ST. LOUIS -- Led by a brace from Diego Luna, the U.S. men's national team defeated Guatemala 2-1 in the Gold Cup semifinal on Wednesday.
Held at a sold-out Energizer Park that had a majority Guatemala crowd, the USMNT immediately hit the ground running with a goal from Luna in the fourth minute. Pouncing on a rebounded shot, the Real Salt Lake player stunned the boisterous visitors with his short-range attempt that put the U.S. up 1-0 early on.
Eager to maintain attacking pressure, Malik Tillman stepped up with a long-range pass that switched the field in the 15th minute, setting up Luna with space to dribble forward and cleverly slot the ball into the back of the net, thereby making it 2-0.