March 31, (THEWILL) – Despite a 2-0 setback away to Costa Rica on Wednesday, the United States won automatic entry to the 2022 World Cup after failing to qualify for the 2018 tournament.
With a three-point and 10-goal gap over Costa Rica into the last qualifier after their 5-1 win over Panama, the USA had a healthy enough goal difference to avoid the inter-confederation playoff regardless of the result.
In an anxious start, Keylor Navas was on hand to deny the US with a magnificent double effort in the eighth minute.
The Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper made a spectacular save from close range to deny Miles Robinson, and managed to prevent the ball from trickling in following a US corner.
The game became much more competitive as the minutes ticked on and both teams probed for an opening. The best chance of scoring for each side came from the dead ball situations. And, that was exactly how Costa Rica scored both goals.
Juan Pablo Vargas gave the home side the lead in the 51st minute, and Anthony Contreras doubled the advantage eight minutes later from another set piece. No matter how hard the USMNT tried, they simply could not find a way past Navas.
At the final whistle, although both teams were on 25 points after the third round of qualifiers in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) region, the United States’ goal difference of +11 gave them the ticket against the +5 goal difference of Costa Rica.
As a result, in June, Los Ticos will need to scale through a tie against New Zealand in an inter-confederation playoff to determine which of the two sides will go to Qatar.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
