The U.S. national team is riding the momentum of some recent big victories, but Friday's tuneup vs. Guatemala is still an important step ahead of the Gold Cup.
After beating the Netherlands and Germany last month, you might consider the United States friendly Friday against Guatemala to be a bit anti-climactic.
OK, it feels extremely anti-climactic. When you have beaten two of the top teams in the world, including the reigning World Cup champion, suddenly facing a regional rival in a tuneup friendly has the appeal of a cold shower.
The Americans don't quite need waking up, but they do need to work out some kinks before kicking off the Gold Cup on Tuesday in Texas against Honduras.