Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
There were some rough moments early in Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure with the U.S. National Team, but he’s also led the team to some unprecedented accomplishments.
Among them are its win in Italy last year, its win in Estadio Azteca last year, its draw in a 2014 World Cup qualifying match in Azteca earlier this year and its come from behind win over Bosnia-Herzegovina last month.
Now, Klinsmann has a chance to add one more to that list.
Despite their success in World Cup Qualifying and their dominance over CONCACAF, the Americans have never won a road qualifying match in Costa Rica, where they play Friday night when they renew their qualifying campaign.
The last time the U.S. played a road qualifying match against Costa Rica was in 2009, when they lost 3-1, getting dominated and embarrassed. Later, they denied the Ticos a spot in the 2010 World Cup with a late goal by Jonathan Bornstein in the final match of the Hexagonal in 2009.
Other than getting revenge for that late goal back in 2009, Costa Rica remains bitter over their loss to the U.S. in March, a match that the Ticos protested because it was played amidst a snowstorm in Colorado.
That game was a turning point for both Klinsmann and the national team, as they followed it up with their draw in Azteca and soon afterwards began their current 12-game winning streak, which includes a dominating performance in the 2013 Gold Cup.
Not only will the Ticos come out fired up about their recent history with the U.S. and looking for some redemption, but Costa Rica can take a major step towards qualifying for the 2014 World Cup if they can continues their success at home against the U.S.
However, the Americans have a chance win a qualifying match against Costa Rica on the road for the first time ever, extend their record with a win in their 13th consecutive match, and possibly clinch a spot in Brazil with favorable results in other matches, all of which would be major accomplishments for Klinsmann and the U.S.
It won’t be easy for the Americans to win in Costa Rica Friday night, but the team and Klinsmann have been really clicking for the past few months, enabling them to accomplish some amazing things. The U.S. has reached new heights under Klinsmann and accomplished things they’ve never done before; and against Costa Rica, they can add a couple more items to that ever-growing list.
Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.
Related links:
Breaking Down U.S. Roster For Upcoming 2014 World Cup Qualifying Matches
5 Things We Learned About Soccer From 2013 Gold Cup
How Does Landon Donovan Fit With U.S. Soccer’s A-lineup?
