Matt Freese saved the U.S. men’s national soccer team from an embarrassing loss in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Minneapolis on Sunday.

The New York City FC goalkeeper made three saves on Costa Rica’s six attempts in a penalty kick shootout for the U.S. to advance through the quarterfinal stage. The U.S. will play Cinderella side Guatemala in a semifinal in St. Louis on Wednesday.

After his first save, Matt Freese told himself: “I want another” and he repeated the mantra after his second stop. After his third save, he stuck out his tongue in defiance.

“I’m super grateful I was able to help my team,” said Freese, who just joined the national team this year.

When at Harvard, Freese said he did a research project on penalty kicks. That studiousness helped out on Sunday.

Schadenfreude

Costa Rican fullback Francisco Calvo was not a fan favorite during his time with Minnesota United (2017-19), so there was an added sting when he scored a penalty kick to give the Central American country a 1-0 lead in the first half.

Then there was schadenfreude from Loons fans on social media when Freese stopped Calvo’s PK in the shootout.

Better crowd for USMNT

At the start of the tournament, the U.S. couldn’t fill two much-smaller MLS stadiums, with only 12,610 in San Jose on June 15 and 11,727 in Austin on June 19.

The Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington had plenty of good seats available on June 22 when the U.S. and Haiti played in front of an announced attendance of 20,918.

CONCACAF announced Sunday’s attendance at 32,289, which is less than half of the 66,200-seat capacity. No fans sat in the third deck.

St. Clair says he ‘Let the team down’

MNUFC fans have enjoyed goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair prowess on penalty kicks over the years, especially in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs series with Real Salt Lake.

Fans of the Canadian soccer weren’t so fortunate Sunday as Guatemala won 6-5 after seven rounds of penalty kicks.

“Especially in penalties where I know I’m so good at, part of me feels like I let the team down a little bit,” St. Clair told reporters postgame. “Of course, penalties can go either way, but I know how strong I can be in those moments. Unfortunately it didn’t work out that way.”

St. Clair didn’t single out if one PK bothered him more, but he went the correct way on the first two penalties but shots barely eked past him.

“He guesses right on the first two and (if) he can get more of a solid hand on it, then maybe he makes a save,” coach Jesse Marsch said. “That is how you look at penalties, right. It’s the margin for error once you get (there).”

Fellow Loons player, striker Tani Oluwaseyi, had a header saved off the line by a Guatemala fullback Aaron Herrera in the 14th minute, but Oluwasyi drew the penalty kick later in the first half after Herrera was whistled for contact in the box. Jonathan David converted from the spot.

Guatemala fans, who made up an overwhelming majority of the crowd for the first quarterfinal, booed relentlessly after the PK was awarded and converted.

With Canada’s loss, St. Clair and Oluwaseyi will rejoin the Loons with plenty of time to prepare before the away match versus FC Dallas on Friday.

MLS teams smashed in Club World Cup

The FIFA Club World Cup was forgettable for the three MLS teams in the other major tournament in the U.S. this summer.

Inter Miami, the only team to advance out to the round of 16, were throttled in a 4-0 loss Sunday to Paris St. Germain, the UEFA Champions League winner.

Seattle and Los Angeles FC didn’t make it out of the group stage.

All three teams combined for one win, six losses and three draws, with a minus-11 goal differential.

Briefly

The tighter dimensions at U.S. Bank Stadium have been referenced as a reason why the FIFA World Cup will not come to Minnesota next summer. The standard dimensions are 115 yards long by 74 yards wide; U.S. Bank Stadium’s measurements were 110 by 70. … Here’s one context on Guatemala’s upset. They are ranked the 106th-best team in the world, per FIFA, while Canada comes in at 30th. Meanwhile, USA checks in at 16th and Costa Rica 54th.