As hosts of this summer's Copa América Centenario, the USMNT would naturally hope to lift the trophy on home soil - especially after their poor Gold Cup campaign in 2015. Unfortunately, they will be facing a tough mountain to climb if they want to have a fighting chance at getting out of their group. Meanwhile, their upcoming opponents Costa Rica fared slightly better in their opening game but nonetheless will be eager to improve on their performance to put themselves in pole position to secure a spot in the knockout rounds.
USMNT
It goes without saying that Jürgen Klinsmann's men will be under immense pressure this evening. The Stars and Stripes have started their campaign off on the worst way possible - by losing - and now will need a win against a potentially tricky Costa Rica side in order to have any shot at qualifying for the knockout rounds.
Given that their first match was against Colombia - a team currently ranked third in the world - the USMNT were already viewed as the underdogs even before they clashed at Santa Clara's Levi Stadium on Friday evening. It did not take long for their opponents to deal the first blow, through a well-taken corner kick sequence that saw AC Milan defender Cristian Zapata net the first goal of the game inside the first ten minutes.
And shortly before half-time, defender DeAndre Yedlin's handball gave Colombia a penalty, which Real Madrid star James Rodriguez stepped up and duly converted to give Jose Pekerman's troops a 2-0 lead - and eventually all three points. It was a very frustrating evening for many of the team's veterans, including Michael Bradley and attacker Clint Dempsey, the latter of whom had a few opportunities on goal but was unable to make any of them count.
Fans will be very interested to see what players - and possibly formation - that Klinsmann opts to use this evening. Against Ecuador, the German tactician opted to sub in younger players like Darlington Nagbe and Christian Pulisic, and it paid dividends as Nagbe finally grabbed the only goal of the match.
Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe and Borussia Dortmund's Christian Pulisic looked lively against Ecuador last month. Will either of these two be given a starting role this evening?
Costa Rica
As for Los Ticos, they were also frustrated in their opening match as they had to settle for a scoreless draw against Paraguay. Nonetheless, as fans observed during the 2014 World Cup, Costa Rica are a side not to be underestimated, after they finished top of a group containing England, Uruguay, and Italy. Moreover, although Costa Rica have not beaten the USA on American soil since 1989, they have come out on top in their last two meetings.
Back in October 2015, Los Ticos defeated the Stars and Stripes 1-0 during a friendly, and two years prior to that in September 2013, overpowered them 3-1 during a World Cup qualifying match. And Oscar Ramirez's side have a certain player who has developed a knack for scoring against team USA: Arsenal's Joel Campbell.
Arsenal's Joel Campbell has scored in his last two matches vs the USA and shown here celebrating his goal from 2015. Will he make it three for three this evening?
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The Gunners striker was the one to decide the friendly back in October, and also grabbed a goal during the September 2013 World Cup qualifying clash. However, the USA have never lost against Costa Rica in Gold Cup meetings dating back to 1991, with a record of six wins and one draw to date. And Ramirez will be without the services of star shot-stopper Keylor Navas due to a pre-tournament injury as well as defender Kendall Watson as a result of suspension.
Will Costa Rica make it a third straight win against the USMNT? Or will the USA bounce back in order to keep their tournament ambitions alive?
Which channel is broadcasting USA vs Costa Rica on TV or Online?
Not able to make it over to Chicago's Soldier Field? No proble. LiveSoccerTV.com has put together plenty of choices to tune in via TV, computer, phone, or tablet.
Here are some options for fans residing in the following countries:
- In the USA at 20.00 EST on: Fox Sports 1 USA, Fox Soccer 2GO USA, Fox Sports GO, fuboTV, Univision USA, Univision Deportes USA, UniMás
- In Costa Rica at 18.00 CST on: Sky HD, Teletica En Vivo, Repretel En Vivo
- In the UK at 01.00 BST (Wednesday) on: Premier Sports
- In Canada at 20.00 ET on: Univision Canada
Live elsewhere? Check out our special USA vs Costa Rica broadcast page for viewing times and options for your current location.
*Note: Live broadcast data is subject to change*
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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