The Gold Cup has opened up with Canada being shocked by Guatemala in the last round. The USMNT will now face Los Chapines in the semi-finals. Whilst Mexico plays Honduras on the other side of the draw. Therefore, we can expect to see the United States play El Tri in the final.
USMNT have a new number one
For a long time, Matt Turner was the USMNT's number one goalkeeper. However, due to his lack of game time at the club level, he has moved down the pecking order for Mauricio Pochettino. It was expected that Zack Steffen would replace Turner, but the Colorado Rapids keeper had to drop out of national team duty due to injury.
Matt Freese of New York City FC has taken his opportunity as the USMNT first-choice keeper this summer. He has played all the Gold Cup games and was instrumental in saving three penalties in the shootout victory over Costa Rica in the quarter-finals.
Could Guatemala produce another giant killing?
Jesse Marsch has earned a lot of plaudits as the head coach of Canada. Many USMNT fans would prefer him to be their manager instead of Pochettino. However, Marsch's side suffered an unexpected defeat to Guatemala in the previous round.
It looked like it was going smoothly for the Canadians when Jonathan David gave them the lead. Rubio Ruben then equalized, with Canada already down to 10 men as Jacob Shaffelburg was sent off. Los Chapines then went on to make it through on penalties.
Rubin, who scored against Canada, plays for the Charleston Battery in the USL Championship. Despite playing in the United States' second tier, the forward could still be the danger man against the USMNT.
Team news and predicted lineups
Damion Downs could start for the USMNT after impressing off the bench and scoring the winning penalty against Costa Rica.
USMNT predicted lineup: Freese, Freeman, Richards, Ream, Arfsten, Adams, De la Torre, Berhalter, Luna, Downs, Tillman
Luis Fernando Tena will likely field a similar lineup to the one that beat Canada, in the hope that they can produce another shock result.
Guatemala predicted lineup: Navarro, Herrera, Pinto, Samayoa, Morales, Robles, Rosales, Muñoz, Escobar, Rubin, Santis
Historical context and prediction
The USMNT has played Guatemala 27 times in its history, winning 16, drawing six, and losing just five. The last time they met was in a World Cup qualifier back in 2016, which the United States won 4-0, with Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore amongst the scorers. Guatemala had beaten the USMNT 2-0 previously in that doomed qualifying campaign that ended with the Stars and Stripes failing to make it to Russia in 2018.
Guatemala did very well to beat Canada, but the USMNT should be too strong for them. It will be a tough match, but Pochettino's side should win 2-0.
How to watch USA vs. Guatemala
The USMNT will take on Guatemala at 7:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Jul. 2 at Energizer Park, St. Louis. The match will be televised on FS1, Univision, TUDN, and ViX. Whilst it can also be streamed on Fubo,DirectTV Stream, and Sling Blue.