double the shots of Jesse Marsch’s squad, no matter the match situation, is a win in itself. To not only run the game in normal and extra time, but to then have the tenacity to prevail in a penalty shootout pressure cooker, even after captain José Pinto missed his attempt, shows that this nation is more than plucky, or even lucky; they are a unit. Penalties aside, Guatemala’s only goalscorer against Canada, with a bruising and battling header any center forward would dream of, was Rubio Rubín, who much to our chagrin doesn’t spend his evenings as a crime-fighting vigilante, despite his excellent name.Men in Blazers@MenInBlazersGUATEMALA EQUALIZE We might be 20 minutes away from penalties 9:40 PM • Jun 29, 2025 110 Likes 7 Retweets 8 RepliesUSMNT OGs may remember him, as he played seven matches for the U.S., debuting as an 18-year-old in 2014 under the stewardship of Jurgen Kilsman; he only switched to Guatemala in 2022, which has been a smart decision, scoring 13 goals in 34 games as the leader of the frontline. Another key player for them is a man that MLS heads will know as D.C. United right back and arguably the nation’s current MVP, Aaron Herrera. The 28-year-old was pivotal in both defense and attack for his country, and at one point kept his team in the game with a goal line-headed clearance in an otherwise open net for Canada. Encouragingly for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, Guatemala have lost against both Jamaica and Panama in their last five games, and in their 21-match history with the U.S., La Furia Azul have only won once. But with a trip to the Gold Cup final on the line, at this point, anything is possible. |
Everyone’s favorite bounce-pass enthusiast (and former USMNT manager) Gregg Berhalter was in the crowd on Sunday night to watch his son Sebastian start for the U.S. against Costa Rica. There are varying reports that Mauricio Pochettino either did or didn’t interview for the Brentford manager opening during the Gold Cup, although he recently told a FOX Soccer host, “This club never contacted me. I never talked to them.”
| Transfer Rumors |
 Poch’s new favorite playmaker, Mailk Tillman, is heading back to the Bundesliga as Bayer Leverkusen have made him one of the first key signings of the Erik ten Hag era, potentially to fill the Florian Wirtz-sized hole in the middle of their lineup. |
 Speaking of midfielders on the move, seems to only be a matter of time until Johnny Cardoso makes the 330-mile trip from Real Betis in Seville to join Atlético Madrid in the Spanish capital. The two clubs are finalizing a deal worth over $35 million. |
 Despite strong rumors involving a move to Nottingham Forest, Tim Weah appears to be staying at Juventus for the time being, regardless of his questionable food takes (more on that below). |
 Lucky No. 13 at Craven Cottage? While he’s one of the many American strikers absent from the Gold Cup, Ricardo Pepi, who’s still rehabbing from a January knee injury, is reportedly being targeted by Fulham where he’d follow a dozen other Americans who’ve previously laced ‘em up for the Lilywhites. |
 Meanwhile, the USMNT’s current starting striker is making the move to England: Charlotte FC’s Patrick Agyemang is heading to Championship side Derby County. Get those reps in, American Beto. |
 Sunday night’s winning penalty taker in the shootout, 20-year-old forward Damion Downs, is very close to joining recently-relegated Southampton, also in the English Championship, from FC Köln in Germany, who were just promoted to the Bundesliga. |
 USMNT international, former Atlanta United player, and current Chelsea fullback Caleb Wiley is set to rejoin Watford on loan for the full 2025-26 season. The 20-year-old impressed in his half-season in the Championship last year after moving over from a loan spell at Chelsea’s French sister club, Strasbourg. |
Mauricio Pochettino hails USMNT Gold Cup penalty shootout triumph as ‘priceless’
By Martin Rogers June 29, 2025
Mauricio Pochettino insisted the U.S. men’s national team’s thrilling penalty shootout victory over Costa Rica in the Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals on Sunday would be of “priceless” benefit as he desperately tries to instill confidence and momentum in his team after a miserable recent slump.Pochettino was delighted after the U.S. clinched a semifinal spot against Guatemala by holding its nerve in the shootout following a 2-2 draw at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.Goalkeeper Matt Freese was the hero with a trio of critical stops, but the head coach believes his entire squad will gain confidence from having survived the gauntlet of penalties with its tournament life on the line.“I think it’s important to show control and to translate (it) to the player, relax and the confidence in them,” Pochettino told reporters. “But yes, I’m so happy, so pleased for them to show today great character. I think it’s good for this group of players to have this type of experience. This is like I always I said, this is really important, it’s priceless, because that is the reality when you have a big tournament. It’s important that they start to build the experience together.”The U.S. went behind after 12 minutes through a Francisco Calvo penalty and equalized through Diego Luna before halftime, though Malik Tillman had earlier spurned the chance to pull things level from the spot. Pochettino’s side eventually went ahead through Max Arfsten on 47 minutes, but Costa Rica closed the gap again thanks to Alonso Martinez with 20 minutes left.
