USMNT vs. Costa Rica preview: Yanks out to rescue their Copa against CONCACAF rivals

The exact vibe surrounding the Copa America Centenario opener between the US and Colombia couldn’t really be pinned down. I thought a realistic result was a draw, but this wasn’t exactly the common prediction – nobody seemed to know what to expect from the match. Colombia came into the match at No. 3 in the world, but it hadn’t really done anything remarkable lately. The US was hyped and ready to go on home soil, but it was impotent in attack and shaky in defense. The 2-0 scoreline may have flattered the actual match a bit, but the US definitely didn’t deserve to win it. Colombia was simply clinical and dominant in the areas that the Americans weren’t.

On Tuesday, the USMNT has a chance at redemption on one of its biggest stages ever. The Americans have a familiar foe in Costa Rica; the CONCACAF rivals have played each other 33 times since 1970. The USA’s record in those matches is 13-14-6, the most recent result being a 1-0 friendly win by Costa Rica in October 2015.

Related: Sounders bailed out by Jordan Morris’ late goal

Kickoff: Tuesday at 5 p.m., Soldier Field, Chicago

United States

The relatively high expectations that the US came into this tournament with were shattered with a vengeance in its opening match against Colombia. Despite having the most possession and shots, the USMNT was downed by poor marking on a corner kick and a penalty kick. Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann started Clint Dempsey, Bobby Wood and Gyasi Zardes as his front three, but Dempsey was the only player with any real chances on goal. But even that, a stellar free kick nodded away by David Ospina, was the US’ only shot on target all match.

What needs to change: It’s hard to parse just exactly who the weakest link was against Colombia, but it’s certainly obvious that the attack needed something different. Many have been clamoring for Borussia Dortmund forward Christian Pulisic to start after impressing in the friendlies, though he didn’t exactly do much in his substitute appearance against Colombia. Either way, the US’ attack needs something different, even if Costa Rica won’t be the test that Colombia was. I don’t see Klinsmann dropping Dempsey, but I think him playing in the middle and Wood playing on the right isn’t getting the best out of either.

Weakness that needs fixing: For some reason, captain Michael Bradley may have had the worst match of his USMNT career against Colombia. Put in a deep-lying role, Bradley was caught in possession multiple times, and his poor passing led to a number of Colombia attacks. Even though Costa Rica won’t provide the same threats, the US might do better with Kyle Beckerman playing the deep midfield role and Bradley playing further forward (instead of Alejandro Bedoya, perhaps).

One to watch: Former Sounder DeAndre Yedlin’s handball that gave Colombia a penalty was one that could go either way, and Yedlin was otherwise pretty solid in this match. He is still learning, but he’s improved quite a bit from the breakout player at the 2014 World Cup. I think he’ll have a great game against Costa Rica, and I expect him to burst forward often.

Costa Rica

Possibly the most tepid match (in terms of scoring chances) of the tournament so far, Costa Rica’s 0-0 draw with Paraguay had more yellow cards than shots on goal. Interestingly enough, Seattle’s Nelson Valdez indirectly helped the US when he was hacked down by Kendall Waston; the Costa Rica (and Vancouver Whitecaps) defender was red-carded for the challenge and won’t be available against the US.

What needs to change: Discipline all over the pitch will be absolutely necessary if Costa Rica hopes to get a result against the US. It’s a solid team, but it will need 11 men on the pitch in this match. The Costa Ricans created some chances and put four shots on goal, but in the absence of goals they’ll need to stay disciplined to outlast the US.

Weakness that needs changing: Despite creating those chances and putting four shots on target, Costa Rica still failed to find the net. With multiple skilled attackers in this lineup, there’s really no excuse for not making a better effort on goal. On the other side of the pitch, the loss of Waston means that Costa Rica could be a little weak.

One to watch: Captain Bryan Ruiz didn’t make much of an impact against Paraguay, so he’ll need to muster much, much more against the US. He’s a talented player with a decorated career, but his age is starting show a little. Keep an eye on his link-up play with Joel Campbell, a connection that is key to Costa Rica’s chances in this match.

Prediction: The Americans might be headed into this with their collective tail between their legs, but they have a much better shot against Costa Rica than they did against Colombia. Los Ticos lost one of their better defenders, and will likely struggle against a better defense than Paraguay’s. Final score: 2-0 US.

Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.

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