The U.S. are two wins away from something they have done seven times, but not since 2021 – lift the Gold Cup

ST. LOUIS – Tim Ream wasn't ashamed to admit it: the USMNT's thrilling Gold Cup quarterfinal win over Costa Rica was emotional. There was no stereotypes or veteran happy talk, you know, cliches about it being "just another game."

It wasn't. The USMNT's back-and-forth shootout victory over Cost Rica on Sunday – featuring three massive saves by goalkeeper Matt Freese in penalties – was simply exhilarating.

"I think there's a lot of excitement in the changing room," Ream told reporters at USMNT training on Tuesday. "A lot of discussion about how together we felt we were, how important it was that we all have each other's backs. There was a little bit of singing in the locker room after the game, too."

But with that game behind them, and a semifinal ahead, Ream snapped back into business mode.

"Listen, though, I think as soon as we got back to the hotel," he said, "it's a complete focus on recovery and getting ready tomorrow."

That focus is now on Guatemala, the next step of this team's Gold Cup journey. The last one, that emotional shootout win over Costa Rica, was memorable, but the nature of tournaments means that Mauricio Pochettino and the U.S. can't dwell on it long. Yes, they had each other's backs on Sunday, but now they have to look ahead to Wednesday and a Guatemala team that just stunned CONCACAF by taking down Canada in the quarters.

The U.S. will be favored, of course, but Guatemala showed that the favorite label doesn't get you much. This will be a challenging game, as all semifinals are – and the USMNT know that feeling well, as this is the record 17th time the've reached the semis of the Gold Cup. They stared down their biggest test in this tournament on Sunday, and will take another one on Wednesday night.

"I think it's very clear that, any time you play for your national team, you're playing against 11 guys who know what they need to do, and who are extremely motivated," Luca de la Torre said. "We have to want it just as much, if not more, than them if we want a chance of winning."

GOAL looks at five keys for the U.S. vs Guatemala, kicking off at 7 p.m. ET in St. Louis on Wednesday.

Getty ImagesLining up the midfield

Putting together a midfield is all about balance. Who goes and who stays? Who covers where? What are the roles and who is playing them?

Against Costa Rica, the U.S. shifted the balance. After playing more of a 4-2-3-1 during the group stage, the U.S. played three central midfielders behind Diego Luna and Malik Tillman in the win over Costa Rica, showing off a different look. That left Luca de la Torre and Sebastian Berhalter as the more attacking of the three with Tyler Adams behind them as the USMNT's destroyer.

"I think you've seen the team get better every game," De la Torre said. "I think it's normal because, before this, a lot of these guys had never played together. Now, I think things are a lot more fluid, especially in the attacking part of the game."

Added Berhalter: "It's about finding little pockets. We have Malik, who is very good in tight spaces. Diego is very good in tight spaces, too. So it's all about getting them the ball and letting them be creative. That's one one our strengths."

As a result, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the combination of Berhalter, De la Torre and Adams start again. However, Johnny Cardoso is seemingly closer to full fitness, having trained on Tuesday. Jack McGlynn could also rejoin the lineup out wide in a spot that Berhalter occupied defensively against Costa Rica.

Either way, the U.S. have a few different looks in midfield. Now it's up to Pochettino to figure out which one best suits this Guatemala game.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesBreaking down a bunker

This isn't something that the U.S. will be entirely unfamiliar with in this tournament. They had at least 64 percent of the possession in each of their four Gold Cup games so far and, once again, they're expected to possess the ball for large stretches of the match against Guatemala.

Don't brush past that point, however, because, even with all of that possession, breaking teams down can be a challenge.

"It's about balance. You want space occupied," De la Torre said. "If someone has space to go forward, they need to take it because we need to create, but also then other guys need to find that balance also."

Guatemala have generally been hard to break down in this tournament, save for their five-goal shootout against Guadeloupe. They conceded just once each to both Panama and Canada, and held a high-powered Jamaica team scoreless. In many ways, Guatemala are here because they've made themselves very tough to score against. Realistically, that's their only path to victory vs the USMNT, too.

To their credit, though, Guatemala have come to play in this tournament, not park the bus. They largely split possession with Jamaica and Guadeloupe, dominated the ball against 10-man Canada and only really sat back against Panama in a 1-0 defeat. All signs say that they'll look to hit on the counter against the USMNT.

So what does that mean? Creative players such as Tillman and Luna will have to make things happen in tight spaces. Wide players, whether that's fullbacks or wingers, will need to stretch the field. And, most importantly, when Guatemala do get forward, the U.S. will need to prevent them from doing so with numbers.

Getty ImagesMax Arfsten or John Tolkin?

Against Costa Rica, Max Arfsten said he was just hoping to make an impact – and, boy, did he. The Columbus Crew defender was involved in all four goals, scoring one, assisting one … but also conceding a penalty for one and being dribbled by for another, some weird soccer version of a Gordie Howe hat trick.

"I wanted to get my get-back, as some would say," Arfsten said, "and really make my mark on this game. I feel like I did that. Obviously, though, there's always room to improve, but I'm happy with how I showed resiliency."

Arfsten's resilience was commendable and was one of the talking points of Sunday's win. We're onto Wednesday, though, and now there's a decision to make. Was the good Arfsten's good enough to keep him in the XI? Or will the bad Arfsten convince Pochettino to yield to John Tolkin?

Tolkin, admittedly, wasn't immune to negative moments. After making an instant impact as a sub, the former New York Red Bull fullback had a chance to win the game from the penalty spot, only to see his shot stopped by a diving Keylor Navas. It was a good save, in truth, but a setback for Tolkin, who had a chance there to be the hero.

Pochettino probably won't want either to be the hero on Wednesday. There were enough fireworks from the left-back position to last the rest of the tournament. What he'll need is someone steady and reliable, someone who can help the U.S. win while making very sure that they don't lose.

Arfsten or Tolkin? It's one of the few lingering lineup questions heading into the semifinal.

Getty Images SportKeeping their heads

Tyler Adams was willing to admit it: he really wanted to get into that scuffle against Costa Rica. After Tillman's penalty miss, the entirety of the USMNT took exception to how Costa Rica taunted the American midfielder, rushing in to defend their teammate. Discretion was the better part of valor.

"I wasn't involved in it, because I know better at this point," he said. "I knew if I got a yellow, I would miss the next one. But, trust me, I wanted to be more involved!"

Adams' yellow card counter has now been reset, as have the rest of the USMNT's, but the point remains: in games such as these, it's all about keeping your head.

"I think everybody understands that they have to be smart," Ream said. "Everybody understands that, if they're on a yellow, you may have to make a different decision. That's experience from Tyler, and you look at Chris [Richards] and he gets a yellow in that melee – and then plays the rest of the game to perfection and never puts himself in position to get a second one."

That doesn't just apply to scuffles, obviously. Look to Guatemala's win over Canada to find another good example. That game was turned by a series of quick-fire yellow cards to Jacob Shaffelburg, whose dismissal cracked open the door for Guatemala to burst through. If Shaffelburg could have just seen things out through halftime, this might have been a USMNT vs Canada semifinal. Instead, his sending off set off a series of cataclysmic events that led to the biggest upset of the tournament so far.

It doesn't take much to set off a chain reaction. It could be a silly tackle, a quick confrontation or a frustrating lapse in judgment. Ultimately, though, cooler heads must prevail in these sorts of games, particularly when they're favored in the way the USMNT is.