Goalkeeper Matt Freese played a key role in the U.S. reaching the last four. (Carlos Gonzalez / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images)
Freese was calm and opportunistic in the shootout, keeping out Juan Vargas, Calvo and Andy Rojas. Tyler Adams, Tillman, Alex Freeman and, to clinch it, Damion Downs, scored for the Americans against veteran Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas. The U.S. will be a huge favorite when it takes on Guatemala in St. Louis on Wednesday, as it bids to book a spot in the July 6 final against either Mexico or Honduras.Heading into the tournament, four straight defeats had cast gloom over the U.S. squad, but after three group stage wins this quarterfinal provided another jolt of optimism. The mood has clearly improved, and while still some disappointment and dissatisfaction lingers at the absence this summer – for various reasons – of key players such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Antonee Robinson, there is a different feel starting to develop.“We are happy with the whole team,” Pochettino added. “I am happy with the starting 11. I am happy with the impact from the bench, but I am so happy with the players on the bench that were there and they didn’t have the possibility to play. They were the first supporter, the first fans, the first people helping the teammate to achieve and to earn what we have. And that is why that make us feel very proud.”Pochettino and his side still have work to do to make the skeptics believe the USMNT is capable of making a deep World Cup run on home soil next summer, but some of the questions are starting to be answered.(Top photo: John Dorton / ISI Photos / USSF / Getty Images)
USMNT finds its fight in Gold Cup, readies for semis vs. Guatemala and its familiar faces
By Paul Tenorio July 1, 2025 7:12 pm EDT
ST. LOUIS — The moment came right after Malik Tillman’s 37th-minute penalty caromed off the post in Sunday’s Gold Cup quarterfinal against Costa Rica.Multiple Ticos players got in Tillman’s face to mock him after the miss, and the U.S. players quickly jumped into the fray to defend their No. 10.“The keeper also, he ran 100 meters to be in the fight,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said of Matt Freese, who would become the hero of the night later in the penalty shootout to send the Americans through to the semifinals.The way the team jumped in to defend Tillman, though, is indicative of a group that has grown closer together over the last five weeks. From two friendly losses to Turkey and Switzerland to open the summer through its undefeated run through the first four games of the Gold Cup, this U.S. group — a mix of starters and players trying to fight their way into the World Cup picture — has started to find its identity.“Watching them work for each other in moments, in heated moments … having their guys coming into [Tillman’s] face and watching everybody rush in, it may sound weird, but that’s an enjoyable thing to see,” said veteran U.S. center back Tim Ream. “Because I think it shows that, OK, finally, we’re a group of guys that we’re going to push back. You’re not going to push us around. We’re not going to take that kind of sh** anymore. And we have the personalities in here, and to see them all jelling together has been nice to see.”
Ream chalked it up to a team that is understanding the different personalities within the group, and the chemistry that is forming over a summer together. “When you get a group of personalities together, guys who have maybe more of a chip on their shoulder than others, that’s something that they take with them,” Ream said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily a knock on anybody else. I just think it’s one of those things where you look at who’s on the field in that instance, and Malik is probably one of the quietest guys in our group. And to see that happen to him, it’s like, ‘No, you’re not going to pick on the quietest guy.’ And listen, I’m not one to rush in and I was like, ‘Nah, this isn’t happening.’ And I think it’s just understanding everybody’s personalities and understanding what they will take and what they will give. It’s been nice to see that guys can take some but they’re going to give it back, too.”
Veteran Tim Ream has been a leader for the USMNT throughout the Gold Cup (Photo by Brad Rempel/Imagn Images)
The U.S. went into this summer looking for exactly that: fight, desire and togetherness. It’s the base of what Pochettino believes any team needs in order to be successful. On Tuesday, ahead of the semifinal here against Guatemala, the manager insisted the football is most important to him. But he felt the intangibles must be there in order for everything else to fall into place.hat moment where the team rallied around Tillman showed the group is figuring it out.“For me, that I’m Argentino, we love to fight, that means a lot,” Pochettino said, with a slight chuckle. “Because it means that we are connected, that we care about my teammate. And that needs to be natural, in between them. And that is why they deserve the whole credit. The experienced players, but also the young players that listen to the experienced players. That is the important thing. If not, it’s impossible to grow like a team, be a team. Because we can select 26 players, but for a team to be a team is a different thing. We can have 23 players that play in an individual way, and it’s difficult to have this type of behavior. That is because they care, because they made the effort, not only on the field, but off the field to try to care.”
The U.S. will need more of it against an emotional Guatemala team that is in the Gold Cup semifinal for the first time since 1996.And looking forward, Pochettino will have to find a way to carry that spirit into the fall, when he’ll potentially reintroduce a number of players into the group, including the likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Sergiño Dest, Folarin Balogun and Antonee Robinson.Here are a few more key elements leading into the first of two Gold Cup semifinals (Mexico-Honduras takes place in Santa Clara, Calif., later Wednesday night):
Reunion with former USMNT players
The U.S. will face off against two players who have made previous appearances not just with the U.S. youth national teams, but with the senior team, as well.Guatemala forward Rubio Rubin was named U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year in 2012 after standing out for the U.S. under-17 national team. He made his senior debut under Jurgen Klinsmann in 2014, was on the bench for World Cup qualifiers in 2016 and then played in four games in 2018 under interim manager Dave Sarachan.Rubin filed for a FIFA one-time switch in May 2022 and made his Guatemala debut a month later. Rubin has 13 goals in 34 games with Los Chapines, including two goals in this tournament.Right back Aaron Herrera also featured for the U.S. youth teams, including the Olympic qualifying group in 2021, and received one senior cap under former U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter that year. Herrera debuted with Guatemala in June 2023 and has become a leader for the group.
