The US Men's National Team are through to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup final after Wednesday's 2-1 win over Guatemala. We're breaking down the individual showings.
Ben Wright
Matt Freese - 6.5
The hero of the quarterfinals was generally solid when tested against Guatemala, making four saves and in no way at fault for the goal. He had a few standout stops, but looked shaky at times, including a second-half sequence where he should have come off his line much earlier.
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Matt Freese with the save for the @USMNT! 🧤🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/xPzGCbsfUB
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2025
Max Arfsten - 7.0
The Columbus Crew winger was typically involved going forward, but was exposed a couple times defensively. Overall a positive showing.
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Tim Ream - 6.0
Tim Ream looked closer to his age against Guatemala, caught out for pace a few times and not looking fully on the same page with Freese. He was good in possession as usual, but the fact that no one is coming close to pushing him for a starting spot is getting concerning.
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Chris Richards - 7.0
The Crystal Palace defender was strong throughout the night and capable of hitting a line-breaking pass. An early yellow card tamed his performance, though, and he had to pull out of a few challenges to stay on the pitch.
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Alex Freeman - 7.0
He's looked much better since getting into a more advanced role. He created two chances, including a dime of a cross to pick out Patrick Agyemang for a clean header on goal.
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Luca de la Torre - 6.0
The San Diego FC midfielder took the shot that led to the opening goal, but struggled to stay involved afterwards. An early yellow card certainly contributed to his substitution shortly into the second half.
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Tyler Adams - 6.5
Tyler Adams had a few decent moments on the half-turn, and his improved long range passing opened up things going forward. He got stuck in a few times, but was withdrawn in the second half with some hamstring tightness. It's crucial that he stays healthy.
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Sebastian Berhalter - 6.5
The Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder stood out for his defensive work, making a few crucial interventions to complement his consistently-excellent set piece delivery. He maybe could have put in a more substantial challenge on Guatemala's goal, but otherwise a strong showing.
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Diego Luna - 9.0
Diego Luna just makes s**t happen, huh? He scored his first goal by being more aware and reacting faster than anyone else, and his second was a fantastic display of his quality. Otherwise, he was a menace in the final third, linking up well and able to play the incisive pass easily.
At this point, he has to start with the full team.
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The Footwork.
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) July 2, 2025
The Finish.
The Flash. pic.twitter.com/g701O71GZm
Malik Tillman - 6.5
This felt like a letdown from the PSV attacker, with his inconsistencies on full display. He started Diego Luna's goal with a completely misplayed touch, but began the second with a fantastic switch. He had a few enticing entry passes, but also struggled to hit an open pass on multiple occasions. He baited the defender into a foul more than once, and also dribbled himself out of possession as well. A bit of Jekyll and Hyde going on with him.
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Patrick Agyemang - 5.0
How you rate Patrick Agyemang mainly depends on what you think the job of a a No. 9 should be. The Charlotte FC striker has already scored five goals, and while he continued to get into incredible spots, his finishing fluctuates from "wildly inconsistent" to "incredibly disappointing". He had a couple clear chances to add to the lead and missed.
And yet, his holdup play and movement is so good. If the finishing and passing ever shows up, he would be legitimately elite.
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Substitutes
Brenden Aaronson - 4.5
The Leeds United midfielder didn't contribute anything going forward and was a traffic cone for Guatemala's goal. His energy simply doesn't cut it as a counterbalance to his lack of real quality anymore.
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Jack McGlynn - N/A
The Houston Dynamo playmaker was an odd choice to close the match out against a physical opponent.
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John Tolkin - N/A
The former New York Red Bull looked at times like he was playing as a holding midfielder, eventually dropping back to his preferred left back role when Max Arfsten went off.
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Damion Downs - N/A
Gave Agyemang a breather late in the match.
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Walker Zimmerman - N/A
The Nashville SC defender made his first appearance of the tournament, coming on for the final five minutes to keep the ball out of his own box.
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Manager
Mauricio Pochettino - 6.0
Again, it was just enough from Mauricio Pochettino. After really poor friendly results before the tournament, he has his team in the final, although that's the bare minimum for this group at the moment.
As the tournament has gone on, he's discovered a structure that fits the player pool a bit better. However, some of his substitutions have been quite perplexing. It doesn't seem like he quite knows how to use some of these players.
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