Luna leads U.S. past Guatemala to Gold Cup final

ST. LOUIS -- Diego Luna scored doubly successful the archetypal 15 minutes, and the United States hung connected to bushed Guatemala 2-1 connected Wednesday nighttime to scope its archetypal Concacaf Gold Cup last since 2021.

Luna enactment the U.S. up with a left-footed changeable successful the 4th minute, past scored with his close successful the 15th for his 3rd extremity successful 2 games.

Olger Escobar, an 18-year who was calved successful Lynn, Massachusetts, chopped wrong and slid a changeable from wrong the country betwixt Matt Freese and the acold station successful the 80th for his 2nd extremity of the tournament. Freese parried José Morales' changeable toward the acold station successful the 2nd infinitesimal of stoppage time.

The U.S. plays defending champion Mexico oregon Honduras for the rubric Sunday astatine Houston, the Americans' past competitory lucifer earlier their World Cup opener adjacent June. Mexico has won 9 Gold Cups, the U.S. 7 and Canada one.

The 16th-ranked Americans precocious to the Gold Cup last for the 13th time. All 5 losses successful finals person been to Mexico.

No. 106 Guatemala, which has ne'er reached the final, outshot the U.S. 13-1 successful the past 30 minutes of the archetypal half.

Luna got his archetypal extremity aft Alex Freeman crossed for Malik Tillman. He touched the shot to Luca de la Torre, whose changeable was spilled by goalkeeper Kenderson Navarro. Luna reacted rapidly and switched the shot from his close ft to his left, past changeable implicit Navarro's outstretched close hand.

Eleven minutes later, Luna received cross-field walk from Tillman astir 40 yards out, dribbled in, got by defender José Carlos Pinto with a stepover and enactment the shot wrong the adjacent station from the borderline of the punishment area.

Guatemala's starters included a brace of erstwhile U.S. players: 29-year-old guardant Rubio Rubin made 7 appearances for the Americans from 2014-18 earlier switching successful 2022 and 28-year-old defender Aaron Herrera made 1 successful 2021 and past changed successful 2023.

Rubin enactment the shot past Freese successful the 29th minute, but the extremity was disallowed for offside. Freese made a footwear prevention connected Rubin successful the 34th.