Rubio Rubin celebrates his clutch goal vs. Canada in the Gold Cup quarterfinals (Photo by Matt Krohn/Imagn Images)
In the quarterfinal against Canada, Rubin scored while Herrera had a key header off the line in Guatemala’s upset win.U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams said he was close to Herrera in the under-20 national team.“Obviously a high-level player,” Adams said. “It’s always a little bit strange, obviously, when you play with them in the youth national team and then now they’re playing for Guatemala and you’re playing against them in a Gold Cup, but it will be a really unique experience. We know how strong Guatemala is. There’s a reason that they’re in the semifinal and playing in a semifinal, so we can’t take that for granted.
“And Rubio Rubin, obviously, was a high-level player coming up through the national team, a lot of players looked up to him growing up. He’s done really well for himself. So it’ll be exciting to play against them.”Drone issues?
When the U.S. players came out to train on Tuesday, they noticed an extra drone above the team during the open portion of training. The drone did not remain for the entirety of the training session, but Pochettino was asked about it at the press conference.He didn’t seem concerned.“We were talking [that] if someone wants some clips we can send,” Pochettino said, laughing. “It’s not a problem. We’re not going to hide [anything]. It’s not NASA here. It is the men’s national team. No problem.”
Cardoso being evaluated
Midfielder Johnny Cardoso, who looks to be headed to Atlético Madrid on a $40 million transfer, may not be available for the semifinal.Cardoso participated in someof the U.S. training on Tuesday, but still felt “problems again in his ankle,” Pochettino said.“It’s not a big issue, but it’s uncomfortable,” Pochettino added. “We will see. We have 24 hours to assess and see if he can be available to be selected or not.”The U.S. started Adams, Sebastian Berhalter and Luca de la Torre in midfield in the win over Costa Rica, and with yellow cards wiped clean before the semifinals, per Concacaf regulations, neither Adams nor Berhalter needs to be wary of missing a potential final on Sunday by getting another.
USMNT survives Costa Rica in PKs, avoids Gold Cup upset bug to reach semis
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June 29, 2025Updated June 30, 2025
MINNEAPOLIS – Although the U.S. men’s national team blew another second-half lead and was pushed to the brink, it’s through to the semifinals of the Concacaf Gold Cup – thanks largely to the shootout heroics of Matt Freese.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side weathered a strong challenge from Costa Rica, playing the Ticos to a 2-2 draw in 90 minutes before getting past their regional rival in a six-round shootout (4-3) Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.Freese, who has started the entire Gold Cup over 2022 World Cup starter Matt Turner, made three saves in the shootout, while Damion Downs converted the decisive spot kick to send the U.S. to a semifinal against Guatemala Wednesday in St. Louis.Unlike Panama Saturday night and Canada earlier in the day on the very same field, the U.S. avoided falling victim to an underdog in a shootout and the ignominy of a quarterfinal defeat. That it comes on the heels of a disappointing Concacaf Nations League final four showing in March also allows the U.S. to escape – or at the very least delay – some difficult questions with the 2026 World Cup on home soil less than a year away.
Damion Downs clinches the USMNT’s win over Costa Rica. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
With a crowd of balanced support for each team, Costa Rica frustrated the USMNT and weathered a couple early challenges before drawing a penalty in the 10th minute. After stopping an initial cross with his inner thigh, Max Arfsten stuck with the ball in proximity as it neared Kenneth Vargas. The winger rotated his body to shield the ball, baiting Arfsten into an ill-advised sliding challenge at the edge of the box. Without any hesitation, referee Walter López Castellanos pointed to the spot.Francisco Calvo, a defender who played for in-market Minnesota United from 2017 to 2019, converted the penalty to give the Ticos a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute.Fate seemed to provide the USMNT with a leveler in the 31st minute, as Juan Pablo Vargas clattered Malik Tillman to the ground by taking out his left leg. After play continued for a bit, Castellanos went to the monitor and awarded another penalty four minutes after the infraction.yler Adams went to Tillman, seemingly to check if the attacking midfielder in form felt up to take the ensuing spot kick. Tillman, who is generally more reserved than spotlight-chasing players in his role, strode up and shanked his attempt off the post to his left, perhaps hampered by the foul on his plant leg.Six minutes later, Pochettino’s other creative playmaker made amends. Arfsten played a ball toward the top of the box to Diego Luna, whose shot caromed off of an opponent’s torso to betray a diving Keylor Navas and bring things level in the 43rd minute. It was a just equalizer given the balance of play throughout the first half, as the U.S. had outshot Costa Rica 9-3 while dominating 71% of possession.
Two minutes after the second half kicked off, Arfsten continued making amends for conceding a penalty. The Columbus Crew defender ran onto a low cross from Tilman and struck it well, placing it beyond Navas’ diving reach and into the net.
