The United States has advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2013 Gold Cup, having earned advancement with easy victories over CONCACAF minnows Belize and Cuba.
Jurgen Klinsmann’s team advanced as the top team in Group C with well-deserved 1-0 victory over Costa Rica, which finished second in the group. Costa Rica and Cuba, which earned its spot as a third-place qualifier with a 4-0 win over Belize, also moved on to the quarters.
The U.S. win didn’t come easy, despite dominating much of the match. It came on a counter attack in the 82nd minute after goalkeeper Sean Johnson made his best save of the game and the ball was quickly played forward to Landon Donovan down the right flank.
Donovan quickly played a one-touch ball across the field behind the Ticos defenders where a streaking Brek Shea ran onto the ball and slotted it past goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton.
The victory gave the USA eight wins in a row, setting an all-time record for consecutive wins for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
The United States upped its record to 13-12-6 all-time against Costa Rica while ending the Ticos’ shutout streak at 785 minutes. The last time Costa Rica allowed a goal was Clint Dempsey’s strike on March 22, 2013, during the FIFA World Cup Qualifying match in a snowy Commerce City, Colorado.
The U.S. will now face El Salvador, the third-place finisher in Group B, in the quarterfinal on Sunday, July 21. Kickoff from M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore is 4 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast live on FOX and Univision.
Additional Notes:
Brek Shea is the seventh player on this U.S. roster to score his first international goal in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Shea joins Corona as the second player to score his debut goal in the 2013 edition of the regional championship.
The match marked the first start in official competition for Sean Johnson, who now has three caps. Johnson started in the 0-0 draw against Canada on January 29 in Houston earlier this year.
Midfielder Alejandro Bedoya got his first start in the 2013 Gold Cup. He played in five matches in the 2011 edition, including all three games in the knockout phase. Bedoya scored his first international goal in the USA’s 6-0 win against Guatemala on July 5 in San Diego.
-U.S. Men’s National Team Match Report-
Match: U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Costa Rica Date: July 16, 2013 Competition: CONCACAF Gold Cup – Group C Venue: Rentschler Field – East Hartford, Conn. Kickoff: 8:06 p.m. ET Attendance: 25,432 Weather: Sunny, 90 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 1 1
CRC 0 0 0
USA – Brek Shea (Landon Donovan) 82nd minute
Lineups: USA: 12-Sean Johnson; 15-Michael Parkhurst, 21-Clarence Goodson, 4-Michael Orozco Fiscal, 7-DaMarcus Beasley (capt.); 11-Stuart Holden, 8-Mix Diskerud; 20-Alejandro Bedoya (6-Joe Corona, 80), 10-Landon Donovan, 16-Jose Torres (23-Brek Shea, 77); 19-Chris Wondolowski (9-Herculez Gomez, 77) Substitutions Not Used: 1-Nick Rimando, 2-Edgar Castillo, 3-Corey Ashe, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 13-Tony Beltran, 14-Kyle Beckerman, 17-Will Bruin, 18-Jack McInerney, 22-Bill Hamid Head coach: Jurgen Klinsmann
CRC: 18-Patrick Pemberton (capt.); 16-Carlos Johnson, 3-Giancarlo González, 4-Michael Umaña, 15-Junior Diaz;8-Kenny Cunningham, 17-Yeltsin Tejeda, 5-Celso Borges, 19-Roy Miller (14-Christopher Meneses, 68); 20-Rodney Wallace (10-Osvaldo Rodriguez, 71), 22-Jairo Arrieta (9-Alvaro Saborio, 77) Subs not used: 1-Leonel Moreira, 2-Kendall Watson, 6-Juan Madrigal, 7-Mauricio Castillo, 11-Michael Barrantes, 12-Yendrick Ruiz,13-Ariel Rodriguez, 21-Esteban Granados, 23-Luis Torres Head Coach: Jorge Luis Pinto
Stats Summary: USA / CRC Shots: 7 / 5 Shots on Goal: 4 / 2 Saves: 2 / 3 Corner Kicks: 4 / 6 Fouls: 11 / 8 Offside: 5 / 3
Misconduct Summary: CRC – Patrick Pemberton (caution) 55th minute CRC – Kenny Cunningham (caution) 56 USA – Stuart Holden (caution) 60 CRC – Jairo Arrieta (caution) 76 USA – Michael Parkhurst (caution) 90+2
Officials: Referee: Courtney Campbell (JAM) Assistant Referee 1: Garnet Page (JAM) Assistant Referee 2: Joseph Fletcher (CAN) Fourth Official: Elmer Bonilla (SLV)
Budweiser Man of the Match: Clarence Goodson