Big game tonight. Coverage starts 9:30 PM ET on ESPN2.

There was a thread on BigSoccer a few weeks ago asking people which team they would like to see the US defeat. People suggested teams like Italy, England, Brazil, etc... and I'm thinking, how about Costa Rica in Costa Rica? We've lost our last 5 World Cup qualifiers in Saprissa. That's pretty embarrassing for what is now one of the two (supposedly) dominant teams in the region. Obviously, Saprissa gives immense home-field advantage to the Ticos, but we can't really think of ourselves as the Gigantes de CONCACAF until we've beaten them on their home soil.

I'm cautiously optimistic about tonight, but it's going to be a tough game. I'm thinking a 1-1 draw.

Hopefully a draw...it would help Honduras out...I say 2-2...Then off to Chicago for USA vs Honduras which I hope Honduras wins. They did it the last time they played here in 2001...fingers crossed :D

Wow... that's quite an audacious starting line-up from Bradley:

----------------Howard--------------

---------Onyewu------Bocanegra-----
---Wynne------------------Beasley---

-----Mastroeni---Bradley---Torres-----

-----Dempsey---Altidore---Donovan----

Seems offensive-minded, with Wynne and Beasley at RB and LB respectively. Also, two young players with practically no experience in games like this (Wynne and Torres) in the starting line-up. This should be interesting.

2-0 already!!

Getting the **** kicked out of us.

this one is in San José right, is the pitch artificial? awkward ball bounce.

great finish on that first goal.

Costa Rica 2-0 USA, HT

Well, that was pretty awful.

this one is in San José right, is the pitch artificial? awkward ball bounce.

great finish on that first goal.
Yep. Reportedly, the pitch at Saprissa is worse than the one at Giants Stadium, and that field is an abomination.

The thing is though, the pitch hasn't really been a problem for the US. We've just been f**king awful.

Kljestan coming in for Torres. Kljestan's been in **** form all season, I somehow don't think he's the savior.

Is Bob Bradley purposely trying to f*ck us?

3-0

ridiculous defending by the US, dude could take a nap if he wanted before slotting it home..

WTF Beasley is a left back?

All we do in the US is train our players to be in top physical shape, but limit the creativity to nearly nothing. I remember freddy adu talking about going through an american academy and saying that other players played as if they had a US "how to play" manual in front of them at all times. This makes the talent and creativity vanish, so if you dont have the physical advantage.... your at a severe disadvantage on the pitch.

Costa Rica 3-1 USA, FT

All we do in the US is train our players to be in top physical shape, but limit the creativity to nearly nothing. I remember freddy adu talking about going through an american academy and saying that other players played as if they had a US "how to play" manual in front of them at all times. This makes the talent and creativity vanish, so if you dont have the physical advantage.... your at a severe disadvantage on the pitch.
It wasn't about creativity tonight, though. Costa Rica simply executed better, in every aspect of the game. Better passing, better crossing, better dribbling, better shooting, better tackling, better defending. Even on set pieces, which require no creativity (and are normally our strength), we were absolute s**te.

WTF Beasley is a left back?
He's very versatile:

PSV Eindhoven: left forward
USA 2001-2008: left mid
USA 2009: left back
Rangers FC: left out

Bob Bradley has a lot of questions to answer. Particularly why the hell he keeps playing Beasley as a left back when he had a proper one in Jonathan Bornstein on the bench, and a utility defender in Spector out of the squad all together.

My player ratings:

Howard - 5

Beasley - 2
Bocanegra - 2
Onyewu - 3
Wynne - 2

Torres - 4
Bradley - 4
Mastroeni - 3

Donovan - 3
Altidore - 5
Dempsey - 3

Subs:

Kljestan - 3
Adu - 4

Am I being too generous to our defense?

Yes.

Had it not been for Howard we'd have been 7-0'd tonight, I know it.

