'Made a Mistake'- Max Arfsten Drops Emotional Statement After USMNT Vs Costa Rica

The USMNT advanced to the Gold Cup semifinal after defeating Costa Rica 4-2 in a penalty shootout. The match ended 2-2 in regular time, with the U.S. trailing for most of the first half.

Costa Rica opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a penalty converted by left back Francisco Alvo. The U.S. struggled to respond until just before halftime, when Diego Luna netted his first official goal for the national team to level the match.

Two minutes into the second half, Maximilian Arfsten gave the U.S. the lead, but Costa Rica equalized in the 71st minute through Alonso Martínez, sending the game to extra time and eventually penalties.

Arfsten, who conceded the first-half penalty that gave Costa Rica the lead, bounced back with a goal and an assist. After the match, he expressed pride in his second-half performance and credited his teammates for helping him shake off the early mistake and stay focused. 

"I know I made a mistake, and I wasn't happy about it. But my teammates did a really good job of rallying behind me and just telling me to respond to the past. And then I really wanted to do that. I owed it to the team and yeah, happy to be able to contribute, and then we came out with the win." - Arfsten said to FOX