The United States complies and will play in the final again.

Diego Luna scored twice in the first 15 minutes, and the United States held on to beat Guatemala 2-1 yesterday and reach its first Gold Cup final since 2021.

Luna opened the scoring with a left-footed shot in the fourth minute and scored with his right foot in the 15th minute (his third goal in two matches).

Olger Escobar, an 18-year-old native of Massachusetts, USA, reduced the gap for the Guatemalans by cutting inside and firing past goalkeeper Matt Freese in the 80th minute. It was his second goal of the tournament.

Freese deflected a shot from José Morales towards the far post near the end of the match (92').

The Americans, ranked 16th by FIFA, advanced to the Gold Cup final for the 13th time. Their five final losses have come against Mexico.

Guatemala, ranked 106th and having never reached the final, outscored the United States 13-1 in shots on goal over the final 30 minutes of the first half.

Guatemala's starting lineup included a pair of former U.S. players: 29-year-old forward Rubio Rubin, who made seven appearances for the Americans from 2014 to 2018 before switching in 2022, and 28-year-old defender Aaron Herrera, who made one appearance in 2021 before moving in 2023.

Rubin scored in the 29th minute, beating Freese, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Freese made a foot save against Rubin in the 34th.

Escobar, scorer of the Guatemalan goal, lamented the elimination in the semifinals.

"I was 100 percent fit. We didn't achieve our goal, but we have to keep moving forward," the FC Montreal player said after the match.

Escobar, whose mother is Honduran and whose father is Guatemalan, became the youngest player from the Blue and White team to score in the Gold Cup on June 24.

"We couldn't achieve it today," he lamented, after admitting that Guatemala made things easier for the United States by allowing two goals early in the match.

“We have to learn from these things,” he added.

The United States will once again play for the CONCACAF title against Mexico, the reigning champion.

The match will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston.

This will be the last official match for both teams before their World Cup debut.— AP