Andrew Whitehead has the final word: “Hi Tim, I’m a British Tico living in Costa Rica. You have to admit that in another match USA could easily be down to nine men as well as 4-0 down. I think it is better to give Costa Rica a bit more credit for this score instead of blaming the USA defence!! You wouldn’t blame the defence if it was Messi, now, would you?!!
“Can’t be bad - Watching England beat their old enemy 3-0 and now Costa Rica beating their enemy 4-0.
“Vamos Ticos!!!!!!!”
Quite so. Good night!
Well, how about that! USA have been given a pasting here. Costa Rica were much better, and USA just capitulated in the second half, which means Klinsmann’s team are now bottom of the Hex after two games.
An all-round rotten performance from USA, and Costa Rica were wholly clinical. USA were OK for an hour, but then it turned into a defensive horror show: Brooks, Chandler, Gonzalez and Besler were all culpable at various points. Costa Rica were good, but they didn’t have to be amazing. Two goals for Joel Campbell, the substitute, one for Bolanos, and one for Venegas, who did very well. But that’s a humiliating defeat for USA, and Jürgen will have to answer some tough questions.
Full-time: Costa Rica 4-0 USA
That’s the whistle! And a famous win for the Ticos!
90 min Two minutes of stoppage time.
89 min Wood tries to reach Zusi’s cross, but he’s whistled for a foul. I can’t remember USA really testing Navas in this second half.
87 min USA look as though they can’t be bothered, which is damning. Not good enough, frankly.
85 min Gooch does well to go past Waston, but the ball had gone behind for a goal kick. Campbell, meanwhile, is holding his groin.
83 min Bryan Ruiz has been excellent, and he’s replaced by Rodney Wallace. It’s been amateur hour from the USA in this half.
82 min Brooks gets up well from Zusi’s corner, but heads wide. Kljestan is on for Jones, incidentally.
80 min USA are in disarray here. What an abysmal 15 minutes. They were in the game at 1-0, and all of a sudden it’s a thrashing. Campbell streaks clear again, but this time Guzan saves. This is awful from USA.
78 min This is amazing. No pressure on the ball in midfield, Matarrita chipped it over the top of the defence, Campbell timed his run perfectly, and he had all the time in the world to take a touch and, again, pass it beyond Guzan. This is really embarrassing for USA now.
GOAL! Costa Rica 4-0 USA (Campbell 78)
Amazing! Campbell again!
76 min Fabian Johnson is replaced by Graham Zusi.
75 min It was just a long hump forward, but Brooks didn’t deal with it all. He miscontrolled badly, and Campbell was on to it – he nutmegged Brooks, and suddenly he was away, clear on goal … and he just passed it into the net. Three-nil, and much, much too easy.
GOAL! Costa Rica 3-0 USA (Campbell 74)
Oh my! Campbell embarrasses John Brooks, and that’s game over.
72 min USA still haven’t created anything of note in this second half. Can they find a way past the excellent Keylor Navas?
70 min Lynden Gooch is in for Pulisic, and Yeltsin Tejada is on for Azofeifa. Now Altidore is booked, and USA are just losing it a little here.
69 min Ruiz went clear on the left – but where was Besler? Ruiz crossed with the outside of his left foot, Bolanos got ahead of Chandler, and pushed a header past Guzan, who couldn’t keep it out. A big 20 minutes for Klinsmann’s team.
Updated
GOAL! Costa Rica 2-0 USA (Bolanos 68)
Two-nil Costa Rica! Bolanos!
67 min Venegas can’t continue, and Joel Campbell is in. Not a bad player to bring off the bench.
66 min Costa Rica sitting much deeper than they were in the first half. Venegas is down, and the medical staff are on.
64 min USA still not quite there yet. But it’s better.
Here’s James Stevenson: “I watched the pre-match pictures from the stadium and the crowd was the closest I’ve seen to any group of people come to expressing the notion of “well-being”. I know Costa Rica is supposed to be a great place and all, but this was really something. They all looked like lovely people having a lovely time. It could just be that I’m here in post-truth USA feeling sorry for myself, but I don’t think so. I think they have a some kind of life secret over there and I want to know what it is … It’s surely more than just having a pretty decent football team. Anyone?”
Pura vida, James. Pura vida.
61 min This is at least more energetic from USA since half-time. More of the game is being played in the Costa Rica half.
59 min Another chance for USA from the free kick, and another waste from Bradley! Straight out of play. Mon dieu!
56 min Oh, Venegas! That could have been two! It was just a long ball, but Venegas got the better of Chandler, and again Guzan kept it out! Poor defending from the right-back – his goalie got him out of jail.
55 min USA counter-attack, and black shirts stream forward on the left side, but Jones can’t quite connect with the shot. It’s deflected, though, and USA will have a corner, which is totally wasted.
Updated
54 min Bradley is booked for a cynical foul on Ruiz.
