Costa Rica's poor showing paves the way to the final for the USMNT

By Morgan J. Wolf

Costa Rica seemed like a team that would give the United States a ton of problems. The actual match was anything but.

The 70+ minutes was scoreless thanks to a couple of terrific saves from Tim Howard, who at 38 is still just as effective as he was ten years ago. That said, the key player who set up both goals was Clint Dempsey, who began the match on the bench before coming on in the 68 ^th minute. With an assist to Jozy Altidore for the opening goal and a coolly-taken free kick that he slotted into the bottom right-hand corner of the Costa Rica goal, he continues to prove himself as one of the most crucial members of the American national team.

However, the player who should get a lot of coverage following this match is winger Darlington Nagbe. The Liberian native who became an American citizen to play for the national team showed an ability to dominate the midfield time and time again. But also, Bruce Arena needs to get his props, because his squad hasn’t lost a match since taking over from Klinsmann last year.

Though it took a while, the hosts have finally put together a complete and solid performance in the Gold Cup. This doesn’t mean that the US hasn’t been able to string together periods of strong play previously; they wouldn’t be in the final of the Gold Cup if they hadn’t. But this is the first time in this tournament that the US has been fully functional and dominant through a full 90-minute match.

Looking forward to the final, Arena's side will either face Jamaica or Mexico. Facing Jamaica would likely pose less of a challenge, though they can’t be overlooked due to their speed and unpredictable way of playing. On the other hand, Mexico would pose a much bigger challenge: as arch-rivals, this matchup would have all kinds of interesting storylines, made even more interesting considering that Mexico have not yet conceded a goal in the Gold Cup.