We are just pathetic. After '02 WC everyone had such high hopes and expected things to get even better...and since then it has been nothing but a downward spiral, as the rest of the non-soccer giants around the world continue to improve.

No chance we get out of the group stage next summer...if we even qualify.

He's very versatile:


Rangers FC: left out

lmao (Y)

We are just pathetic. After '02 WC everyone had such high hopes and expected things to get even better...and since then it has been nothing but a downward spiral, as the rest of the non-soccer giants around the world continue to improve.

No chance we get out of the group stage next summer...if we even qualify.
We had an equally awful performance vs. Costa Rica in WC2002 qualifying, less than a year before we went to the quarters in that tournament. So, I wouldn't go that far, although there's definitely cause for concern.

3-0

ridiculous defending by the US, dude could take a nap if he wanted before slotting it home..

That was honestly the worst defending I've ever seen at this level.

I've often said Costa Rica doesn't get enough credit, they are firmly the third best team in CONCACAF and are hardly a bunch of also-rans.

But this wasn't excusable.

I've often said Costa Rica doesn't get enough credit, they are firmly the third best team in CONCACAF and are hardly a bunch of also-rans.

But this wasn't excusable.

They qualified out of a group stage in which the best opponent they had was El Salvador :clapwap:

After this game we will see what they really have bc they won't be at home in the ****ty artificial turf that only they know how to play in.

If you are referring to the qualifying rounds for the 2002 and 2006 WC then that's when they should have been given credit but not now...all they have done is win at their house.

Haha, El Salvador kicked our asses for 75 minutes :(

He's very versatile:

PSV Eindhoven: left forward
USA 2001-2008: left mid
USA 2009: left back
Rangers FC: left out

:rofl:


About the game... well once again Saprissa stadium prove to be a very Psychologic advantage for us, first goal was that and the fact that Beasly was crap jeje

Great win for us :bouncy:

My player ratings:

Howard - 5

Beasley - 2
Bocanegra - 2
Onyewu - 3
Wynne - 2

Torres - 4
Bradley - 4
Mastroeni - 3

Donovan - 3
Altidore - 5
Dempsey - 3

Subs:

Kljestan - 3
Adu - 4

Am I being too generous to our defense?

I think you're being unfair to Howard, it's not as if he had any faults in any of the goals, the terrible defense let him down.

I also disagree with Adu's grade. I'd give me at least a 6. He came off the bench and made some things happen in midfield but he had no help what so ever.

Everyone else I agree with and yes you are too generous to the defense.

Should I go to the Honduras game on Saturday? I've got a pretty bad feeling about it. Coming off a demoralizing loss with two days of rest. Bradley's out, I don't know about Ching and Hejduk.

I'd go with the following formation:

---------------Howard---------------

---------Onyewu----Bocanegra-------
---Spector----------------Bornstein---

-----------Clark-----Torres-----------
-----Dempsey------------Donovan-----

---------Davies------Altidore----------

Maybe Adu instead of Dempsey.

They qualified out of a group stage in which the best opponent they had was El Salvador :clapwap:

After this game we will see what they really have bc they won't be at home in the ****ty artificial turf that only they know how to play in.

If you are referring to the qualifying rounds for the 2002 and 2006 WC then that's when they should have been given credit but not now...all they have done is win at their house.

Well, you have to win the home games to go trough...

And I know we didnt have a "great challenge" in the last group stage but we did were the best team in the last stage overall , that counts for something.

Haha, El Salvador kicked our asses for 75 minutes :(

Yeah but then El Salvador proved to be a mediocre team that couldn't keep the 2-0 advantage at their house.

Costa Rica had no challenge whatsoever in the 1st round of the WC qualifiers and they started this 2nd face with 2 games at home. :clapwap:

Yeah but then El Salvador proved to be a mediocre team that couldn't keep the 2-0 advantage at their house.

Costa Rica had no challenge whatsoever in the 1st round of the WC qualifiers and they started this 2nd face with 2 games at home. :clapwap:

Again, it may not be impresive, but you have to win those games, we havent been impresive, but we have done what we have to be doing.

