Matt Freese’s upbringing helped shape his soccer career, though not because he came from a soccer family. ST. LOUIS — When the Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal between the United States and Costa Rica on Sunday headed into a shootout, the mind games between Matt Freese and the shot takers commenced.

Mauricio Pochettino craved a group that would lean into its emotions when needed, and the U.S. has done that en route to the Gold Cup semis