ST. LOUIS - Less than a year into his U.S. men's national team tenure, coach Mauricio Pochettino is encountering some things for the first time. Wednesday night was the latest example. When he and the U.S. walked out for their Gold Cup semifinal, they weren't greeted by red, white and blue - they were overwhelmed by blue and white, horns and chants of "Si Se Puede" ringing out throughout Energizer Park.
These weren't the colors of Pochettino's native Argentina, but rather of Guatemala, the Central American nation that took over this city. Still, despite the cheers and the chanting and the excitement, there's only one of the two teams bound for a Gold Cup final. And it's not Guatemala.
The U.S. found their win, riding two first-half Diego Luna goals to defeat Guatemala, 2-1, and advance to Sunday's deciding game in Houston, where they will face Mexico for the eighth time in a Gold Cup final.
It was an emotionally charged match from the first whistle, although Luna did seemingly silence the crowd with two goals in the first 15 minutes. Guatemala, though, wouldn't give up and, with the backing of their fans, they had no reason to.
"This was good for our players because when you talk about the future, about seeing the team and how to fight, how to come here, how their fans behave, that is an important thing we have to learn in this country," Pochettino said. "I am not telling anyone to do this or do that. No, we talk about culture. I come from Argentina. In Argentina, it's not the same. We don't lose, because the consequences were massive."
The U.S. didn't lose. They kept their tournament going, earning a fifth straight win after losing four in a row entering the Gold Cup. The final will also present a hostile atmosphere, one that will be even louder and fiercer than Wednesday night.
Pochettino and his team believe they're ready for it, though. Having cleared their latest hurdle, the USMNT have a chance both to make a statement and to lift a trophy.
"Winning helps," said Tim Ream. "I also think guys like Diego Luna help, guys like Malik Tillman. You're seeing these guys get more and more experience and understanding of how to win games. None of this is going to happen unless we win and continue to win. And, for us, what's the hallmark of a U.S. team? Fighting and togetherness. That's what we're finding and doing in this tournament."
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Energizer Park.