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| United States show shortcomings in disappointing defeat by Costa Rica | United States show shortcomings in disappointing defeat by Costa Rica |
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| The result, underwhelming as it was on the night, will barring catastrophe do little to dent the World Cup hopes of the United States, who remain in favorable position with three matches left in the qualifying hexagonal. But Friday night’s 2-0 defeat by Costa Rica before a spine-tingling atmosphere at Red Bull Arena offered vital and instructive reminders of USA’s shortcomings, lest they allow themselves to peek too far ahead toward next year’s tournament in Russia. | |
| The historic signposts in the immediate aftermath were dire. It marked only the United States’ fourth defeat in a World Cup qualifier on home soil in 32 years – and the first by shutout. But it pales in comparison to the calamity the team faced nine months ago, when Bruce Arena took over a dispirited, rudderless program that had dropped their opening two qualifying matches, a latter a 4-0 drubbing in the Costa Rican capital of San José that prompted the dismissal of Jürgen Klinsmann. | The historic signposts in the immediate aftermath were dire. It marked only the United States’ fourth defeat in a World Cup qualifier on home soil in 32 years – and the first by shutout. But it pales in comparison to the calamity the team faced nine months ago, when Bruce Arena took over a dispirited, rudderless program that had dropped their opening two qualifying matches, a latter a 4-0 drubbing in the Costa Rican capital of San José that prompted the dismissal of Jürgen Klinsmann. |
| Since then, the US had played 14 matches entering Friday’s crucial qualifier eight miles from Manhattan, winning nine, drawing five and losing none, buoyed by a renewal of institutional confidence and the emergence of Christian Pulisic. That unbeaten run is no longer thanks to a brace by Marco Ureña, the San Jose Earthquakes target man whose first came against the run of play at the half-hour mark, followed by a second off a grievous defensive miscue that put matters on ice nine minutes from time. | Since then, the US had played 14 matches entering Friday’s crucial qualifier eight miles from Manhattan, winning nine, drawing five and losing none, buoyed by a renewal of institutional confidence and the emergence of Christian Pulisic. That unbeaten run is no longer thanks to a brace by Marco Ureña, the San Jose Earthquakes target man whose first came against the run of play at the half-hour mark, followed by a second off a grievous defensive miscue that put matters on ice nine minutes from time. |
| All the while the well-drilled defense of Costa Rica, surprise quarter-finalists at the last World Cup, would deny the United States time and again with no small help from Keylor Navas, the Real Madrid keeper who made a series of critical saves to keep the hosts off the board. | All the while the well-drilled defense of Costa Rica, surprise quarter-finalists at the last World Cup, would deny the United States time and again with no small help from Keylor Navas, the Real Madrid keeper who made a series of critical saves to keep the hosts off the board. |
| This is unbelievable from Keylor Navas. (📹:@UnivisionSports) pic.twitter.com/6qHOeR7bzl | This is unbelievable from Keylor Navas. (📹:@UnivisionSports) pic.twitter.com/6qHOeR7bzl |
| It had started as a night of immense promise for the United States before a capacity crowd the 26,500-set home of the New York Red Bulls in New Jersey. The cagey, intense opening abruptly gave way in the seventh minute when the United States survived a poor giveaway by left-back Tim Ream, who was bailed out when team-mate Jorge Villafaña raced back to disrupt the Costa Rica counter. | It had started as a night of immense promise for the United States before a capacity crowd the 26,500-set home of the New York Red Bulls in New Jersey. The cagey, intense opening abruptly gave way in the seventh minute when the United States survived a poor giveaway by left-back Tim Ream, who was bailed out when team-mate Jorge Villafaña raced back to disrupt the Costa Rica counter. |
