Matt Freese made three saves in six shootout attempts to lead the U.S. to victory over Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup.

If the Concacaf Gold Cup was meant to be a testing ground for an inexperienced version of the U.S. men's national team, Sunday's quarterfinal against Costa Rica was a very trying examination. It was not only the fact that it was the first win-or-go-home game for this group,