Well, you have to win the home games to go trough...

And I know we didnt have a "great challenge" in the last group stage but we did were the best team in the last stage overall , that counts for something.

It makes sense to win them but I wouldn't hype them up. Their tough part of the WC qualifier is coming up and we'll see if they hold up. I see them losing in Honduras & in the USA. They will have a tough visit to T&T this weekend as well.

Costa Rica are a solid team. Not as talented as their 2001-02 squad, but more organized and tactically sound.
I think you're being unfair to Howard, it's not as if he had any faults in any of the goals, the terrible defense let him down.

I also disagree with Adu's grade. I'd give me at least a 6. He came off the bench and made some things happen in midfield but he had no help what so ever.
Fair enough on both counts. I want to see more of Adu vs. Honduras.

Fair enough on both counts. I want to see more of Adu vs. Honduras.

Please!! I hope he does play bc the man is miserable (Y) Would be an easy task for Figueroa and Co. He was one of the most over-rated players once. Now I don't even know who he plays for other than the US team.

It makes sense to win them but I wouldn't hype them up. Their tough part of the WC qualifier is coming up and we'll see if they hold up. I see them losing in Honduras & in the USA. They will have a tough visit to T&T this weekend as well.

Im not hype up, I just think we have done fair good, we are in first place, we have won the games we are suppoust to win, yes the tough part is coming but this team is solid and I have faith we will clinch the place to go to the World Cup.

Im not hype up, I just think we have done fair good, we are in first place, we have won the games we are suppoust to win, yes the tough part is coming but this team is solid and I have faith we will clinch the place to go to the World Cup.

We'll see...

BTW I'm being too harsh on Adu...He is still very young and has mad skills but I don't think he has the personality to be a decisive player next weekend.

Please!! I hope he does play bc the man is miserable (Y) Would be an easy task for Figueroa and Co. He was one of the most over-rated players once. Now I don't even know who he plays for other than the US team.

Monaco via Benfica. He doesn't play.

Should I go to the Honduras game on Saturday? I've got a pretty bad feeling about it. Coming off a demoralizing loss with two days of rest. Bradley's out, I don't know about Ching and Hejduk.

I'd go with the following formation:

---------------Howard---------------

---------Onyewu----Bocanegra-------
---Spector----------------Bornstein---

-----------Clark-----Torres-----------
-----Dempsey------------Donovan-----

---------Davies------Altidore----------

Maybe Adu instead of Dempsey.


I think we win 3-0 or more.

I think we win 3-0 or more.

Wow seriously?...Honduras is the only team that has been able to beat the USA in American land for the past few years (3-2 in DC 2001)...They also just ass raped Mexico. You aren't about to play Cuba ok.

Three quick thoughts:

-Bob Bradley needs to end the DaMarcus Beasley at left back experiment, effective immediately. Not only is he playing out of position, he is clearly in need of regular matches and needs to leave Rangers and come back home to MLS ASAP (there's no f*cking way yet another European club is gonna roll the dice on him and hope that he doesn't come up snake eyes).

-Jack Warner must've gotten a big-ass bribe, because there would have been no way in hell that plastic pitch would've been approved by FIFA, under normal and transparent circumstances.

-When Charlie Davies is the only player that emerges from the wreckage with his reputation intact, you know it just wasn't your night. I mean, he came on with 10 minutes left, and he actually tried to do something that we didn't in the first 80: take the game to the Ticos. Thanks to him, at least we left with a facesaver goal, and the renewed hope that Honduras just might not take us behind the woodshed on Saturday.

Curiosity for knowing the score had me switching channels and oh what a splendid surprise was given to me. Isn't it gratifying to see your adversaries crumble in defeat my fellow Americans? "Of course" you answer. Now the real question is, who will fight it out to not finish 4th and dispute the WC spot with CONMEBOL? Will it be us, Costa Rica, Honduras or the U.S., because it seems logical to me that these four teams willl finish atop the standings.