| That’s when Pulisic, the attacking midfielder from Pennsylvania, darted across the area and won a foul. Moments later he carried it 20 yards up the right flank before he was hacked down by a gang of Costa Rican defenders, the hard man David Guzmán seeing yellow for good measure. The teenage ingenue, who’s already been hailed as the finest player the country has ever produced, offers the United States a talent capable of the sort of lean-forward moments that American supporters had previously only read about or consumed on YouTube, dangerous with his pace and confidence to run at defenders and slip them instinctively. | That’s when Pulisic, the attacking midfielder from Pennsylvania, darted across the area and won a foul. Moments later he carried it 20 yards up the right flank before he was hacked down by a gang of Costa Rican defenders, the hard man David Guzmán seeing yellow for good measure. The teenage ingenue, who’s already been hailed as the finest player the country has ever produced, offers the United States a talent capable of the sort of lean-forward moments that American supporters had previously only read about or consumed on YouTube, dangerous with his pace and confidence to run at defenders and slip them instinctively. |
| He nearly broke through for an opener at 16 minutes when an excellent sequence including Bobby Wood, Darlington Nagbe and Jozy Altidore ended with a Pulisic missed header. Even as the US continued to press, a poor giveaway or dispossession – including no less than three by talented youngster Wood – was never far behind. | He nearly broke through for an opener at 16 minutes when an excellent sequence including Bobby Wood, Darlington Nagbe and Jozy Altidore ended with a Pulisic missed header. Even as the US continued to press, a poor giveaway or dispossession – including no less than three by talented youngster Wood – was never far behind. |
| The first moment of controversy came in the 23rd minute when Graham Zusi sent a long through-ball to Pulisic on the right edge of the area, whose well-timed cross to Altidore found the target man dragged down in a heap and prompted vociferous appeals for a penalty to referee John Pitti, of Panama, that fell on deaf ears. Two minutes later Altidore had another chance when Michael Bradley found him on the left side of the area, perhaps taking a touch too many as a pair of Costa Rica defenders closed in before his tightly-angled shot was parried away by Navas. | The first moment of controversy came in the 23rd minute when Graham Zusi sent a long through-ball to Pulisic on the right edge of the area, whose well-timed cross to Altidore found the target man dragged down in a heap and prompted vociferous appeals for a penalty to referee John Pitti, of Panama, that fell on deaf ears. Two minutes later Altidore had another chance when Michael Bradley found him on the left side of the area, perhaps taking a touch too many as a pair of Costa Rica defenders closed in before his tightly-angled shot was parried away by Navas. |
| That set the stage for Ureña, who ran on to a pass from Bryan Ruiz, split Ream and Geoff Cameron and managed to slot a right-footed shot from the right side of the box past Tim Howard just inside the bottom-left corner at the 30-minute mark, making the hosts pay for their early missed chances – and perhaps for starting a new defensive combination against such a high-quality opponent. It marked the first time in 10 matches the US had failed to score first. | That set the stage for Ureña, who ran on to a pass from Bryan Ruiz, split Ream and Geoff Cameron and managed to slot a right-footed shot from the right side of the box past Tim Howard just inside the bottom-left corner at the 30-minute mark, making the hosts pay for their early missed chances – and perhaps for starting a new defensive combination against such a high-quality opponent. It marked the first time in 10 matches the US had failed to score first. |
| GOOOOAAAAALLLLL MARCO!!! HE GIVES @FEDEFUTBOL_CR A 1-0 LEAD! 😱#USAvCRC | #ForwardAsOne pic.twitter.com/7k7GDaGrkr | GOOOOAAAAALLLLL MARCO!!! HE GIVES @FEDEFUTBOL_CR A 1-0 LEAD! 😱#USAvCRC | #ForwardAsOne pic.twitter.com/7k7GDaGrkr |
| The US redoubled their attack after the goal but were frustrated one chance after another. Seven minutes from half-time, Altidore slipped through a pair of defenders and found Pulisic near the goal, but he was denied by Kendall Watson. Moments later Pulisic went down for several minutes after a foul by Guzmán, which left the teenager limping the rest of the night. | The US redoubled their attack after the goal but were frustrated one chance after another. Seven minutes from half-time, Altidore slipped through a pair of defenders and found Pulisic near the goal, but he was denied by Kendall Watson. Moments later Pulisic went down for several minutes after a foul by Guzmán, which left the teenager limping the rest of the night. |
