For perhaps one 10 minute span, the worst-case scenario seemed slightly possible, but by avoiding a six-goal defeat that was never realistically going to transpire, the U.S. men’s national team is headed back to the World Cup.
A 2–0 defeat at Estadio Nacional in San José, Costa Rica, did not prevent the U.S. from achieving its goal, with the U.S. finishing third in Concacaf’s World Cup qualifying Octagonal and securing a place in Qatar. The result did extend the U.S.’s run of futility playing in Costa Rica, where it fell to 0-10-2 all-time, and 0-10-1 in qualifying. But thanks to the draw earned in Mexico and thrashing of Panama earlier this window, all that was required for the U.S. was to avoid a hefty loss that would have allowed Costa Rica to make up a sizable +10 goal-differential gap. Despite goals in the 51st and 59th minutes from Juan Pablo Vargas and Anthony Contreras, that did not happen.
Costa Rica, knowing that its most likely outcome was a fourth-place finish and a spot in an intercontinental playoff against New Zealand, didn’t exactly make things hard on the U.S., at least on the surface. With a number of key players carrying yellow cards, and with another in this match enough to rule them out via accumulation for the prospective playoff, the hosts played it safe. Regulars Joel Campbell, Francisco Calvo, Celso Borges, Bryan Ruiz, Johan Venegas and Bryan Oviedo were absent from the XI, with Calvo and Borges not even on the teamsheet for the night.
The U.S., conversely, opted for a first-choice XI, with Berhalter starting the same group that featured at the Azteca last week—including three players who played on the fateful night in Trinidad & Tobago over four years ago, Christian Pulisic, DeAndre Yedlin and Kellyn Acosta.
That didn’t stop the U.S. from having a nervy moment 20 seconds in, with a Costa Rica forward going down in the box under pressure from Walker Zimmerman, only for the ball to trickle out for a goal kick and referee Drew Fischer having no interest in awarding a penalty.
The U.S.’s first dangerous foray forward came in the third minute, with Pulisic playing a beautiful switch to Yedlin on the right. The right back earned a corner kick, and Pulisic picked out Miles Robinson on the set piece, only for the center back to head right at veteran goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Yedlin forced Navas into action a few minutes later with a dangerous cross from deep in the corner, which Ricardo Pepi was seeking out with a near-post run, only for Navas to come off his line and punch it to safety.
Navas made another save in the eighth minute off another U.S. set piece. Robinson had the ball fall to him in the box, and he lined up a powerful chance, which Navas parried onto the goal line and then snatched before it could cross.
Navas was forced to make another save, this time on a Pepi shot from a tight, right-sided angle in the 13th minute, with the U.S. coming out aggressively, looking to seize the result and its ticket to Qatar.
Costa Rica had a dangerous moment seeking the opener in the 29th minute. Yunus Musah lost possession, which sprung a counter for the hosts. Jewison Bennette wound up with space down the left-hand side, and he sent in a dangerous cross that forced Robinson to get down and make a sliding clearance.
U.S. goalkeeper Zack Steffen was forced into his first save in the 35th minute, when, after an extended period of possession in the U.S. third, Costa Rica launched a long-range attempt on goal via Brandon Aguilera.
The U.S. had one more corner kick—a seventh—before the first half ended, one that was physical and scoreless, much to the U.S.’s delight considering the circumstances.
The U.S. made one substitution at halftime, with Luca de la Torre coming on for Tyler Adams, who looked to have taken a knock in the opening minutes, only to stay on through the first half.
Navas made another massive save in the 48th minute, and it came off another U.S. set piece. After Pulisic was taken down again, he delivered a curling free kick into the center of the box, where Robinson directed his header toward the far post. Navas made a sprawling save, and Tim Weah had a follow-up cleared off the line to keep the match at 0–0.
After all of the missed opportunities on set pieces the U.S. had, Costa Rica opened the scoring on one of its own. Vargas headed in off a corner kick in the 51st minute, making it 1–0 to the hosts and shrinking the U.S.’s margin for error to five goals to concede.
Costa Rica made it 2-0 not even 10 minutes later, with Steffen spilling a ball in the U.S. box and the Ticos making the visitors pay. Bennette sent the recycled ball through the U.S. box, and with Steffen not fully in position, he picked out Contreras by the far post for the redirect.
The U.S. looked to pull one back in the 71st minute. Gio Reyna, on as a sub, slipped Pulisic in down the left-hand side, and the Chelsea star’s cross was cleared, but only as far as Musah at the edge of the box. His first-time follow was on target but blocked before it could hit the goal, as Costa Rica desperately defended its goal to preserve the lead.
Costa Rica never threatened to ramp up the pressure from that point on, though, with the U.S. seeing out the result—and ultimately punching its ticket back to the World Cup.
