Matt Freese made three saves in six shootout attempts to lead the U.S. to victory over Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup. He used a college research project on penalty kicks to help him prepare for this match. The 26-year-old native of Pennsylvania has displaced for now 2022 World Cup and 2023 Gold Cup starter Matt Turner. Freese knocked away shootout attempts by Juan Pablo Vargas, Francisco Calvo and Andy Rojas as the Americans won 4-3 after a 2-2 tie in regulation. The U.S. plays Guatamela in the semifinals.
