I’m not quite sure the United States men’s national soccer team — or the world for that matter — is ready for the type of hatred the Cosa Rican fans are going to bring to their World Cup Qualifier Friday.
The Ticos are pissed and they’ve let the Yanks know it from the second they got off the plane.
The most recent point of contention of course is the Snowmageddon game played March 22 in which the Americans beat Costa Rica 1-0 in the midst of a Denver snowstorm.
The game was on, then off for about 10 minutes in the second half, then back on again, then under protest until finally made official under the eyes of the lord (Sepp Blatter).
The Costa Rican fans are angry about that, and as someone who’s had similar feelings about playing in less than ideal conditions in CONCACAF qualifiers before (see extreme heat, humidity and Mexico City smog) — I sympathize with the Ticos.
But the force of nature ready to meet the Americans at Estadio Saprissa isn’t based solely on one blizzard. That was just the latest time the Americans stabbed the Costa Ricans in the heart. The one that really hurts is not a loss in the snow, but a tie in a rainstorm.
Costa Rica neededjust a tie a win at RFK Stadium to clinch an automatic berth in the 2010 World Cup and was more than halfway to South Africa after taking a 2-0 lead into the second half. The berth was snatched away when the already World Cup-bound Americans rallied for no particular reason (besides a rabid home crowd and to show support for recently injured Charlie Davies) behind a nice hustle goal by Michael Bradley and a last-second game-tying header from the most unlikely of sources — Jonathan Bornstein.
The final corner kick sequence set off celebrations in Honduras — who automatically qualified with the result — and grieving in Costa Rica. The Ticos went on to lose a home and home series against Uruguay to be eliminated from WC 2010. They haven't forgotten.
Last time on the dreaded field turf in 2009, a listless American squad got hammered 3-1. The time before that in 2005 was even worse — a 3-0 shutout in front of 30,000 raucous fans. Friday's game will be played at Estadio Nacional, which means the game will be played on a grace surface, but even in the pre-field turf days, the U.S. struggled at Saprissa, losing 2-0 in the 2001 Hex and 3-2 in 1997.
Add an even more rabid crowd to a cycle of failure in the stadium and the outlook for a 13th straight win for Klinsmann’s boys is grim.
In fact, I’d go as far as to expect a Yanks loss and be satisfied if it's a close scoreline (and no yellow card suspensions for Tuesday’s Mexico game in Columbus). It will also be a great opportunity to cap-tie promising youths John Anthony Brooks and Aron Johannson who had options to play for Germany and Iceland respectively but chose America.
Although the U.S. is building towards a team that is expected to win every match, Hex away fixtures are still about surviving the elements and playing for a draw. Doing so will put the Yanks in prime position to qualify for Brazil 2014 — possibly even Tuesday vs. Mexico.
Here’s the detailed U.S. roster per @ussoccer.com.
The Ticos are pissed and they’ve let the Yanks know it from the second they got off the plane.
The most recent point of contention of course is the Snowmageddon game played March 22 in which the Americans beat Costa Rica 1-0 in the midst of a Denver snowstorm.
The game was on, then off for about 10 minutes in the second half, then back on again, then under protest until finally made official under the eyes of the lord (Sepp Blatter).
The Costa Rican fans are angry about that, and as someone who’s had similar feelings about playing in less than ideal conditions in CONCACAF qualifiers before (see extreme heat, humidity and Mexico City smog) — I sympathize with the Ticos.
But the force of nature ready to meet the Americans at Estadio Saprissa isn’t based solely on one blizzard. That was just the latest time the Americans stabbed the Costa Ricans in the heart. The one that really hurts is not a loss in the snow, but a tie in a rainstorm.
Costa Rica needed
The final corner kick sequence set off celebrations in Honduras — who automatically qualified with the result — and grieving in Costa Rica. The Ticos went on to lose a home and home series against Uruguay to be eliminated from WC 2010. They haven't forgotten.
The Monster Mash
Estadio Saprissa is nicknamed “The Monster’s Cave” after the Costa Rican club team that players its home games there and it's an eerie descriptor for what the U.S. team is walking into. If Azteca has been a house of horrors for the U.S. in the past, Saprissa is like the murder shed out back where all the truly gruesome things happen.Last time on the dreaded field turf in 2009, a listless American squad got hammered 3-1. The time before that in 2005 was even worse — a 3-0 shutout in front of 30,000 raucous fans. Friday's game will be played at Estadio Nacional, which means the game will be played on a grace surface, but even in the pre-field turf days, the U.S. struggled at Saprissa, losing 2-0 in the 2001 Hex and 3-2 in 1997.
Add an even more rabid crowd to a cycle of failure in the stadium and the outlook for a 13th straight win for Klinsmann’s boys is grim.
In fact, I’d go as far as to expect a Yanks loss and be satisfied if it's a close scoreline (and no yellow card suspensions for Tuesday’s Mexico game in Columbus). It will also be a great opportunity to cap-tie promising youths John Anthony Brooks and Aron Johannson who had options to play for Germany and Iceland respectively but chose America.
Although the U.S. is building towards a team that is expected to win every match, Hex away fixtures are still about surviving the elements and playing for a draw. Doing so will put the Yanks in prime position to qualify for Brazil 2014 — possibly even Tuesday vs. Mexico.
Here’s the detailed U.S. roster per @ussoccer.com.