In a moment of delirium I could feel Costa Rican blood flowing through my veins, PURA VIDA!!!

I should say, I'm not arguing that Costa Rica is top tier. The top tier in CONCACAF is clearly USA, Mexico. But they do make up there own tier between the "super" and "middle" powers if you will. They are a team you have to respect, the problem is that they're quite schizophrenic.

They've always intrigued me because they're a side that could whip Mexico or the US one week, and lose to the Bahamas the next.

Despite their flaws, they do top the table.

And Ronnifan, you know as well as anyone that El Salvador could get a result. So watch it (H)

I don't understand why Jay DeMerit doesn't get a serious look for the Men's National Team. He's been solid for Watford for 5 years and is very consistent. I think I'd trust him more than I trust Bocanegra.

Well, let's look at the cumulative Hexagonal standings for the last 3 World Cup Qualifying cycles (1998-2006):

1. Mexico - 57 (3 appearances)
2. USA - 56 (3)
3. Costa Rica - 51 (3)
4. Jamaica - 22 (2)
5. Trinidad and Tobago - 18 (2)
6. Honduras - 14 (1)
7. Guatemala - 11 (1)

Costa Rica's head-to-head record vs. USA and Mexico in the Hex (98-06): 4 wins, 5 losses, 3 ties. The Ticos are definitely closer in quality to the US and Mexico than they are to the rest of CONCACAF.

Right now, I think it goes like this: USA and Mexico are the best in the region. Costa Rica are a close third. Right now, Honduras are a close fourth. Basically, Costa Rica and Honduras are the two teams in CONCACAF that can make life difficult for Mexico and the USA. T&T and Guatemala are decent teams, but they're in a lower tier of their own. It goes downhill pretty fast after that.

I don't understand why Jay DeMerit doesn't get a serious look for the Men's National Team. He's been solid for Watford for 5 years and is very consistent. I think I'd trust him more than I trust Bocanegra.
He plays at a lower level than Carlos, but I think he should get another look. Maybe slide Bocanegra over to left back, where he plays for Rennes.

The Tico's first goal was something special, though...

And Ronnifan, you know as well as anyone that El Salvador could get a result. So watch it (H)I've decided to boycott the NT, after watching that disgrace of an effort on the part of the players there isn't really any way to describe my feelings but only a sence of an utter disgust towards everything that has to do with FEMEXFUT, owners, coachers, and players. The best thing that can happen to us not go to the WC, maybe just then they would all realize that we need to start from scratch. I call forth my comrades to boycott the NT, don't buy anyting with their logo, don't attend their games, don't watch the games on tv since it's the only way that we can hurt them, their pockets. I won't be watching the game v. Trinidad and Tabacco, I'll wait for the highlights.

Plenty of Sam's Army gear you can buy to fill out your wardrobe :)

I'm sure there's plenty of rags I could use to clean my kitchen floor but no thanks, I aknowledge your good intentions Nim. (H)

So, Schalke's Jermaine Jones is switching national teams, from Germany to USA. I haven't seen him play much, but he's apparently a really good central midfielder (Kicker rank him as the fourth-best Bundesliga midfielder for last season). This is great news, although we have a lot depth in central midfield, and I kind of wish he was a left back/winger instead. I wonder what the US depth chart at center mid looks like right now? I guess Jones, Bradley, Edu, and after that, in any order:

Clark
Mastroeni
Torres
Feilhaber
Kljestan
Adu

Hopefully some of those guys can be converted to left backs/left or right mids.

I could see Adu playing as a left winger and doing it well.

I could see Adu playing as a left winger and doing it well.

I would just like to see him play let alone Start.... How can someone just play in such top form against Argentina and Spain, make Puyol and Zanetti look stupid and not play... ADU CREATES CHANCES!!!!!!!!!!