By IVES GALARCEP
The U.S. Men’s National Team and Costa Rica renew acquaintances tonight, meeting for the first time since the ‘Snow Game’ in March as they clash with first place in their Gold Cup group on the line (8pm, Fox Soccer Channel).
The Ticos come into the match riding a seven-match shutout streak, and have not lost since the 1-0 loss to the U.S. in March. Their stingy defense will look to shut down an American attack that has scored 16 goals in three matches, and has won a team-record seven straight matches. A streak that began with the
While both teams have already secured their place in the quarterfinals, tonight’s match carries plenty of importance because winning the match (or in the U.S. team’s case, tying the match) can secure them an easier path in the knockout rounds. Today’s winner will face Martinique in the quarterfinals (unless Cuba or Belize can win their match by five or more goals), while the loser (or Costa Rica with a draw) would face Honduras.
Chris Wondolowski has scored a tournament-leading and USMNT Gold Cup-record five goals, and will look to build on that against a defense that is significantly tougher than any he has faced recently.
Costa Rica is apparently intent on attacking the U.S., but the key to their approach today will be pressuring a U.S. midfield that has had a field day against recent weaker opponents.
SBI will be providing live commentary on tonight’s match so please feel free to follow along with us as we cover all the action. As always, you are welcome to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action (SBI Live Match Commentary is after the jump):
These guys do a lot of acting.
yellow was right because the shot was poor and wouldn’t have gone into goal but for the handling. Instead, it would have deflected off the keepers chest.
Don’t think it really matters seeing as any intentional handball is a red card when a shot is on goal. They brought in a referee who said it was a poor call.
The referee board on bigsoccer doesn’t see it quite so clear.
Well, that sure settles it!
The ref either doesn’t know the rule, or knows it but refused to apply it. Either way, it’s appalling. He better not get another match in this tournament.
I hate that referees are hardly ever held accountable for horrible calls.
Look at Torres ball.
This kid should get some minutes in a more central role. Give him some time in the side…
These refs are absolutely horrible. They’ve directly decided 3 matches in this tournament so far and then ignore a clearly stated FIFA law by giving the GK a yellow for intentionally handling the ball outside the box on an obvious scoring opportunity. I’m not being irrational when I say this is the worst reffing I’ve ever seen in a FIFA tournament.
Oh Landon, you gotta bury that!
#concacaf’d
What a joke. That couldn’t be a clearer red card.
One of the worst ref’d matches I can recall in a long time.
Keeper milking this way too much.
Hmmm yes I have no issue with Heather Mitts being in the studio more often. Perhaps they can also bring in Alex Morgan to help out.
Happy to see our defense finally get tested a little. Looks like we’re marking up well and moving together. Still worried about Beasly at LB when he gets targeted by better teams.
Need the intensity, and speed of Corey Ashe.
Heather Mitts is sexy
Agreed. She wears that dress well.
As for the men, I don’t know how to describe our play other than uninspired and boring.
Very impressed with Torres, Diskerud has been decent as well. The rest of the team is slowing it down too much. Need to show more in final third.
against that CR high line, need some well timed runs from the midfield to thru balls forward to them; on the ground to space, chipped over into space, all types of balls, but the run is better if it comes from the midfiled and not from guys stuck on CR’s high backline vs. this D
Yep, haven’t seen us a play hug the line in a long time.
Stuey said a bad word, Stuey said a bad word
Michael Parkhurst – where attacks go to die for the U.S.
Get well soon Cherundolo.
Bedoya would be better at LM, Donovan on Rm and Torres in the middle. Current lineup forces Torres to shift at times to LM where he’s not comfortable and Bedoya at RM where he’s not comfortable .
Torres is playing fantastic so far (38 m)
Torres is so ill.
the stream is available via http://univisiondeportes.com/ in case anyone was looking for one…
Thank you!
I totally agree with the thanks!
Can we get rid of Coby Jones? He adds nothing to the game except getting on my nerves.
And everybody else’s nerves.
I think he just says things to fill space
LD should be resting. It’s the only chance he will get. USA is through no matter what.
LD just had a his rest.
Don’t worry he’ll let you know when he is getting tired.
Besides, they want to win this thing and LD is this team’s best, and most reliable go to guy.
come on wondowl!!! only 47 more goals to go!!
Joe Buck trying to get FSC viewers to change to the MLB All-Star game is hilarious. No way Jose!
GO USA!!! can’t be afraid of a few good long balls and winning those opportunities when they come to help in beating back the expected pressure in midfield from Costa Rica
Sean Johnson in goal?
I expect a low scoring game. The USA only need a draw. This could be dangerous. predicting a tie on this one.
