USMNT Continues To Roll With 4-0 Win Over Costa Rica; Gold Cup Next
by Chrös McDougall
Yunus Musah in action during a game against Costa Rica at Rio Tinto Stadium on June 9, 2021 in Sandy, Utah.
Three days after beating one rival in one of the wildest games in recent memory, the U.S. men’s soccer team made easy work of another.
Two players scored their first national team goals while Ethan Finlay recorded the clean sheet as the USMNT beat Costa Rica 4-0 on Wednesday in an international friendly at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
The game was a marked contrast from Sunday night’s Concacaf Nations League final, when a raucous Denver crowd saw the U.S. come back from two deficits against Mexico only to take the lead in extra time, and then hold onto that lead when Horvath saved a late penalty shot.
With the team’s top Europe-based players together for one of the first times this quad, the U.S. rotated several starters, giving players such as midfielder Yunus Musah and forwards Tim Weah and Daryl Dike the nod.
Playing from a 4-3-3 formation, forward Brenden Aaronson put the U.S. on the board in the eighth minute when he blasted home a shot from close range.
Dike, who became the sensation of Barnsley in England’s second division last season, made his first national team start and scored his first national team goal just before the half when he snuck behind the defense and collected a pass on the breakaway.
Then in the 52nd minute it was Reggie Cannon’s turn to score his first national team goal. The U.S. right back collected the ball just outside Costa Rica's penalty area, beat a defender and drilled a left-footed shot into the low corner.
Coming on as a sub, 18-year-old forward Gio Reyna, one of the goal-scorers against Mexico, sealed it with a 77th minute penalty conversion.
The win improves the 20th ranked USMNT to 6-1 on the season, with the only loss coming in a friendly on May 30 at No. 13 Switzerland.
Next up for the Americans is the Concacaf Gold Cup, which kicks off against a yet-to-be determined opponent on July 11 in Kansas City, Kansas. The U.S. also faces Martinique and Canada in group play.