ST. LOUIS — In an intense showdown on Wednesday night, Diego Luna emerged as the hero, scoring twice in the opening quarter-hour to propel the United States to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Guatemala. This win secured their spot in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final, marking their first appearance since 2021.
Luna showcased his incredible skills early on, netting the first goal with a powerful left-footed strike in just the fourth minute. He followed up with another impressive goal with his right foot in the 15th minute, tallying his third goal over two games.
Guatemala, showing resilience, pulled one back in the 80th minute through Olger Escobar. The 18-year-old, hailing from Lynn, Massachusetts, skillfully maneuvered inside to deliver a precise shot from within the box, sneaking the ball past U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese and into the far post. As the match wound down, Freese demonstrated his prowess by deflecting José Morales’ shot just minutes into stoppage time.
Anticipation builds as the U.S. prepares to face off against defending champions Mexico for the Gold Cup title in Houston on Sunday. This match will be the American team’s last competitive fixture before they kick off their World Cup campaign next June. Historically, Mexico leads with nine Gold Cup victories, followed by the U.S. with seven, and Canada with one. The Americans, currently ranked 16th globally, have reached the Gold Cup final 13 times, although they’ve faced five final defeats, all against Mexico.
Despite being ranked 106th, Guatemala showed determination and tenacity as they outshot the U.S. team 13-1 in the latter part of the first half and 20-12 throughout the entire match. The game unfolded in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 22,423 fans at a sold-out Energizer Park, predominantly supporting Guatemala.
The U.S. broke the deadlock when Luna capitalized on a series of passes initiated by Alex Freeman and Malik Tillman. Freeman’s cross led to a chance for Luca de la Torre, whose shot was parried by Guatemala’s goalkeeper Kenderson Navarro. Quick on his feet, Luna switched the ball from his right foot to his left, firing it over Navarro’s outstretched arm.
Moments later, Luna received a cross-field pass from Tillman, confidently dribbling past defender José Carlos Pinto and placing the ball inside the near post from the edge of the penalty area, much to the delight of the U.S. fans.
Guatemala’s lineup included former American players, Rubio Rubin and Aaron Herrera. Rubin, who made several appearances for the U.S. between 2014 and 2018, recently changed allegiance in 2022. Similarly, Herrera played for the U.S. once in 2021 before switching to Guatemala in 2023. Rubin had an effort ruled offside in the 29th minute and saw another attempt thwarted by a kick save from Freese in the 34th minute.
With excitement building towards the final, both the U.S. and Mexico aim to add another Gold Cup title to their storied soccer histories.