53 min Bradley takes, and it’s out for a throw in. Oh dear.
52 min Corner for USA. The big men come forward.
51 min Acosta is late on Altidore, and he’s rightly booked.
50 min Bradley plays a long free kick into the Costa Rican box, but the whistle goes for offside.
47 min USA could do with a little more from their big-time players: Bradley and Jones in particular. Venegas goes down the right side for Costa Rica, but it fizzles out.
Here’s Barrett Madden: “Chandler? Chandler? Anyone? Chandler? (Buehler?) Ticos tearing up their left side because Chandler is just slow in transition. Gonzalez having to constantly cover out wide. In this case, poorly!”
46 min We’re back. No changes from either side.
And here’s Clive Graham: “You are not alone, though I do wonder how many folk are following? Slow sports night – but I wasn’t up for pay for view. You are a good, cheap date. Thanks for the service – from a newly minted Guardian supporter!”
Thanks Clive, you old charmer.
Here’s Tony Rutt:
@timmyhilleh the ref looks like Liam Ridgewell. There. You asked if anyone had anything.
— tony rutt (@tony_rutt) November 16, 2016
Pretty entertaining stuff, but what a disappointing end to the half from USA. Bolanos and Venegas did really well to combine, but Gonzalez and Brooks will be unhappy with their contributions: Gonzalez didn’t get close enough to stop the cross, and Brooks let Venegas get away from him. Costa Rica have been the better team, on balance, but USA were doing fine. Then a couple of sloppy bits of play, and they have it all to do. Pulisic looks good, though – USA should try to feed him as often as possible. He’s got the beating of Salvatierra.
See you in a mo for the second half.
Half-time: Costa Rica 1-0 USA
That’s the half.
44 min Well, Costa Rica, are ahead, and you have to say they deserve it. USA coughed it up in midfield, and Azofeifa switched it to Bolanos on the left side of the box. Gonzalez didn’t close the ball quickly enough, Bolanos swung it in, and Venegas got ahead of Brooks to flick a header past Guzan. Game on!
GOAL! Costa Rica 1-0 USA (Venegas 43)
This time he got it right! Venegas puts the Ticos ahead!
Updated
41 min Oh, so close! Bobby Wood skinned Waston on the right side, and fired one right across the goal – but no one was there to turn it in! It actually went behind Navas: Wood just slashed it across the goalline. All it needed was a touch.
At the other end, Venegas heads over! Alan Gordon would have buried that.
Updated
39 min Altidore is whistled for a foul, and he’s exceedingly upset. Costa Rica go long for Bolanos, but it’s out of play on the left side.
37 min Lovely skill from Pulisic to move forward, but a posse of Ticos are back to win it off him. Now Jones is booked, and he’ll miss the next match.
35 min Anyone got any thoughts? About anything?
32 min The Ticos are on the front foot here, but USA are holding up pretty well. A couple of times players have lost their footing on the soft turf, though. It’s a day for World Cups over Copa Mundials. Or, indeed, any other marque of boot you wish to play in.
30 min Minor mix-up in the USA defence, but Bradley is back to clear. Played back in, and Ruiz fires over. It was handball, in any case.
27 min Pulisic with a snapshot from the edge of the box, but Navas holds on.
Updated
25 min Ooh, that was close. Bolanos took a quick free kick to Matarrita, who flashed it across goal, and Altidore just diverted it past the post. That could have gone anywhere. From the corner, it’s taken short, and Salvatierra blasts it wide.
23 min USA doing OK, but they haven’t spent too much time in the Costa Rican box.
21 min Venegas goes through the middle and goes down. Free kick to Costa Rica, and Ruiz, was it, with a header from 18 yards that’s claimed comfortably by Guzan.
19 min Pulisic goes again at Salvatierra down the left, but Navas does really well to hold on at the near post. Then Venegas wanted a penalty at the other end, but the ref says no.
17 min Johnson shoots, and it’s over the bar. Disappointing.
16 min Costa Rica have skill in abundance, and they’re just beginning to gain control in midfield. But Pulisic draws the foul right on the edge of the box. Waston wasn’t happy with the call, but Cesar Ramos saw it as a push. Very nice area for USA, this, on the left side of the box.
14 min Again, Ruiz didn’t quite get a firm connection, but it’s another good save from Guzan. And a super pass from Bolanos: timed to perfection.
13 min Guzan saves again, this time to deny Ruiz! Beautiful pass over the top from Bolanos, and Ruiz ran in behind, took it down on his chest, and tried an elaborate overhead – and Guzan saved with his noggin!
12 min Chandler booked for a clip. Two yellows in the game already. It’s heating up.
11 min That was a pretty good save from Guzan just then. Venegas maybe didn’t get the connection he wanted, but Guzan stood up well to block. Brooks didn’t cover himself in glory, though – in trying to challenge Venegas, he looked about as nimble as an ocean liner.
10 min Johnson blasts it into the wall. Groan.
