The United States’ loss to Colombia in their Copa America Centenario wasn’t a killer by any means. “They [Costa Rica] know they got a result that puts them in position to get out of the group”, said Dempsey. Going up against a Costa Rica, the us certainly has enough to win and is the favorite, but recent performances are worrisome. He couldn’t maintain the USA tempo at the base of midfield. Paraguay need a positive result Tuesday night to force a win-and-in scenario in their group finale against USA. But now there is little room for error; should the USA fail to beat the CRC the pressure will ratchet up considerably and could hypothetically see them eliminated with one game still to play.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, 23rd-ranked Costa Rica settled to a goalless draw with world no. 44 Paraguay at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando last Saturday, as per Sports Illustrated. The U.S. has never failed to advance to the second round of any tournament after earning four points in the first round. But it got mixed reviews for its Copa opener against Colombia, one of the top teams in the world.
This isn’t the first time critics have questioned Dempsey’s role on the team. But the US have seen their place in the top two slip in the last two years. “They are intense, they are physical and there are battles all over the field”. Sure, the USA was unlucky to give up a penalty kick (thought it was clearly a PK), but nothing from that match made me feel confident in this team.
After the U.S. Men’s Men’s National Team looked out of synch and flat in its tournament opening loss to Columbia, coach Jurgen Klinsmann must make adjustments. Certainly not this summer. And more important than that, they control their own destiny in Group A. They still had a clear path out of the group.
But Costa Rica’s defensive style could present problems for the US after it failed to score against Colombia, even with the Ticos missing Kendall Waston after a red card against Paraguay. But it’s a way out and with a draw and win, the Americans would probably get through to the quarterfinals.
“If you base everything just by result, then it was a negative start”, Klinsmann said.
Advertisement
While fans may be fretting what could happen should the Americans falter against Costa Rica, that’s far from being the focus inside Klinsmann’s program.