From there, however, the U.S. failed to put the game out of reach. Patrick Agyemang got the start at striker and was able to provide good holdup play and off-ball movement, but struggled to threaten Costa Rica’s defense with scoring opportunities. Pochettino kept his starters as the game went beyond the 70th minute, at which point Miguel Herrera had already brought on three reinforcements from the bench.
The USMNT looked tired, playing sloppy passes in transition and struggling to keep up with Costa Rica’s movement going forward. It was hardly a surprise, then, when Alonso Martínez — whose crafty movement in the box came up at training the day before — found room just beyond the six-yard box in the 71st minute to bring his team level again at 2-2.
At long last, Pochettino went to his bench: first bringing on another forward (Downs) in the 78th minute, then ending Arfsten’s roller-coaster of a shift in the 84th minute. Luna exited in the 83rd minute and Agyemang followed around the 90th, removing a couple players who may have factored in the eventual shootout.
USMNT players celebrate their Gold Cup quarterfinal win over Costa Rica. (Kerem Yucel/AFP/Getty Images)
The decisive sequence started off with Martínez bearing down on Freese, his teammate at New York City FC, throwing him off with a wink before placing a cool kick as Freese dove the wrong way.
Adams placed his kick just beyond Navas to level things, before Freese stuffed Vargas to create an opening for the USMNT. Tillman made up for his earlier miss, converting a shot just inches away from where his first attempt hit the post to give the U.S. a 2-1 edge.
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Still, Costa Rica wouldn’t go away quietly. Santiago van der Putten, brought on in the 88th minute, converted his attempt before setting the ball down for Sebastian Berhalter. With his father and former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter watching on, the midfielder skied his attempt over the bar, giving Costa Rica a lifeline after three rounds of kicks.
Another fresh face, Alex Freeman, stepped up after Costa Rica converted its fourth attempt. The Orlando City defender took a composed run-up before placing an attempt in the upper corner above a diving Navas, keeping the sequence level at 3-3 entering the fifth round.
Next was Calvo for his second attempt of the day. This time, the defender sent his shot directly at Freese’s head, with the goalkeeper holding his ground and confidently punching the ball to his left. Left back John Tolkin stepped up and hit his shot toward the post, but Navas had one last heroic dive in him to parry the attempt away and force a sixth round.
Andy Rojas, a winger for New York Red Bulls II, stepped up and saw Freese make his third save of the shootout with another diving stop. Finally, Downs put the game to bed with a well-taken hit, sending the U.S. through, and giving Freese a strong case to stay in contention to start in goal moving forward, pulling a page from last fall’s shootout win over favored FC Cincinnati in the MLS Cup playoffs.
The Gold Cup is now down to its final four, which will take place Wednesday with the U.S. playing Guatemala at 7 p.m. ET at Energizer Park in St. Louis and Mexico facing Honduras at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., at 10 p.m. ET. The winners will advance to next Sunday’s final at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
| TOP TALKING POINTS |
| Midday Kick-Off Concerns |
| Football players’ union FIFPro has urged Fifa to abandon plans for midday and afternoon kick-offs at next summer’s World Cup to avoid the heat. Six of the 16 World Cup host cities next year in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are judged by FIFPro as “extremely high risk” for heat-stress injury to players. |
| Experts independent from FIFPro have also argued that if conditions are similar to those of the Club World Cup, then the “best and safest” solution would be to hold kick-off exclusively in the morning. Kick-off times will be announced in December’s draw, but insiders expect matches in the Eastern Time Zone to start at 12:00, 15:00, 18:00, and 21:00 local time, taking into account European audiences as well as broadcaster, advertiser, and sponsor interests. |
| Additionally, FIFPro’s medical director told reporters that one proposal being trailed is the extension of half-time breaks, from 15 to 20 minutes. He also suggested shorter but more frequent in-game cooling breaks, as the two three-minute breaks used at the Club World Cup were seen as less effective. |
| The CWC’s Other Big Weekend Results |
PSG 4-0 Inter Miami  |
| The Lionel Messi derby didn’t go how the Argentinian GOAT would have envisioned, as he was brutally humanized by experiencing something most mortals have had to go through: encountering an ex who’s thriving without you. This was the first time in his career that he’s played a former club, and although his situationship with PSG wasn’t the long marriage he had at Barcelona, Messi was still haunted by a pivotal figure (and former manager) from that part of his past, Luis Enrique. Currently, his treble-winning side are as close to perfect as is conceivable (just ask Inter Milan and Atlético Madrid), so although Miami shouldn’t feel humiliated by this result, for Messi, it was a bit like bumping into two former flings who have now become best friends. Within five minutes in a busy Mercedes-Benz Stadium, PSG were ahead via a João Neves header from a Vitinha free kick, and their now trademark quick-fire pressing and rapid interchangeable passing, led to a brace for him in the 39th minute. That second goal initiated a pile-on, with PSG’s multi-billion-dollar pack of well-drilled dogs deciding to bury the game before halftime with a Tomás Avilés own goal and another from Achraf Hakimi. Ousmane Dembélé’s first cameo of the tournament was a welcome vision, and although Messi and Miami looked improved in the second half, PSG were already planning for their box office quarter final against Bayern Munich. Just by advancing to the second round, Inter Miami have superseded expectations for an MLS side in the Club World Cup, breaking records that could forge a path for CONCACAF teams in the future, while PSG’s futuristic football makes them a nightmare adversary for every other team in the tournament. |
