This is not your typical CONCACAF match-up either, in which the USA goes to a place, mops the floor with them, and leaves feeling good about themselves. They are playing in one of the toughest stadiums to play as a visitor (particularly an USAer) in the Western Hemisphere.
There's a reason that the US is looking to get its first point in Costa Rica since 1985. USA Today's Beau Dure has a great article on some of the memories US players have of the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, the stadium the game will be held in tonight:
"That mass [of Costa Rican fans] arrives early. Eddie Pope, who played several qualifiers in Saprissa, remembers turning on the TV in his hotel room a few hours before an early-afternoon game and thinking he had found a game to watch before heading over to the stadium. He was wrong. The packed stadium on TV was Saprissa. And it was live.
By the time the teams get on the field, the visitors face a storm of abuse. The words don't hurt, but batteries, bottles and other objects can leave a mark. 'Coins are a favorite,' [Jeff] Agoos says. 'Tim Howard probably picked up a couple of extra dollars by being in goal.'"
2 comments:
I'm watching the game right now and Costa Rica is killing US. I'm sorry but I don't think US will get a point for this. What's up with donovan? Dude, seems to have no swag with the ball. He needs to play in a Europe league to get a better feel of how the other part of the world play soccer.
Agreed to some degree. Analysis coming.
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