Playing in their first international match of the calendar year, Costa Rica will visit Inter & Co Stadium in Orlando for a friendly game against the USA on Wednesday.
Over the weekend, the Yanks defeated Venezuela 3-1, while Los Ticos will play for the first time since a 2-2 draw versus Panama last November, exiting that CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final tie, 3-2 on aggregate.
Match preview
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The first match of 2025 could not have gone much better for the United States, who carried the play throughout the 90 minutes and were rewarded with a convincing victory against Venezuela.
Mauricio Pochettino put his faith in a group of youngsters, many of whom made a strong first impression, with only 4.8 caps internationally among their starting 11, the third time since 2000 that a US men's opening lineup had fewer than five appearances between them.
In their last three competitive matches, the Americans have netted a combined eight times, the same number as they managed in their seven games played before that.
Orlando has been very good to this team over the years, with the US men going a perfect 6-0 in that city, outscoring their opponents by a combined margin of 22-2 over that stretch.
A victory on Wednesday would extend their winning streak to four matches across all competitions, their longest since collecting six consecutive triumphs to capture the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
They have triumphed in four consecutive meetings versus Costa Rica on American soil, posting three clean sheets during that span.
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With their Nations League campaign ending in November, the Costa Ricans' focus shifts to preparing for the next window of 2026 World Cup qualifying.
After two matches in that qualification stage, the Central Americans boast a 100% record, scoring seven goals without a single one conceded thus far.
Wednesday will be the first match in charge for Miguel Herrera, who has never beaten the US in two prior meetings against them during his stint as Mexican national team manager in 2014 (2-2) and 2015 (2-0 loss).
Herrera is the third coach for the men's team since the Copa America last summer, with the others being Gustavo Alfaro and Claudio Vivas, and the latter managing just six matches.
While they have not looked impressive since exiting the group stage of the Copa America, Los Ticos have only lost one of their previous six competitive games (1-0 against Panama).
Costa Rica have not beaten the Yanks in the US since a 2-0 triumph at Red Bull Arena in September 2017, and this week, they can win consecutive games against them for the first time since 2013 and 2015, claiming a 2-0 victory the last time they met in 2022.
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Team News
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Three Americans selected for this camp dropped out of the squad just before the match against Venezuela, with Jesus Ferreira and Jalen Neal suffering injuries and John Tolkin recently joining Holstein Kiel in the German Bundesliga.
Over the weekend, eight US players collected their first caps with the national team, including Matko Miljevic and Patrick Agyemang, who each scored for the first time internationally, with the other goal coming courtesy of Jack McGlynn, his first for the Yanks in his second appearance.
Herrera selected 10 uncapped players for his first game as Los Ticos manager, including two from the reigning Costa Rican Apertura champions Herediano, Randy Vega and Anthony Walker.
Their most experienced player chosen is Saprissa goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado, who has 25 caps, a mark that Herediano's Allan Cruz can reach on Wednesday, while he's got more goals than anyone selected on the team for this window (two).
USA possible starting lineup:
Freese; Moore, Robinson, Zimmerman, Jones; Eneli, McGlynn; Luna, Miljevic, Vassilev; Agyemang
Costa Rica possible starting lineup:
Alvarado; Quiros, Faerron, van der Putten; Suarez, Cruz, Bran, Acuna, Rojas; Sinclair, Campos
We say: USA 2-0 Costa Rica
There are many unknowns about Costa Rica right now, and it may take some time for this new generation to play at the same level as the USA and gel as a unit.
The Yanks have plenty of energy players and depth pieces capable of producing a moment of magic, and that should be enough to propel them to a victory in midweek.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
