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.