Grant Wahl reporting that Gooch is hurt and not even warming up.
Wahl saying Gooch is in uniform now, via Twitter.
So we get the tougher match up in the quarters against El Salvador because Cuba decided to pound on Belize…and scored a last minute 4th goal…..we would have faced Martinique but oh well…..I just wanted it to be that since we were looking to face Honduras or Costa Rica again in the semis and eventually probably Mexico in the final in the 12 days after today….
At least now guys like Wondo, Mixx, Holden, Bedoya, Corona and Landon can be tested in 4 game in a row….
Playing El Salvador could be a heck of a game they are a very dangerous team.
So, yesterday the ref screwed Haiti, today the linesman (almost) screwed Cuba…the disallowed goal should have stood, and the actual 4th goal was offside.
Why does Concacaf have such shockingly disgustingly bad referees???
so much for the “beckerman blossoming into blackbone” of the team story line
You guys can complain about anything. Good work.
Johnson in goal not Rimando. Wow young and ambitious across the board. Hope they can perform.
Martinique’s congress is drawing up a declaration of war on Belize right now for not holding Cuba. They’ve scrambled the fighters.
I think you mean the fighter. Or maybe the eggs.
holden and mix starting together? love it.
Oh no! What will Costa Rica’s coach do now? He game-planned on stopping Beckerman!
LOL! The Costa Rican coach is panicing.
Man, what more can a brotha do for a start?
Keep putting nicely weighted balls onto Wondo’s head for easy headers in the box?
He didn’t start and yet we see no more forward motion than we did when he was in the games. Turns out he is neither the savior nor the devil of the USMNT. Who’d a thunk?
The clichés of soccer announcers have nearly broken my spirit. The color guy (is that Cobi again?) is criticizing Cuba lacking “that bit of quality in the final third” as the reason they are not winning by enough. Hey, how about this, lackwit? It’s hard to score 4 goals in a soccer game. Cuba is not Barcelona or they wouldn’t have to win by 4 in the third game of the group stage.
Cuba is playing very well, making chances, and may still win by enough to advance, maybe not. But spare the criticism of them.
Speaking of Cuba, have any of their players tried to defect during this tournament? No disrespect intended, but I’ve noticed this happening in the past. The increasing salaries of professional teams in this country (not only in MLS), must make it pretty enticing.
Good point, Joe. So far, they haven’t had any defections which is good…or not? Complicated situation.
Omg I’m going to miss the match *sad face*
Given that the result isn’t super important tonight, I hope that the Nats play attacking soccer and lets the chips fall where they may. If they win doing that, we’ll all be happy and excited and we’ll know who can actually do it at a high level. If they lose, then we can just say “no problem, this wouldn’t have happened if the A team had been out there. All I ask is that we don’t play conservatively.
Wow, Cuba has 27 shots to Belize’s 4.
What time does the USA game start and end? Live in Htfd.
8PM
Is this Gold Cup outfit an ‘A’ team for Costa Rica?
…cue the B.A. Baracus jokes.
It may not be a full ‘A’ team, but I would pity the fool who did not take them seriously.
Clever, Clever.
Thank goodness for a reasonable start time for a mid week game. Those 11:00 starts were a killer.
Reasonable? Not for people on the west coast coming home from work for the 5:00 pm PT start.
Really the only reasonable start time for a game is 8:30 pm ET, anything else and one coast is losing.
+1
How quickly the right coast forgets about the left.
Still more reasonable than asking East Coasters to stay up til 1 am.
Come on Yanks. I think 3-1 maybe 4-1 is pretty realistic.
And the USA takes a 5-1 lead into the 82nd minute. This performance has been nothing short of impressive and we can expect a lot more from this us national team in the weeks and months to come. Is it not funny to think that not to long ago we bemoaned a lack of quality attack options and now it seems like quality attackers are becoming pretty common. Maybe Jozy coming good and wondo hitting first half hattricks helps.
If USA can solidify this defense and Besler should be a big help with that, we can go into brasil with as good a chance of winning as we have ever had, draw and odds aside.
I’d feel pretty confident betting we won’t score five tonight.
This guy is everywhere these days.
get back to stealing Greg’s thunder Dik. someone has to keep annoying that arrogant burro.
Oh, and Go USA!!!!!!
Wynalda leading the US Eurosnob charge on television
Ives is it too much to ask for 5 blogs per page? Can you afford to feed your family at 5 blogs per page?
amen.
Ha, I’m so funny.
Go USA !!!!!!
I Agree!
i’d also like to express my fondness for that particular national team.
Haha +1