Sports

Photos: U.S. Men’s National Team tops Guatemala in Gold Cup semifinal

St. Louis Public Radio | By Brian Munoz

Published July 3, 2025 at 9:46 AM CDT

Guatemala defender José Morales (16) fights United States midfielder Brenden Aaronson (11) for the ball during the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal at Energizer Park on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in St. Louis’ Downtown West neighborhood. — Guatemala defender José Morales (16) duels with U.S. midfielder Brenden Aaronson (11) for the ball during the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal at Energizer Park on Wednesday in St. Louis.

The U.S. Men’s National Team secured a spot in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final by defeating Guatemala 2-1 on Wednesday in front of an announced attendance of 22,423 at Energizer Park.

U.S. winger Diego Luna struck twice in the first 15 minutes, giving his team an ample cushion to make it through the match — first in the 4th minute, pouncing on a rebound inside the box and slotting a left-footed shot past Guatemalan goalkeeper Kénderson Navarro.

About 10 minutes later, Luna received a long cross-field pass from Malik Tillman, cut right, then doubled the lead with a right-footed strike from the top of the penalty box.

Luna became the first player from any national team to score two goals in the opening 15 minutes of a Gold Cup semifinal match.

Despite starting slow, Guatemala nearly scored in the 26th minute when Óscar Santis sent a header just wide of the goal. Navarro, the Guatemalan keeper, kept the match within reach in the 61st minute with a diving save to stop a header by U.S. striker Patrick Agyemang.

Guatemala's breakthrough came in the 80th minute when Olger Escobar buried a right-footed shot inside the box, sending the stadium into a frenzy and injecting life into the underdogs. The momentum carried into stoppage time, when José Morales had a chance to level the match, but U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese made a critical stop to preserve the win.

While chants of “Sí se puede!” — Spanish for “Yes, we can!” — rang out across the stadium, Guatemala’s historic tournament run came to a close.

Guatemala thrilled its devotees with a series of narrow-margin wins in the tournament, including dramatic penalty shootouts and late winners that marked one of the nation's deepest runs in Gold Cup.

For some fans, Wednesday’s matchup was deeply personal.

“This was the match I was hoping that would happen — never thought I'd actually get to see it,” said David Chavarria, 22, of Imperial, whose parents are Guatemalan and American. “I've been to games here in St. Louis before. This is nothing new, but a game such as this, for me personally, is a dream come true.”

Others reflected on what the match meant for the region and local soccer community.

“For the city of St Louis, it means a lot,” said Casey Adams, a 37-year-old USMNT fan from Ballwin. “We just have had our team … for a couple of years now, and to be able to have a matchup like this — I think it's pretty awesome. It puts St. Louis on the map for international soccer.”

The United States will face Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on Sunday at NRG Stadium in Houston.

See photos from the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal game by St. Louis Public Radio visuals editor Brian Munoz.