If it has become redundant to label every U.S. soccer World Cup qualifier an important match, well, sorry, that’s their fault.
Ever since their disastrous hexagonal qualifying start — in which the U.S. secured zero points in two horrible games against Mexico and Costa Rica in November — every game since has become a must-win, or at least must-not-lose, which they’ve done with relative ease under head coach Bruce Arena.
It isn’t an easy stretch by any means, as travels to the Caribbean nations usually make for a crapshoot with hostile environments and shoddy field conditions in which anything goes. At home, the U.S. likes to get their best advantage by playing important matches in obscure places to make CONCACAF opponents feel uncomfortable — and at times, really foreign.
Recall moments like 2014 when the U.S. beat Costa Rica in the infamous Snow Clasico in Commerce City, Colo., when unexpected snowfall turned a “must-win” qualifying match into a comical ice bowl. Other small cities such as Columbus, Ohio, and Kansas City, Kan., also have served as hosts for meaningful games, far away from the bigger cities like New York. In general, the tri-state area generally has been ignored except for a Gold Cup or friendly match at MetLife Stadium.
That all changes Friday night, when the Big Apple finally gets its first shot at hosting a World Cup qualifying match as the U.S. takes on Costa Rica at Red Bull Arena 6:55 p.m., ESPN) in a big test that could factor in future meaningful games being played in the area.
“We wanted to play qualifying games in venues where would have a pro-U.S. crowd,” U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said Monday.
Though the U.S. continues to be challenged with questions on defense, specifically who will replace injured starters DeAndre Yedlin and John Brooks, the biggest question will be how pro-U.S. the crowd will be at kickoff.
In the Gold Cup on July 7, Costa Rica nearly packed Red Bull Arena in their first match against Honduras. To avoid a repeat, the U.S. Soccer Federation tried controlling the crowd by offering nearly 4,000 tickets to the American Outlaws, the largest U.S. support group, while holding multiple presales for fans around the area to grab tickets.
“We’re playing at home, I don’t care what anybody says. We have a home-field advantage,” coach Bruce Arena said at a press conference Tuesday.
With the U.S. sitting third (eight points) in the final round of qualifying, Arena’s 26-man roster is headed by midfielder Christian Pulisic, the 18-year-old starring for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, while stalwarts such as Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey, who is one goal away from breaking Landon Donovan’s national team scoring record (57 goals), lead a staggering 18 MLS players who appear on the roster.
While the backline remains an enigma, there are further questions about who slots next to Bradley in the midfield, but this match Friday should serve as a moment of validation for younger players such as Jordan Morris and Kellyn Acosta.
For Costa Rica, the Ticos are led by goalkeeper Keylor Navas, arguably the best goalkeeper in CONCACAF who plays for Real Madrid. Costa Rica can just about clinch a spot in Russia (11 points) with a win in New Jersey, however, injuries to starters Joel Campbell and Ronald Matarrita complicate things.
If qualifying ended today, the U.S. would finish third and be on their way to Russia. The top three teams of the group are guaranteed a place in the World Cup, and the fourth-place team enters a playoff against another country for a spot.
“We got this far, we’ve turned it around in the right ways and we’ve got to make sure we finish the job,” Bradley said. “All the work that we’ve put in this year was for these next four games.”