The USMNT beat Guatemala 2-1 “before a sellout crowd (sold mostly to Guatemala fans)” in a Gold Cup semifinal match at Energizer Park in Houston. Guatemala’s fans “may have outnumbered American fans,” with chances for the Guatemalan squad bringing on “roars from the crowd that dwarfed anything the U.S. team got.” Guatemalan fans were “out in force, seizing a rare opportunity to see their national team playing this deep into an international tournament.” The streets around the stadium were “jammed with fans wearing Guatemala jerseys and carrying Guatemala flags, lending an international flavor to the game that previous international games in St. Louis couldn’t match.” The Americans will face Mexico in the championship game on Sunday in Houston (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 7/2). Guatemalan flags “dominated the landscape” when the teams took the field. Chants of “‘¡Sí, se puede!’ or ‘Yes, you can!’ echoed” around the arena of 22,423 spectators (WASHINGTON POST, 7/2).
Mexico defeated Honduras 1-0 at Levi’s Stadium in the other Gold Cup semifinal, with “hundreds of tickets” still available on resale sites “shortly before the game.” Ticket prices were “far lower than what a Mexico game would normally command.” The announced attendance for the match was 70,975, but “plenty of empty seats were visible.” Some customers said that their friends “had stayed away because of the fear of ICE agents” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/2).