Flamengo 2-4 Bayern Munich  |
| Defenses of the Club World Cup, you have been warned: Harry Kane is alive, alert and seemingly hungrier than ever. After being a passive participant at Bayern’s 10-0 party against Auckland City, he managed to net in their next game against Boca Juniors, but yesterday’s opponents, Brazilian side Flamengo, suffered at the feet of one of the world’s best strikers in clutch form. Prior to this game in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, Flamengo were undefeated in the Club World Cup, beating one of the tournament’s favorites, Chelsea, 3-1 in the group stage. That was before they met Bayern, who have their serious face back on after resting seven players in their 1-0 loss against Benfica, perhaps lulling future opponents into a false sense of security. They were up 2-0 within 10 minutes following an Erick Pulgar own goal from a Joshua Kimmich corner, and an unstoppable left-footed Kane piledriver from outside the box. Flamengo then took the game to the German champions with a net-breaker from Gerson, but that was nullified by Leon Goretzka producing his own wizardry just before half time, curling the ball from outside the box, as the game became a goal of the tournament competition in its own microclimate. In the second half, former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder, Jorginho, put away a penalty with his trademark hop, skip and jump to open the game up again, but Kane was decisive in the 73rd minute, and any tantalizing chance the Brazilian side might have dreamt of was ruthlessly eliminated by the England captain. |
| Palmeiras 1-0 Botafogo |
| This was the first match at the Club World Cup between two teams from the same country, and although it’s not Brazil’s most historic rivalry, in recent years there’s been plenty of heat between them due to being the country’s most currently successful clubs. The game was long in Philadelphia’s oppressive heat, requiring extra time to decide its winner, because with so much at stake, the fear of losing loomed larger than the desire to win. Palmeiras No. 10, Paulinho, entered the tension as a substitute, slaloming through an exhausted Botafogo defense in the 100th minute of the match, to simply pass the ball into the bottom corner out of the goalkeeper’s reach. There was a silly wresting match in the twilight of extra time that culminated in Palmeiras defender, Gustavo Gómez, seeing red, but his São Paulo side won the day on the pitch and in the stands and will return to the Linc for Saturday’s quarter final against Chelsea. |
 See the full list of Club World Cup match results here. |
Emma Hayes’ rebuild of USWNT is focused on process, not hype
By Asli Pelit July 1, 2025Updated 5:17 pm EDT
By the time Emma Hayes walked into Audi Field’s windowless press conference room on this steamy Tuesday afternoon in Washington, D.C., to talk about Wednesday’s friendly against Canada, we already understood her strategy for the U.S. women’s national team pretty clearly.
Rotation? Check. Young players getting their shot? Check. Tactical clarity? Almost there.
Hayes isn’t simply constructing a roster. It’s a system, a culture and a framework designed to restore the U.S. to the top of the women’s game, one deliberate decision at a time.
“My job is to make sure that they compete for when they’re actually ready, and maybe it won’t be all at the same time for all of them,” she told reporters. “My job is to create sustained winning. It’s not my job, it’s what I live for. 2027 World Cup, 2028 Olympics, 2029 Gold Cup, 2031 regardless of how long I’m here, and that’s what my job is.”
Hayes sure takes her job seriously. In just over a year at the helm, she has turned the USWNT into a live laboratory. There are no guarantees. It does not matter where players come from. She’s not afraid to test, tweak, and teach.
The USWNT works out at Audi Field on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s friendly against Canada in Washington, D.C. (Asli Pelit / The Athletic)
“The exciting thing about coaching is … you have a clear model,” she said. “There’s probably some particular things I don’t want to talk about now, because I want to win the game, but we’ve really leaned into parts of our model in the last two camps and started to see a return on all of that intentional and deliberate practice.”Deliberateness is the key to Hayes’s success. Her coaching philosophy hinges on trust in the process and long-term development over short-term success. Under her reign, the team has proven successful, scoring 15 goals in four games in this last international window. When asked about individual players she is picking and choosing for key positions in the team, Hayes responded confidently. There are no guarantees. Take Sam Coffey. Hayes surprised Coffey with the captain’s armband on Sunday, a move all her players now understand will be the norm.
“She’s an impeccable learner. She’s always wanting to improve her game. It never ends. It’s never enough … and I think her game has gone to a whole new level,” said Hayes. But when listening to Hayes, it is clear that Coffey’s inclusion, like many others she decided to bring on for this camp, isn’t just about form. Every call-up is a lesson, every minute on the pitch a test of tactical understanding in order for Hayes to place them within the big picture strategy for her team. Even against Canada, arguably the USWNT’s toughest rival in the region and for this camp, Hayes is not changing her process for the opponent.
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“I only focus on us,” she said with a grin. “And it’s not because it’s Canada or anyone. I only focus on that. Seventeen goal zone entries is exceptional, but still only four goals. Are we taking the right decision when we’re in the right areas? Sometimes. Are we executing at the top level in the right situations?”
