USA vs. Costa Rica: Breaking Down Why the Americans Fell on Enemy Soil

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: September 7, 2013

commentComment        

United States took on Costa Rica in a critical World Cup qualifying match on Friday and, as has been the case each time they have faced the Ticos on the road, the Americans came up empty in a 3-1 defeat. 

At first glance, the loss isn't devastating for Jurgen Klinsmann's team, who are still in a good position to punch a ticket to Rio for next summer. But given the circumstances, it's a worrisome setback. 

Historically, the U.S. have had no luck in Costa Rica during World Cup qualification, having fallen to 0-8-1 in enemy territory against their neighbors to the south.

There's certainly cause for concern when considering their inability to put produce a winning performance against a decidedly less-talented bunch. 

Furthermore, the loss snapped the Americans' 12-game winning streak, which obviously isn't a positive sign as far as momentum goes. 

But there's time to make up for the loss, and on Tuesday the U.S. host Mexico, who shockingly lost 2-1 to Honduras on Friday. 

With the defeat now in the rearview mirror for Klinsmann and company, here's a look back at what went wrong for the Americans. 

 

The Absence of Michael Bradley

Just moments prior to kickoff, longtime national team member Michael Bradley went down with a nasty ankle injury, leaving the U.S. unexpectedly shorthanded. 



The loss of Bradley was crushing, as the 26-year-old midfielder is a crafty playmaker for Klinsmann, and his absence was noticeable from the first seconds of the match. 

With Bradley out, the U.S. were forced to insert Geoff Cameron (who ended up with a one-game suspension) into the lineup. The Stoke City defender did his best but he simply isn't the catalyst that Bradley is.

As NBC Sports pointed out, Bradley's presence was missed dearly at both ends of the pitch:

Without Bradl...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!