Soccer America Senior Editor Scott French reports from Kansas City, Mo. Seven months remain in the Hexagonal from which three CONCACAF nations will advance to the 2002 World Cup, but the U.S. national team knows it can all but assure a berth with a rare qualifying victory over nemesis Costa Rica on Wednesday evening. The Americans, with six points from two matches following victories over Mexico in Columbus, Ohio, and Honduras in San Pedro Sula, can extend their advantage in the six-team tournament with a triumph at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. “This game really is a crucial game for us, even though we’ve got a little bit of a cushion,” noted Jeff Agoos, who will work with former D.C. United teammate Carlos Llamosa in central defense to slow the Ticos’ explosive attack. “If we can get three points in this game, it sort of puts us one leg in the door [toward] going to Japan and South Korea. “We view this as the game that opens the door to Japan and South Korea. Although we’re not there, it certainly puts us on the right road.” Nearly 31,000 tickets have be bought for the clash, with a crowd of 35,000 to 40,000 expected. ESPN2 will televise the match live with Telemundo offering delayed coverage. Costa Rica, in second place in the Hexagonal with four points after tying Honduras and beating Trinidad & Tobago in home qualifiers, hasn’t won a road game in eliminations for the 2002 World Cup, falling at Barbados and Guatemala and holding the Yanks to a 0-0 draw at Columbus in the previous round of qualifying. It gained four points in two matches with the Americans during the previous phase. TICOS PACK IT IN The Ticos were content to pack it in the back and rely on their counterattack in the Oct. 25 meeting, a dull affair that left them 3-2-1 in qualifiers against the United States dating to December 1996. The losses, in December 1996 at Stanford, Calif., and September 1997 at Portland, Ore., were sustained before Bruce Arena took charge of the U.S. squad. “Do I consider them to be our nemesis?” Arena replied when asked about Costa Rica’s success against the Americans. “No. We’ve faced them twice in my short time with the team, and we haven’t won one yet, but that doesn’t trouble me. Our time could come on Wednesday. Everyone in this group is a nemesis.” His players know otherwise, and with the Ticos needing points after dropping two of them in their Hexagonal opener — a 2-2 draw at with Honduras notched on Rodrigo Cordero’s 90th-minute strike — they may be content to play their hosts to a standstill at Arrowhead. No. l goalkeeper Alvaro Mesen and playmaker Wilmar Lopez will miss the match with knee injuries, but Costa Rica has plenty of weaponry with Manchester City striker Paulo Wanchope and Hernan Medford from Necaxa. Mesen, who was injured in preparations for the clash, is replaced easily enough. Erick Lonnis, who shut out Trinidad & Tobago on March 28, will take his spot; Lopez’s absence is more difficult to overcome. LOPEZ A ‘REAL PLAYMAKER’ “It’ll be interesting to see [how Lopez’s injury will impact Costa Rica], because he’s been pretty good these last two games,” Arena said. “He’s the one player in this competition who’s a true playmaker. … My sense is he’s the closest thing to a real playmaker in this region and a player [his] team highly depends on. “It’ll be interesting to see. But having said that, he really didn’t play with them in the last round.” Lopez, who also was slowed by a knee injury last year, got 25 minutes of action in Costa Rica’s 2-1 victory over Guatemala last August. Rolando Fonseca will again take Lopez’s place, with Canadian-raised Steven Bryce — a hard-working attacker — also supporting Wanchope and Medford in a 3-4-3 alignment that can easily shift to a 5-3-2 or 5-4-1. Wanchope, who is coming off a difficult game for Manchester City against Manchester United last weekend, is among the finest forwards in CONCACAF, a tall, athletic force who has scored five goals during 2002 qualifying, two of them off the bench in the 3-0 victory over T&T. He’ll be a handful for an American defense that surrendered just one goal in its past six qualifiers. “They have so many different weapons that we know there’s not one guy you have to concentrate on,” Agoos noted. “You have to be wary of everyone who has the ball.” Costa Rica surrendered winning goals in the last minutes of their losses last July at Barbados and in November at Guatemala, and they’ll face an American attack that likely will be spearheaded by former University of South Carolina teammates Clint Mathis and Josh Wolff. The pair teamed expertly off the bench in the 2-0 victory Feb. 28 over Mexico, and Mathis’ 87th-minute free kick delivered a 2-1 triumph over Honduras a month later. REYNA RETURNS Claudio Reyna, who left the Mexico game with a groin injury that kept him out of the Honduras match, will return to the lineup, teaming with Chris Armas in central midfield. Although Arena won’t discuss his lineup, 22-year-old defender Steve Cherundolo — forced into action at Honduras — likely will keep his place on the right side of the back line, with Tony Sanneh in front of him. Earnie Stewart, who scored in the wins over Mexico and Honduras, likely will get the nod over Eddie Lewis on the left. David Regis will line up behind Stewart. Kasey Keller, who wasn’t called in for the Mexico clash and watched the Honduras win from the bench, returns between the pipes. He played in four of the six qualifiers in the previous phase. The Americans’ depth is challenged by injury and suspension. Speedy Cobi Jones was red-carded in Honduras; forwards Brian McBride (knee) and Joe-Max Moore (calf) and defender Eddie Pope (toe) aren’t healthy. Arena left goalkeeper Brad Friedel, who played in the previous two games, back in England, where he’s trying to help Blackburn earn promotion to the Premier Division. Arena’s options off the bench are defender Gregg Berhalter, midfielders Lewis, Chris Klein, Preki Radosavljevic and Richie Williams, forwards Landon Donovan and Ante Razov, and goalkeeper Tony Meola. Costa Rica coach Alexandre Guimaraes, whose club tied Venezuela after a last-minute own goal a week ago, can call upon New England Revolution midfielder-forward William Sunsing and former MLS midfielder Mauricio Solis. United States vs. Costa Rica at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo., 7:30 p.m. ET TV: Live: ESPN2. Delayed: Telemundo, 11:30 p.m. ET/PT, 10:30 p.m. CT/MT. Radio: Futbol de Primera Referee: Jorge Luis LARRIONDA (Uruguay) Projected lineups: United States (4-4-2): Kasey Keller (Rayo Vallecano/Spain); Steve Cherundolo (Hannover/Germany), Carlos Llamosa (Miami Fusion), Jeff Agoos (San Jose Earthquakes), David Regis (FC Metz/France); Chris Armas (Chicago Fire), Tony Sanneh (Hertha Berlin/Germany), Earnie Stewart (NAC Breda/Netherlands), Claudio Reyna (Rangers/Scotland); Clint Mathis (MetroStars), Josh Wolff (Chicago Fire). Costa Rica (3-4-3): Erick Lonnis (Saprissa); Jervis Drummond (Saprissa), Reynaldo Parks (UAG/Mexico), Gilberto Martinez (Saprissa); Harold Wallace (Alajuela), Rodrigo Cordero (Herediano), Carlos Castro (Alajuela), Rolando Fonseca (Saprissa); Steven Bryce (Alajuela), Hernan Medford (Necaxa/Mexico), Paulo Wanchope (Manchester City/England).