Four days removed from a 2-1 home defeat to Mexico in the Hexagonal opener, the United States Men’s National Team continues its World Cup qualifying campaign with a daunting trip to CONCACAF rival Costa Rica. Tuesday’s match at Estadio Nacional in San Jose will kick off at 8 p.m. CT with television coverage on beIN SPORTS and NBC Universo.
Both teams enter Tuesday on the heels of dissimilar results on the Hexagonal’s first match day. The U.S. suffered its first World Cup qualifying home loss to Mexico since 1972 — a result that broke the fixture’s famous “Dos a Cero” hex — while Costa Rica earned a 2-0 road win at Trinidad and Tobago behind late goals from MLS duo Christian Bolanos and Ronald Matarrita.
Given the outcome of Friday’s match in Columbus, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s men approach Tuesday with added urgency for a result. Remarkably, the U.S. is still seeking its first-ever road victory against Costa Rica, having lost eight and drawn two. Should the precarious streak hit 11 games, it would represent an ominous start to the Americans’ Hexagonal campaign.
Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler started against Mexico in Klinsmann’s seldom-used 3-5-2 formation, which reverted to a 4-4-2 once the U.S. fell behind within the first half-hour. Besler provided a steady presence at left back until his 81st-minute exit, totaling three interceptions, three clearances and three tackles won. Should Klinsmann stick with a 4-4-2 against Los Ticos, Besler could feature centrally or on the left side of the back four if he keeps his starting spot.
Graham Zusi was an unused substitute on Friday, but stands a chance to play in the wide midfield if Klinsmann ends his 3-5-2 experimentation. The Sporting Kansas City winger is accustomed to coming off the bench — having done so four times at Copa America — and scored in the Yanks’ 4-0 dismantling of Costa Rica on June 7, the last time these teams met.
Forwards Jozy Altidore and Bobby Wood combined for a 49th-minute equalizer against Mexico and are strong candidates to start again up top. Midfielders Michael Bradley and Christian Pulisic are likely to feature, as well, but lingering questions about Jermaine Jones’ fitness means the door could open for any one of Zusi, Sacha Kljestan or Alejandro Bedoya. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan will replace Tim Howard, who was forced off in the first half with an adductor strain and has returned to the Colorado Rapids for medical evaluation.
While the U.S. and Mexico remain CONCACAF’s giants, Costa Rica has flourished into a serious contender over the last four years. Los Ticos reached the quarterfinals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and sit at No. 18 in the latest FIFA rankings, six spots ahead of the United States. Head coach Oscar Ramirez took over in August 2015 and led the side to a first-place finish in CONCACAF’s semifinal round of World Cup qualifying. The team has won five straight since its 4-0 Copa America loss to the U.S., including victories over Colombia and Russia away from home.
Costa Rica’s roster boasts four MLS players — namely Bolanos (Vancouver) and Matarrita (NYCFC), plus defender Kendall Waston (Vancouver) and midfielder Johan Venegas (Montreal). Attacking duo Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell lead the way, having combined for 34 international goals. Ruiz and Campbell ply their trade for Sporting Clube de Portugal and both have competed in the UEFA Champions League this season.
History undoubtedly favors Los Ticos in the forthcoming fixture, as the U.S. MNT has never won on Costa Rican soil. The all-time series is tied at 14-14-6, with the Americans winning three of the last four competitive matches in shutout fashion. The previous three World Cup qualifiers played in San Jose have unfolded poorly for the Americans, with a 3-0 loss in 2005 followed by 3-1 setbacks in 2009 and 2013, respectively.
The Hexagonal features six CONCACAF teams squaring off in a home-and-away, double-round-robin format between November 2016 and October 2017. The top three finishers will punch their ticket to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, while the fourth-place finisher will meet an Asian side in a World Cup playoff one year from now. Tuesday will be the final game of 2016 for both nations.
CONCACAF Hexagonal Standings
<strong>TEAM</strong> |
<strong>PTS</strong> |
<strong>W</strong> |
<strong>L</strong> |
<strong>D</strong> |
<strong>GD</strong> |
<strong>GF</strong> |
<strong>GA</strong> |
<strong>1. Costa Rica</strong> |
<strong>3</strong> |
<strong>1</strong> |
<strong>0</strong> |
<strong>0</strong> |
<strong>+2</strong> |
<strong>2</strong> |
<strong>0</strong> |
2. Mexico |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
+1 |
2 |
1 |
3. Panama |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
+1 |
1 |
0 |
<strong>4. United States</strong> |
<strong>0</strong> |
<strong>0</strong> |
<strong>1</strong> |
<strong>0</strong> |
<strong>-1</strong> |
<strong>1</strong> |
<strong>2</strong> |
5. Honduras |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
-1 |
0 |
1 |
6. Trinidad & Tobago |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
-2 |
0 |
2 |
ROSTERS
USA
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Middlesbrough/ENG), Ethan Horvath (Molde/NOR), William Yarbrough (Club Leon/MEX)
DEFENDERS (9): Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin/GER), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca/MEX), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach/GER), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana/MEX), DeAndre Yedlin (Newcastle United/ENG)
MIDFIELDERS (9): Alejandro Bedoya (Philadelphia Union), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland/ENG), Julian Green (Bayern Munich/GER), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Caleb Stanko (FC Vaduz/LIE), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (4): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Aron Johannsson (Werder Bremen/GER), Alan Gordon (LA Galaxy), Bobby Wood (Hamburg/GER)
COSTA RICA
GOALKEEPERS (3): Keylor Navas (Real Madrid/Spain), Patrick Pemberton (Alajuelense/Costa Rica), Esteban Alvarado (Trabzonspor/Turkey)
DEFENDERS (9): Michael Umana (Alajuelense/Costa Rica), Cristian Gamboa (Celtic/Scotland), Johnny Acosta (Herediano/Costa Rica), Bryan Oviedo (Everton/England), Jose Salvatierra (Alajuelense/Costa Rica), Francisco Calvo (Saprissa/Costa Rica), Ronald Matarrita (New York City FC), Kendall Waston (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Pablo Salazar (Herediano/Costa Rica)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Celso Borges (Deportivo La Coruna/Spain), Christian Bolanos (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Randall Azofeifa (Herediano/Costa Rica), Yeltsin Tejeda (Lausanne-Sport/Switzerland), Johan Venegas (Montreal Impact), David Guzman (Saprissa/Costa Rica), Rodney Wallace (Sport Recife/Brazil)
FORWARDS (4): Bryan Ruiz (Sporting Club/Portugal), Joel Campbell (Sporting Club/Portugal), Marco Urena (Brondby/Denmark), Ariel Rodriguez (Bangkok Glass/Thailand)