| More chances followed after the half and quickly with Zusi taking an early corner that found the head of Ream, who couldn’t quite negotiate it on goal. Soon after came a phantom foul on Wood that cost the US a breakaway. | More chances followed after the half and quickly with Zusi taking an early corner that found the head of Ream, who couldn’t quite negotiate it on goal. Soon after came a phantom foul on Wood that cost the US a breakaway. |
| Arena began pulling strings after the hour-mark, inserting Clint Dempsey for Villafaña in the 65th and shifting to a 4-3-3 with the longtime captain up top alongside Altidore and Wood. It nearly paid immediate dividends moments later when a Dempsey free-kick was deflected into the vicinity of Pulisic, whose shot made it through a forest of Costa Rican defenders only to be deftly corralled by the Real Madrid keeper. | Arena began pulling strings after the hour-mark, inserting Clint Dempsey for Villafaña in the 65th and shifting to a 4-3-3 with the longtime captain up top alongside Altidore and Wood. It nearly paid immediate dividends moments later when a Dempsey free-kick was deflected into the vicinity of Pulisic, whose shot made it through a forest of Costa Rican defenders only to be deftly corralled by the Real Madrid keeper. |
| But the 81st-minute strike by Ureña, his 13th in 56 international appearances off an inexcusable giveaway by Cameron, effectively ended matters, silencing the legions of US fans behind the goal while sending the Costa Rican supporters in the arena’s upper reaches into hysterics. Arena swapped in Jordan Morris as a fourth forward in the 84th, but by then it was too little too late. | But the 81st-minute strike by Ureña, his 13th in 56 international appearances off an inexcusable giveaway by Cameron, effectively ended matters, silencing the legions of US fans behind the goal while sending the Costa Rican supporters in the arena’s upper reaches into hysterics. Arena swapped in Jordan Morris as a fourth forward in the 84th, but by then it was too little too late. |
| Dagger.. #USAvCRC pic.twitter.com/hRbKsLBjHR | Dagger.. #USAvCRC pic.twitter.com/hRbKsLBjHR |
| There will be no shortage of hand-wringing after Friday’s showing, which marked the first time in six decades the US have dropped two home games in a World Cup cycle. But in truth the US played neither well enough or awfully. They remain in third place with eight points, one clear of fourth-place Panama (seven) and behind Mexico and Costa Rica (14 points apiece), with a top-three finish necessary for automatic qualification and the fourth-place team forced into a play-off. | There will be no shortage of hand-wringing after Friday’s showing, which marked the first time in six decades the US have dropped two home games in a World Cup cycle. But in truth the US played neither well enough or awfully. They remain in third place with eight points, one clear of fourth-place Panama (seven) and behind Mexico and Costa Rica (14 points apiece), with a top-three finish necessary for automatic qualification and the fourth-place team forced into a play-off. |
| With three remaining matches against the three teams beneath them in the standings – Honduras in San Pedro Sula on Tuesday before dates with Panama and Trinidad and Tobago in October – they remain squarely in control of their own destiny. What’s changed is their margin for error and the heightened stakes for Tuesday’s trip, which the US will make without the suspended Altidore. Either way Friday’s outing will give Arena’s side plenty to think about between now and October. | With three remaining matches against the three teams beneath them in the standings – Honduras in San Pedro Sula on Tuesday before dates with Panama and Trinidad and Tobago in October – they remain squarely in control of their own destiny. What’s changed is their margin for error and the heightened stakes for Tuesday’s trip, which the US will make without the suspended Altidore. Either way Friday’s outing will give Arena’s side plenty to think about between now and October. |