By Mike Woitalla
Soccer America Magazine
The last time the USA earned a point in Costa Rica during World Cup qualifying came in 1985, when the Greek Alkis Panagoulias coached the team, Rick Davis of New York Cosmos fame played in the midfield, and John Kerr scored in a 1-1 tie.
Since then, it's been only frustration for the Americans in the nation of 4 million that lies between Nicaragua and Panama and whose soccer combines Latin and Caribbean styles in a manner comparable to Colombia.
U.S. teams coached by Bob Gansler (once), Steve Sampson (twice) and Bruce Arena (twice) all fell in Costa Rica, but still qualified for Italy '90, France '98 and Japan/Korea 2002, respectively. (Panagoulias' team was eliminated from 1986 World Cup qualifying with a 1-0 home loss to Costa Rica.)
When the Americans meet Costa Rica on Saturday (TV: ESPN2, 1-hour delay, 10 pm ET/7 pm PT), they needn't worry about their World Cup hopes. That ticket was booked two games ago.
Costa Rica, however, can clinch with a win against the United States, as it did four years ago with a 2-0 win in which the Americans were badly outplayed. The Ticos finished first in the Hexagonal last time around, six points ahead of Mexico and the USA.
Certainly Saturday's game gives Arena a valuable chance to evaluate players for a next summer's World Cup, as will the final Hexagonal game against Panama on Oct. 12.
In 2002, the Gold Cup in January provided a chance for a group of players who hadn't played key roles in qualifying to gain Arena's confidence. The USA will have no competitive games in 2006 prior to the World Cup — just friendlies.
Another loss in Costa Rica won't mean much to American soccer, but a win could be the first indication that the USA will be sending a stronger team to the World Cup than it did four years ago.