USMNT defeats Canada in penalty shootout, advances to CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals

The U.S. men’s national soccer team will advance to the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup after defeating Canada 2(3)-2(2) in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals Sunday at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. Here’s what you need to know:

• USMNT forward Brandon Vazquez opened the scoring in the 88th minute, but Canada’s Steven Vitória notched a late equalizer from the penalty spot in second-half stoppage time.
• Jacob Shaffelburg scored next in the 109th minute to put the Canadians up. However, a shot by the USMNT’s Gianluca Busio resulted in an own goal off Scott Kennedy in the 114th minute, and the match eventually went to penalties.
• U.S. goalie Matt Turner posted two saves in the shootout. The U.S. made three, and Canada missed their fifth penalty to end the match.
• The U.S. will face Panama on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET in the semifinals. The final will be played on July 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET between the winner of that match and the winner of Jamaica-Mexico on Wednesday.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

U.S. guts it out

A loss to Canada, even with a ‘B’ team at the Gold Cup, would have been a historic result. The U.S. men’s national team had not lost to Canada at home since June 22, 1957. It would have been the first time the U.S. was eliminated in the Gold Cup quarterfinals since losing to Colombia in 2000. Ending those types of streaks are not distinctions anyone would have liked.

The U.S. was not perfect in this game. But, much like the Gold Cup team that won the 2021 Gold Cup, which gutted out three 1-0 wins in the knockout stages to take the title, this U.S. team showed character. It was not a great first half from the Americans, though they were much more assertive in the second half and looked to be the far better team. The U.S. dominated possession, had 21 shots to Canada’s five and created the more dangerous chances overall.

A late Canada penalty took the game to extra time and it looked like the Canadians might be advancing after Shaffelburg’s goal provided the lead in extra time, but the U.S. fought back and were throwing waves of pressure at Canada. It paid off with an equalizer on a fortunate own-goal bounce. Turner’s penalty prowess sealed the result. If you’re B.J. Callaghan, however, the takeaway is the resilience and performance in the second half and extra time, and now it’s about seeing how quickly this team can bounce back for the semifinal against Panama. — Tenorio

How should Canada feel about this result?

Canada will undoubtedly come away from this game feeling like they deserved a better result. While the United States dominated in nearly every statistical category, Canada was the more composed team in the first half and for long stretches of extra time. There was a grinding, resoluteness to their play that was their hallmark through World Cup qualifying but hasn’t always been evident throughout 2023.

While Canada didn’t offer much in the second half, they were organized in their defense in a manner they hadn’t always shown throughout the group stage, either.

And that’s what’s important to take away for Canada coach John Herdman and his side: though they stumbled against the likes of Guadeloupe and Guatemala, they raised their game when it mattered against the United States. For a Canada team that was far from full strength, this Gold Cup was an opportunity for young Canadian players to put themselves into the conversation with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon. Canada’s youth showed itself with a few nervy and naïve moments, sure. But in the semifinal itself, there were more positives than negatives for Herdman to take away. Ali Ahmed, Dayne St. Clair and Shaffelburg all had the kind of game-changing performances that would suggest they deserve more regular call-ups from Canada or, in the case of St. Clair, starting in Herdman’s preferred XI. The Minnesota United goalkeeper made multiple saves that kept Canada alive.

“I think the future is bright for some of these young men,” Herdman told OneSoccer postgame. — Kloke

Backstory

Canada advanced to the quarterfinals with a 4-2 win over Cuba following draws against Guatemala (0-0) and Guadeloupe (2-2) in the group stage.

The U.S. stormed to the quarterfinal matchup following respective 6-0 wins over Trinidad and Tobago, and Saint Kitts and Nevis in the group stage. With three goals in each of those contests, striker Jesús Ferreira became the first USMNT player to score hat tricks in consecutive matches. The USMNT’s first group-stage match against Jamaica ended in a 1-1 draw.

Canada and the U.S. faced off prior to the Gold Cup in the CONCACAF Nations League final, where the U.S. defeated Canada 2-0 on June 18.

Highlights of the match

.@Brvndonv opens the score for the !!!

» @FOXSoccerpic.twitter.com/eMmJnCSojV

— U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (@USMNT) July 10, 2023

GOAL! Vitória converts from the spot! #CANMNT equalize late! #WeCAN pic.twitter.com/zAWcRks5h6

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) July 10, 2023

A hard shot from @gbusio13 bounces off the Canadian defender into the net!!!

» @FOXSoccerpic.twitter.com/0reSOcoNfp

— U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (@USMNT) July 10, 2023

Required reading

(Photo: Aaron Doster / USA Today)