USA vs. Costa Rica Preview

Real test begins for USMNT at Gold Cup

Two weeks ago, the US getting to the knockout rounds of this Gold Cup seemed like the longest shot it had ever been. They were coming off four straight losses, all at home: against Panama and then Canada in the Nations League and then a pair of friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland (the latter of which was a humiliating 4-0). But thus far at the Gold Cup, the Americans have done what they needed to do. They won all three group stage games for just the second time in the last six editions of the tournament. But simply getting to the Gold Cup knockout rounds is hardly cause of celebration for the USMNT. It’s something they’ve done with regularity for the entire history of the tournament. Now the games get more serious and the tests get tougher. If they US wants to advance and keep the bottom from falling out, they’ll need to beat Costa Rica in the quarterfinals.

Despite winning all three group stage games, there is still plenty for the US to work on. They made short work of Trinidad & Tobago in their opener by a 5-0 scoreline. The second game against Saudi Arabia was a slog that the eventually won 1-0 on a second half goal from Chris Richards. But it was refreshing, not only to see the US beat a non-CONCACAF opponent, but also to see them find a way to win an ugly game. The group finale against Haiti started off promisingly on an early Malik Tillman goal before turning into a stressful night after a Tim Ream and Matt Freese mixup lead to a goal for Haiti. It then fell to Patrick Agyemang to score the winner late in the second half to make sure the US got the win.

But one of the unfortunate storylines around the USMNT this summer has been the off-field drama. These distractions have included barbs to and from Christian Pulisic, his dad, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Chat GPT screenshots. On Saturday, a new piece of drama surfaced as a report out of Ireland stated that Mauricio Pochettino had interviewed for the open Brentford job in the Premier League (this after Pochettino has already had to address rumors of a potential return to Tottenham Hotspur). It didn’t take long for Pochettino to tell Fox Sports Doug McIntyre that he hasn’t spoken to Brentford, but it’s just another very public piece of drama that, with a home World Cup less than a year away, this team can ill afford. The three group stage wins have done little to quiet the noise around this team and it could lead one to wonder if a win against Costa Rica will be just as successful in quieting that noise.

The only game that Costa Rica has lost so far this year was against the US. In their other games they are 6-0-1 (W-L-D). They topped Group B in the second round of World Cup Qualifying with twelve points out of a possible twelve. In the third round they have been drawn with Honduras, Haiti, and Nicaragua. So far at this Gold Cup they are unbeaten with two wins and a draw in the group stage finale against Mexico. They won a wild 4-3 game against Suriname, beat the Dominican Republic 2-1. and drew 0-0 with Mexico. Despite being tied with Mexico on seven points, they finished as runners-up due to an inferior goal difference. The star of the show for the Ticos has been Manfred Ugalde, with three goals, all of which have been penalties.

When, Where

Date: Sunday, June 29, 2025

Stadium: US Bank Stadium

City: Minneapolis, MN

Time: 7pm ET

TV: FOX

All-Time Series

USA leads 20-17-6

Last Meeting

Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Stadium: Inter & Co Stadium

City: Orlando, FL

Attendance: 13,580

Result: USA 3-0 Costa Rica

Current FIFA Ranking

USA: 16

Costa Rica: 54

Next Game

TBD

Photo Credit: US Soccer