Her approach is already reshaping the team’s dynamic.
In Sunday’s friendly against Ireland, Hayes rotated her entire starting XI, something that hadn’t happened with the U.S. in nearly 25 years. That kind of risk-taking only works if the system in place is sound and the players are prepped. Especially in a squad where the competition is brutal, where even star players and veterans like Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan and Lily Yohannes are fighting for a spot in the starting XI. But that’s Hayes’s plan for her team, and she is in it for the long run.
“Our motto is to make every second count in our interactions with them and also maximize the time we can build relationships. Because sometimes it means being with different groups at different times,” she said about her long-term plans. “I pinch myself every day that I’m in this job. This is like the biggest honor to me, maybe even more so than I thought it would be. And so often people say, be careful what you wish for, because dreams don’t necessarily match up with it. They’re right about that. This one’s better.”
(Top photo of USWNT coach Emma Hayes with Rose Lavelle: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)
Will Canada learn from a total Gold Cup failure, or just keep talking a big game?
By Joshua Kloke June 30, 2025
As Jesse Marsch was questioned on whether Canada’s relentless style of play would work throughout the Gold Cup and what exactly his Plan B was if things went belly up, Canada’s head coach did as he does. He punched back.
“Plan B is a typical question from English people,” Marsch replied to the English media member. “As managers, we have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, all the way up to Plan double Z. So by trying to simplify us as one thing, I think it’s a little bit insulting to me and to the team.”
Marsch meant to inject his team with confidence. Seated beside him, defender Richie Laryea’s prideful smile suggested it worked.
The problem?
As the Gold Cup played out, none of Marsch’s plans worked nearly as well.
Canada crashed unceremoniously out of a second tournament in a row, this time with a humbling and embarrassing Gold Cup quarterfinal defeat to Guatemala on penalties Sunday in Minnesota. Canada has risen to 30th in the world according to FIFA’s rankings, the highest in program history. You need to open a secondary page on FIFA’s rankings site to find Guatemala, all the way down at 106.
Considering the end result – and it following a draw vs. 90th-ranked Curaçao and an unconvincing win over nine-man and 81st-ranked El Salvador – Canada’s Gold Cup was an abject failure. Outside of performances from stars such as Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan and the development of a small handful of young players, it’s a failure that deserves to be worn by the entire organization.
Canada’s Gold Cup run ended in the quarterfinals (Photo by Matt Blewett/Imagn Images)
Last year’s Copa América run suggested Canada under Marsch was going to be different. One year later, it feels an awful lot like more of the same old Canada.
Marsch’s men remain eager to prove they can hang with the world’s best. Instead, outward displays of confidence were followed by poor game management, questionable squad use and repeated errors that would crush any tournament team. Forget the world’s best. Canada struggled to navigate through Concacaf’s middle of the pack. As a result, they raised questions about whether they’re ready to contend at the World Cup.
For all of Marsch’s unyielding public comments, the men’s national team appears to have learned little from John Herdman’s tournament-defining “We’re going to F- Croatia” remark in 2022. It’s more of the same: too much emotion, not enough results. You can’t continue to talk a game as big as the country itself, until the players show they’re ready to follow suit on the pitch.
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Canada might be different under the current regime, but is it truly better off? Not yet. And right now, it’s in danger of losing so much of the goodwill Marsch has built up over that past year. The approach has to be adjusted.“I still felt really strongly that this was a really good group, and it was really important to develop more players with this team and see how far we can push it,” Marsch said.The justifiable expectations of this team are far too high to cite individual player development as a reason for success in a tournament. These are expectations the team has invited.“We want to win the World Cup,” Marsch said earlier in the month.You can downplay results if the performances themselves were admirable. But strip away the veneer of development and growth? Canada hasn’t put up commendable performances in games that truly matter in a year. They were lacking in cunning and experience with its game management against Mexico in the Nations League semifinals in March, going down a goal in the opening minute. Marsch made poor tactical and game-management choices against Guatemala. Individual errors from his players didn’t help matters, either.If Marsch wants to mold this team in his image, which so many coaches do, he has to understand that with relentlessness comes errors. Jacob Shaffelburg’s two yellow cards weren’t tactical in any sort. They were a byproduct of a player not knowing when to hit the gas and when to hit the brakes.
Jacob Shaffelburg is sent off vs. Guatemala, leaving Canada with 10 men for the second half (Photo by Brad Rempel/Imagn Images)
“Moments change matches, and the double yellow right before half obviously then changes the match. So it’s frustrating. I don’t think the first (yellow card) on Shaffelburg is a yellow. I agree with the second one, but not the first one,” Marsch said.Marsch has taken aim at Concacaf and its officials plenty – he was suspended for the first two games of the Gold Cup as a result – and there may be validity to claims that Canada has not been treated historically with the same reverence as the region’s two traditional powers, the U.S. and Mexico. But Concacaf alone cannot be blamed for Canada’s failure to make a final in two tournaments over the course of three months. Accountability has to play a big part, and that comes with an honest look in the mirror.How Canada’s players and coaches wear this failure will define the most important tournament in their lives next summer. Because if Marsch and Canada can’t take a step back and re-evaluate how they approach tournament play, there’s reason to suggest they might suffer an even more disappointing fate on home soil, on the biggest possible stage.One of Marsch’s priorities with this Canada team has been coaxing more braggadocio out of this team. That space, where you can only walk with your chest puffed out to the sky, is one that Marsch occupies. A 6-0 dismantling of Honduras in the opening match made it seem like they’d be able to maintain their strut throughout the Gold Cup. Yet Canada rarely looked convincing through the following three games. Marsch’s tactical plan – no variations either – never took hold.“I told the guys, we win as a team and we lose as a team, and we learn from it and we grow and we get better. And we are fixated on exactly what it’s going to take to be successful next summer,” Marsch said.
