The Americans lost 3-1 to Costa Rica in a vital World Cup qualifying match on Friday.
The United States got off to the worst start imaginable in their quest to win their first ever game in Costa Rica. Just three minutes into the game Johnny Acosta Zamora scored off a header from the center of the penalty area to give Costa Rica a 1-0 lead. Seven minutes later Celso Borges added to the lead with yet another header from the middle of the box. The Americans turned on the jets minutes later and dominated possession for the remainder of the half; the Americans finished with 61 percent possession at the end of the first 45 minutes. However, Costa Rica continued to create chances on the counter and outshot the Americans 12-4 at the halfway mark; five of Costa Rica's shots were on target while three of the American chances were on target. Costa Rica had a few chances to make it 3-0, but American goalie Tim Howard made a few point blank stops to keep the score at 2-0. The Americans finally got some luck late in the half when they were awarded a penalty shot for a foul on Fabian Johnson. Costa Rica goalie Keylor Navas earned a yellow card and wound up deflecting Clint Dempsey's strike into his own net.
The second half saw the Costa Ricans continue to frustrate American efforts to play with width and length. The Americans eventually earned a few corner kick attempts that seemed to jumpstart the US passing game. Clint Dempsey nearly equalized at the 56th minute on a shot outside the box that wound up hitting the left post. Despite the American pressure throughout most of the half, Costa Rica's Joel Campbell raced past two American defenders and fired a breakaway shot past Howard to give Costa Rica a defining 3-1 lead.
Costa Rica now leads the CONCACAF with 14 points while the Americans sit in second with 13 prior to Tuesday's match against Mexico. Honduras sits in third with 11 points.
The United States has never won in Costa Rica.
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