United States Does Not Enjoy Costa Rican Vacation

Don't let anyone tell you Costa Rica's a nice place to take a vacation. Oh, they have idyllic beaches, excellent surfing, friendly people, and a well-oiled machine of a tourist industry, sure. However, it's nothing but a front covering a huge purple hole full of death and sadness for American soccer players.


The United States lost 3-1 in a World Cup qualifier to the Ticos in San Jose last night, falling to 0-7-1 all time in San Jose in qualifying matches. The Americans were outhustled, outplayed, and outclassed throughout the match by the Costa Ricans, who set a new record by scoring the second-fastest goal ever scored against the U.S.A., an Alvaro Saborio rocket into goal just 79 seconds into the game.

United States coach Bob Bradley started an offense-minded attacking lineup, which courteously came with an innovative "ole!" defensive strategy. If the idea was to get the ball back by allowing Costa Rica to score, it worked perfectly.

Costa Rica, after wiping what was left of the American team off their shoes, stepped into first place of the regional finals for World Cup qualifying. The Americans now sit comfortably in second. If the American team wins their home games--and the team is 15-0-1 at home since 2001--they still stand in good position to qualify for the World Cup. The next team up? Honduras, the last team to beat the United States on home soil in a 3-2 match in Washington, D.C. in 2001.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.