It’s the right message to deliver to the younger players in the group. But missing was Marsch’s admission that he, too, has learning to do.
Though he might want otherwise, Marsch has made himself the face of this team. He named Alphonso Davies captain before Copa América, a questionable move considering Davies hadn’t been captain for club or country since he exploded as a player in 2018. Marsch then named David, an even more reticent character, captain for the Gold Cup.
His goal was to transfer the balance of power to his players.
But Marsch’s outward charisma and penchant for making headlines with controversial statements, well, makes headlines. From the outside, the most memorable moments of Canada’s long month of June include Marsch alleging that Concacaf allowed his players to be poisoned and his dig at the U.S. by pointing out how he didn’t have players asking out of the Gold Cup (all while the U.S. wrestled with Christian Pulisic’s summer decision).
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What was missing from the headlines were Canadian results and the admission that learning has to be done. Canada deserves credit for dismantling Ukraine in a friendly, yes. Yet all month, Marsch did nothing to extricate himself from the center of the conversation. He hoped his players would take the ball and run with it. Without results, Marsch’s efforts feel more like bluster than a damaging wind.
It’s back to the drawing board for Canada and Jesse Marsch after a humiliating Gold Cup ouster (Photo Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)
Come the World Cup, Marsch has to learn the balance between sticking up for his players in public and setting them up to do their own talking on the field.
As much as the greater Canadian public likely appreciate having a coach who can stand for his team, what will truly resonate next year is results. Canadians want to adore their national teams. The proof is in seeing local sports bars explode with joy when Canada’s hockey team toppled the U.S. in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
Canadians will remember that uber-likable head coach Jon Cooper didn’t utter his most famous line of the tournament and after Canada earned the gold medal.
“Canada needed a win,” Cooper said, “and the players bared that on their shoulders.”
Cooper knew enough to let the results do the talking until he could follow suit. The Gold Cup proved Marsch has to approach the World Cup differently from a messaging standpoint. Otherwise, he and the federation could risk losing a nation desperate for its defining soccer moment to a global audience.
On the field, the Gold Cup revealed where Canada needs to be better: the goalkeeping debate is not over and Canada’s center backs didn’t look capable of locking down a must-win game. Canada’s midfield duo didn’t break games wide open late in the tournament and no forward proved beyond a doubt they are ready to start beside David.
Marsch has hard questions with a deadline to answer: June 12, 2026, the date of Canada’s World Cup opener. But the questions Marsch will have to ask of himself will be the most pressing.
His game management, heavy rotation and use of substitutions at key moments in the Gold Cup all fell short. Marsch wants his players to be more crafty and in control during games. He needs to do the same.
Whether using three forwards down a man and up a goal against Guatemala was part of his Plan B, C or D, it missed the mark on what the game demanded. Turning to Daniel Jebbison and Cyle Larin, both of whom have not looked in control of recent performances for Canada, to finish off a game suggests either Marsch was either out of options or didn’t understand what the situation called for. It shouldn’t have been trying to press forward when added defenders or midfielders might have sealed the win. There needs to be more to Marsch’s team that just aggression.
Heavily rotating his team throughout the group stage was a means to better understand his depth. But it also meant very few players settled into their roles come the quarterfinal. In the end, Marsch and his depth were exposed. If that happens again in a year, nearly 10 years of gradual growth in the men’s program will be for nought.
There’s still time for change, even without a tournament between now and the World Cup. The pressure to land high-profile friendly opponents permeates throughout Canada Soccer, and facing Colombia in October fits the bill.
That’s when Plans E, F and G, as it were, should be revealed. What those plans look like will determine whether this Gold Cup was a harbinger for change or the precursor for Canada’s worst failure of all.
