An own-goal proved to be the difference as Costa Rica ousted Panama, 1-0, in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals at Lincoln Financial Field in the USA on Wednesday night.
Costa Rica are in the early game in Philadelphia after topping Group A, which also contained Canada, Honduras and French Guiana.
The United States topped Group B of the competition with seven points but just beat out second-place Panama on total goals scored. While they, like the U.S., haven't brought their entire A-team, there's more than enough star power to make Saturday's game a real challenge. Los Canaleros have to be careful, however, with trips to both the United States and Mexico looming in qualifying. "You know what you're getting into with these CONCACAF games and you have to stay focused, get through it, and keep on trying to play".
Neither team has tasted defeat in this tournament and both have tried to play aggressively during the majority of their matches, so it will be interesting to see how they each approach this showdown.
Veteran reinforcements Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley made their first appearances of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and with them moved up the U.S. MNT all-time lists in two different categories. As in past editions of the Gold Cup, poor officiating took center stage. It was the game that got Jurgen Klinsmann fired. So far, those players - such as New York City FC midfielder Miguel Camargo for Panama and Costa Rican forward duo Ariel Rodriguez and David Ramirez - have delivered. Godoy kickstarted his team's demise by fouling Bryan Ruiz on the left wing and earning a yellow card for his troubles. It's matchday in Texas! Urena is likely to lead the Ticos' attack, playing off Ruiz's lethal runs and passes.
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In other federations, regional tournaments only happen every four years between World Cups, and they matter to players and countries as a major trophy.
The Ticos will also be without superstar forward Joel Campbell, of English power Arsenal. It won't be hard to do, because at 6-foot-5 he's almost impossible to miss. The 21-year-old from FC Dallas has a Bradley-esque mix of smarts and hustle, and is widely viewed as the U.S. captain's heir apparent.
For the time being, coach Bruce Arena's focus is on reaching the Gold Cup final. A similar performance vs. Costa Rica could result in an unexpected semifinal loss.
Whether or not there is any correlation with success in the tournaments of elite federations and subsequent success in the World Cup is difficult to quantify because of the number of variables involved (the location, the draw, player health, etc...) in the separate tournaments and the small sample size of knockout soccer.
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