The U.S. are three wins away from something they have done seven times, but not since 2021 – win the Gold Cup
The U.S. men's national team won their Gold Cup group. Their reward? A meeting with some old friends. Miguel Herrera is one. So, too, is the team he coaches, Costa Rica. There's history here and plenty of it.
The history has been kind to the USMNT in this particular scenario. This will be the eighth Gold Cup meeting between the two teams. The U.S. haven't lost a single one. Moreover, the U.S. have never lost in the quarterfinal round of this tournament. This Costa Rica team, meanwhile, isn't a vintage Costa Rica team – it's in the midst of a rebuild, with several members of the old guard still hanging on.
Of course, given the absences of Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie and a virtual starting lineup of others, this isn't a vintage USMNT group, either – as has been the talking point all summer. The group that is here, though, has taken care of business, defeating Trinidad & Tobago, Saudi Arabia and Haiti to top their group. The first of those wins was comprehensive. The second two? Less so. Mauricio Pochettino has plenty to build on, but also plenty of decisions to make following the group stage.
Now it gets serious, with the USMNT three wins away from accomplishing something they have done seven times, but not since 2021 – win the Gold Cup. And that starts against Costa Rica on Sunday, with kickoff at 7 p.m. ET in Minneapolis. A spot in the semifinals is on the line. The rewards and the pressure are only increasing.
GOAL looks at five keys for the USMNT against Costa Rica.
Getty Images SportThe USMNT's top star
Heading into the summer, Malik Tillman was under pressure. He had yet to really take off in a USMNT shirt, so, despite his Eredivisie heroics, there was a real need to prove he can do things on the international level.
Consider things proven. In five games played this summer, Tillman has three goals and an assist, with all three scores coming in the Gold Cup group stage. Tillman has stepped up as this Gold Cup team's playmaker, making himself the focal point of the attack as the primary creative hub. He's finished in a variety of ways, too, using both his head and his feet to change games.
"Oof," Pochettino said of Tillman. "It's so difficult to define him because what a player he is. What a player."
The U.S. will need that player through these knockout stages. Tillman is so dynamic, so decisive, in big moments, and he's shown now that he can do that with the USMNT. Of course, the challenges will get harder as the opponents improve, but Tillman has every reason to feel confident as he looks to lead this team into the knockout rounds.
"He is showing in this camp his talent and capacity because he is this type of player with the talent to show this every single game," Pochettino said. "Then, the capacity without the ball, the work ethic in the way that he is really aggressive. He will cover a lot of the pitch. He's always trying to help the team press, chasing back, and playing different positions. He can appear like a No. 10 in training, but he can be between the lines, on the left or right side, dropping in as a No. 8 or a No. 6.
"I see such a talented player, and I'm so pleased with him because he's such a lovely guy."
AdvertisementGetty ImagesPatrick Agyemang vs Keylor Navas
On one side is arguably the most legendary goalkeeper in North America history. On the other side, a striker who made his international debut in January. This is the key, though, despite the vastly different levels of experience.
For Costa Rica to have a chance, the legendary Keylor Navas will have to stand on his head. He nearly did enough against Mexico, but Los Ticos inability to score on the other side prevented them from winning the group. Still, let that serve as an example of the type of impact Navas can make by making the two or three saves that keep a team in the game.
"Navas is one of the best goalkeepers in CONCACAF history," said his American goalkeeper counterpart Matt Freese, "but when we step on the field, we're there to win. That's our mentality."
The man tasked with beating Navas? Patrick Agyemang, who has beaten five of the nine goalkeepers he's faced across his USMNT career so far. The Charlotte FC striker is a handful, but has been criticized recently for wasting more chances than he's taken. You can't afford to be wasteful against Navas, though. If you get a chance to beat him, you generally have to take it.
That applies to Agyemang and everyone else in the U.S. team. This is a legendary shot-stopper on the other side, so every chance means just a little bit more knowing that.
Getty ImagesRested and relaxed?
For much of the last month, the USMNT have been hopping from one task to the next. Training camp in Chicago bled into friendlies in Connecticut in Nashville. The Gold Cup brought them to San Jose, Austin and Dallas. This week, given a full seven days between games, the U.S. finally got a chance to breathe.
It's not often you get that in a tournament and, given the schedule over the last three weeks or so, it was appreciated. Pochettino was able to generally stick with his go-to lineup for all three games of this window, largely because he knew physical recovery time was on the way. So, too, was a brief mental break, headlined by a key day off in Dallas before the U.S. travelled to Minneapolis for the quarterfinals.
"It's definitely been nice to have a break from the go, go, go," Max Arfsten said. "Thankfully, we got a day off [Tuesday], so just some time to decompress, relax, and spend time with people if you want to. I think, for us, it was a good break because now we're all refreshed and ready to get back."
Given the week in between games, everyone is available. Each of the 25 players in camp trained on Friday, which means Pochettino will have a full, rested roster at his disposal for Sunday's match.
Getty ImagesThe left-back spot
Most of the spots on the pitch are accounted for. The centerpiece duo is set. Tyler Adams is back and ready to play. Agyemang is good to go up top, while Diego Luna should be ready and rested.
Left-back, though? There are some questions there. Pochettino has something to think about.
For each of the first two matches, Pochettino went with Max Arfsten. In the third, it was John Tolkin. Tolkin's assist against Haiti helped him make a pretty good case, but was it good enough to unseat Arfsten?
"There's a healthy competition between two players like Max and him," Pochettino said, "who are both young and have very good quality. They are different players, but they both bring a lot of quality to a team."
Arfsten is more of a wingback. Tolkin? More a fullback. Both can impact a game on the attacking side, though, and both could create problems for Costa Rica from that left side. Both also have points to prove ahead of the World Cup, and this game will be a pretty good proving ground for whoever Pochettino does opt to put into the starting XI.