Marsch laments Canada’s Gold Cup collapse, cites his reasons and to-do list
By Jeff Rueter 56 June 29, 2025
MINNEAPOLIS — Throughout the past half decade, Canada’s rise to the upper echelon of teams in Concacaf has been measured more on a “feels like” index. There is, of course, undeniable evidence that it’s among the region’s best teams. Canada qualified for the 2022 World Cup — the nation’s first appearance in the tournament since 1986 — by winning Concacaf’s qualifying gauntlet via a goal difference tiebreaker, notching meaningful wins over Mexico and the United States on home soil. After appointing Jesse Marsch, it beat the U.S. in the third-place match of the 2024-25 Concacaf Nations League. However, neither achievement comes with a trophy, and the 2025 Gold Cup was eyed as the obvious (and final) chance to secure hardware before co-hosting the 2026 World Cup.Instead, Canada exits at the quarterfinal stage — not to the USMNT, Mexico or upstart Panama, but to Guatemala, which entered the tournament ranked 84th in the world according to the Elo Ratings and 106th in the FIFA rankings. Canada led at halftime thanks to a Jonathan David penalty kick, but the half ended with winger Jacob Shaffelburg being sent off for drawing a second yellow. Guatemala equalized in the second half, then outlasted Canada in a seven-round penalty shootout to reach its first Gold Cup semifinal since 1996.“This one’s really hard to swallow,” Marsch said after the defeat. “We’ve got to learn how to win the biggest moments, right? We’ve made a lot of progress since I’ve been the national team coach and I really like this group, and I really believe in them, but we have to find a way now to make sure we’re at our best in the toughest games and in the toughest moments. We’re going to figure that out, and I promise you: we will learn from this, and we will move forward.”Marsch felt that his side dictated the majority of proceedings, even after his team went down to 10 men. The underlying numbers, however, show that Guatemala really maximized its opportunity after gaining a numerical advantage. Canada had 55% of possession before halftime, then just 31% after Shaffelburg’s dismissal. Canada also had a clear 1.19-0.2 xG advantage thanks to a greater quantity and quality of chances created, but fully ceded that edge after halftime and was outshot 8-1 (0.04-0.64). After the game, Marsch said he agreed with the second yellow, but didn’t think that the first yellow shown to Shaffelburg was justified.
Canada’s Jacob Shaffelburg is red carded vs. Guatemala (Photo by Kerem Yucel/AFP/Getty Images)
The manner of Guatemala’s equalizer also showed a lack of big-game awareness from Marsch’s charges. As the underdog worked upfield in hopes of an equalizer, defender Derek Cornelius went to ground and stayed laying down for five or 10 seconds before getting up and rushing toward his spot. With him unable to establish a footing before a cross came in, Rubio Rubín had no issue weaving in front of Cornelius to power a header past Dayne St. Clair and bring Guatemala level with 20 minutes to go.“I feel bad for the group, because I know how bad they wanted it, but it’s important for us to learn from this,” Marsch said. “I think we lose because we beat ourselves. We can’t do that in important matches, and we certainly can’t do that next summer.”The premature exit also takes two meaningful games off the board, meaning Canada will only play friendlies between now and the World Cup. Marsch said his staff will do its best to figure out how to simulate big-game stakes and situations, but it’s no replacement for a lost tournament semifinal and, performance willing, a final.Marsch doled out ample praise for several younger members of his squad, adding that “we’re missing half of our group,” with key absences including star Alphonso Davies – arguably the region’s best player – midfielder Stephen Eustáquio and center back Moïse Bombito. While the “half” modifier feels a bit exaggerated when comparing this squad to his most common combinations – and it’s dropped after Marsch lauded how much commitment he had from his top players this summer – there were chances for alternatives to make their cases for further involvement. Niko Sigur, Nathan Saliba, Daniel Jebbison and Promise David all stepped into bigger roles in this tournament.
Another rising player, defender Luc de Fougerolles, played all 90 minutes and remained on the field for the shootout. Marsch said his staff had predetermined the first seven kickers, with the young center back identified for the second “extra kick” beyond the usual five. The 19-year-old ultimately hit his attempt off the bar, reopening the door for Guatemala to advance in their place.
“I feel for Luc, who’s a young player who has a big future, and obviously he harbors a lot of responsibility for missing the penalty,” Marsch said. “But I told the guys, we win as a team and we lose as a team, and we learn from it, and we grow and we get better, and we are fixated on exactly what it’s going to take to be successful next summer.”Marsch also clarified that Jonathan David’s late exit wasn’t due to any injury, praising his captain for his performances and leadership as he nears the end of his contract with Lille. After leading the team with three goals in the group stage, Tajon Buchanan also exited after halftime, with Marsch citing that the winger “felt his hamstring” and couldn’t push onwards.nd so, the 2026 World Cup feels all the more imminent in the absence of a deeper tournament run this summer. Guatemala found the narrowest of edges in what Marsch admits was “a crazy game.” It isn’t unusual for Concacaf’s top teams to fall victim to frequent upsets — just ask the USMNT and Mexico — but for a program that’s hungry to fare better than its last-place showing at the 2022 World Cup when the tournament comes, in part, to its neck of the woods, the lessons from this heartbreak and March’s defeat to Mexico in the Nations League semifinal must be learned and implemented immediately.
“I don’t see these guys for a month, a month and a half, or about two months,” Marsch said. “We’ll do some work internally until we get there. We’ll be discussing with the leaders in the team how we move forward, how we manage this.
“But they’re strong men, you know? They’re really committed to this. They’re really motivated to make sure that next summer, that we represent the country in all positive ways. As hard as it is right now to swallow, we’re going to find a way to make sure that we are better forward and that next summer we’re more prepared.”
(Top photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
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 NWSL players Jess Carter (L) and Esme Morgan (C) will represent England at this year’s European Championship. (Harriet Lander – The FA/The FA via Getty Image) |
| UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 touches down in Switzerland tomorrow, as 16 European nations kick off their campaign for continental dominance. |
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