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In a hard fought match, the USA vs Costa Rica match ended in a 1-0 win for the Americans. Both squads used semi-alternate starting lineups, but the United States were the slightly better team. With the 1-0 win, Jurgen Klinsmann lead his team to a perfect 9 out of 9 points in Group C. They will now face El Salvador in the quarterfinals, while Costa Rica will play Honduras.
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The USA vs Costa Rica match will be played on Tuesday, July 16, 2013 at 5:00 PM Pacific at the Rentschler Field in Hartford, Connecticut. Both teams have already qualified to the quarterfinals and are simply playing to see who will end up in first place of Group C. Even though Costa Rica and the USMNT have each won both of their first two matches, the Americans would win the group by getting at least a draw, due to the goal differential.
The most important thing at stake in the USA vs Costa Rica match is avoiding playing Honduras in the quarterfinals. The team that ends in second place will get to face an always difficult Honduras. The winner of the group will be rewarded with a fairly easy quarterfinal match against Martinique (unless something crazy happens in the Cuba vs Belize match).
Klinsmann rotated some of his key players in the match against Cuba, which the USMNT won 4-1. This means he will likely use all of his best players against Costa Rica, hoping to win the group and maintain the positive momentum going into the knockout rounds.
Costa Rica will be, by far, the toughest opponent the USMNT will face in the group stage. Cuba and Belize were easily swept aside by a combined score of 10-2, and didn’t offer much of a challenge. However, both these teams have squads composed mainly of semi-professional players; against Costa Rica, the USA will face a group of professional players. Although not Costa Rica’s “A” squad, the Ticos will prove to be a tough rival.
The USMNT is still a big favorite to win the match against Costa Rica, the squad has looked great through two matches, and shows no indication of slowing down. Costa Rica started off by defeating Cuba 3-0, but struggled to defeat Belize by a single goal (1-0). In contrast, the USMNT crushed Belize 6-1.
The USA vs Costa Rica match will also play an important role in determining who wins the golden boot (scores the most) in the Gold Cup 2013. Wondolowski has scored 5 goals so far in two matches, 2 more goals than the closest rival. If the San Jose striker can score a goal against Costa Rica, he will be a huge favorite to win the top goalscorer award.
USA vs Costa Rica Prediction
The USA vs Costa Rica match will be the toughest game the USMNT faces in the group stage. Nonetheless, the United States will come out with a victory, Klinsmann’s squad has been playing near perfect, and will not be defeated. Donovan, Wondolowski, Beasley and the rest of the key players will keep the positive momentum heading into the quarterfinals.
The USA vs Costa Rica match will end in a 2-0 victory for the USA, which will win Group C and go on to face Martinique. Costa Rica will go on to face Honduras in what will likely be the must-watch match of the quarterfinals.
USA vs Costa Rica Television
The USA vs Costa Rica match will be televised on Unimas and Fox Soccer Channel this Tuesday, July 16, 2013 at 5:00 PM Pacific.
USA vs Costa Rica Highlights
FutnSoccer will post the USA vs Costa Rica highlights as soon as they are available at the end of the game, we will also include a full analysis. You can watch the USA vs Cuba 4-1 victory highlights for now.