9 min At the other end, Altidore is causing mayhem, and Salvatierra is penalised for a cynical pull on the USA forward. Yellow for the Costa Rican right-back, and a good chance from the free kick.
Updated
7 min Save from Guzan, and that was important! Venegas breezed past Brooks – that was way too easy – and poked one at goal from eight yards, but Guzan saved with his legs! Corner to Costa Rica, which comes to nothing.
5 min Costa Rica have started sloppily. USA doing fine on what looks like a pretty heavy pitch.
3 min Chandler wins a corner off Matarrita. Bradley takes, and Brooks can’t get the direction on the header! Brooks got free of his marker, but flubbed it. Chance.
Updated
2 min Minor flare-up between Brooks and Venegas. Venegas was late, and Brooks wasn’t happy. Cesar Ramos cools things down. No harm done.
1 min And we’re off! Costa Rica in their traditional red, blue and white. USA in their black strip.
Updated
Anthems playing now. We’re moments away.
Updated
Some MLS interest in the Costa Rican team tonight: Christian Bolanos and Kendall Waston of Vancouver are included in the starting XI, as are Ronald Matarrita of NYC FC and Johan Venegas of Montreal.
In Concacaf’s other game, Panama are playing Mexico in Panama right now. We’ll keep you up to date with goings-on there.
Looks pretty full at the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San Jose – it’s about 35,000 capacity. Guns N’ Roses play here a week on Saturday, actually, if you like that sort of thing.
A bit of admin from elsewhere: Honduras beat Trinidad & Tobago 3-1 in Concacaf, which means T&T stay bottom with zero points, and Honduras bounce back from their home defeat by Panama on Friday.
And in Conmebol, Argentina have just beaten Colombia 3-0, while Electric Sanchez scored two in Chile’s 3-1 defeat of Uruguay. Claudio Bravo saved Luis Suarez’s penalty with three minutes to go in that game, incidentally.
All of which means that with six games to go, it’s Colombia who are currently on the outside looking in. More results and tables here.
So Jürgen Klinsmann picks basically the same side that lost to Mexico, apart from Guzan in goal, but he does revert to a 4-4-2 formation.
Timmy Chandler will begin at right-back, John Brooks and Omar Gonzalez line up in central defense, and Matt Besler starts left back. Pulisic and Johnson will begin in the wide positions, and Alejandro Bedoya will take no part because of tightness in his left hamstring.
Tonight's teams
Costa Rica: Keylor Navas, Alvarado, Salvatierra, Umana, Borges, Bolanos, Ruiz, Venegas, Azofeifa, Waston, Matarrita. Subs: Pemberton, Moreira, Salazar, Oviedo, Rodriguez, Campbell, Wallace, Miranda, Guzman, Urena.
USA: Guzan, Gonzalez, Bradley, Besler, Brooks, Wood, Pulisic, Jones, Altidore, Chandler, Johnson. Subs: Horvath, Yarbrough, Yedlin, Gordon, Johannsson, Gooch, Orozco, Birnbaum, Kljestan, Green, Zusi, Carter-Vickers.
Referee: Cesar Ramos (Mexico)
Hello and welcome
USA lost to Mexico on Friday; they could do with victory in Costa Rica today in their second game of the Concacaf Hex. If they don’t win, qualification for Russia 2018 might start to get away from them. One problem: USA have never won in Costa Rica – in nine games there, they’ve lost eight. Eight! Also, Costa Rica are good, ranked 18 in the world to USA’s 24. Tim Howard is injured, Brad Guzan comes in, and Klinsmann’s nerves might start to fray a little if his team don’t start well in San Jose.
Kick off is 9.05pm ET. This could be intriguing.
Updated
Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s what Jürgen Klinsmann needs to do:
The big issues for Klinsmann were in defense on Friday. The three center-backs who started the game were pulled all over the place, while on the outside Fabian Johnson and Timothy Chandler had limited impact other than giving up space. Eventually Chandler made way for DeAndre Yedlin, and you’d imagine Yedlin might start on Tuesday.
One player who won’t be starting on Tuesday is Tim Howard, who picked up a season-ending abductor injury against Mexico. So Brad Guzan, currently frozen out at Middlesbrough, will get another chance in goal.
Klinsmann cannot afford another poor start, and his team probably need to keep sight of the fact that under the circumstances, not losing further ground to a likely rival in the final standings is preferable to being picked off for a loss while over-committing. It might be very telling who he chooses to use as a substitute though, if the game is tight heading into the closing stages. If you see Sacha Kljestan coming in, to try and pass behind the defense or drift into pockets of space in front of them, you’ll know that Klinsmann believes his team control their own destiny and just need some finesse. If you see Alan Gordon warming up, know that Klinsmann just needs a goal, any goal.
So it’s early in the Hex, but the major themes for the group, and the tenor for the USA’s campaign in particular, could be set by Tuesday night.
