USA clinch spot at World Cup finals in Qatar despite Costa Rica defeat

The United States men’s national team arrived at the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica on Wednesday having all but qualified for the 2022 Fifa World Cup. Seated in second place with 25 points with a comfortable advantage on goal difference, a win, draw or loss by anything fewer than six goals would have been enough to get them over the line. Had lightning struck, the worst-case scenario was an intercontinental playoff with New Zealand in June.

Redemption for 2017’s failed World Cup qualification felt imminent, but focus on the task at hand never waned in camp. “We still have a job to do” was the refrain echoing from head coach Gregg Berhalter to key players Tyler Adams, Tim Weah and Deandre Yedlin throughout the run-up to Tuesday’s Concacaf qualifying finale. And despite the math that weighed heavily in their favor, Berhalter and co on Wednesday put to rest speculation the team would rotate players or be happy with a draw. The task was qualification, but the manner of qualification mattered. The players conveyed a desire to win, to make a point, to leave a mark, to do what every US team before them had failed to do: win a World Cup qualifying match away in Costa Rica.

As for the hosts, the atmosphere was celebratory and hopeful. The 35,062-seat bandbox was packed and cheering. After a remarkable run of five wins and one draw in their final six matches, Los Ticos had elbowed their way into qualifying contention. They entered Wednesday’s match poised to snag the fourth-place playoff spot and, no doubt looking forward strategically toward that match, they sat a number of key players, including Joel Campbell and Bryan Oviedo, to guard against potential yellow card accumulation that would sit them out of that one-off in June.

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