U.S. Is at a Loss Again

At the end, long after the sellout crowd at Ricardo Saprissa Stadium had stopped chanting its “oles” at each completed pass, the realization finally hit home: World Cup 2002 might be just a dream for the United States.

Costa Rica clinched its place in the quadrennial world championship with an emphatic 2-0 victory over the U.S. Wednesday night, handing the Americans their third consecutive loss and leaving them very much on the ropes in qualifying play.

The U.S. defeat, combined with Honduras’ 1-0 victory over Jamaica in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and Mexico’s 3-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago in Mexico City, dropped Coach Bruce Arena’s team from second place to fourth in the six-nation qualifying group.

Only the top three teams will advance to Korea/Japan 2002, and the Americans have only two games left in which to salvage their place. They play Jamaica in Foxboro, Mass., on Oct. 7 and Trinidad and Tobago in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on Nov. 11.

Chances are, they will need to win both games to reach the World Cup for a fourth successive time.

The question also has to be asked whether they deserve to do so. Just as Mexico had outplayed the U.S. in a 1-0 victory on July 1 in Mexico City and just as Honduras had outplayed the U.S. in a 3-2 victory in Washington on Saturday, so Costa Rica toyed with Arena’s team.

The Central Americans were individually and collectively superior in all aspects of the game. They were technically more skilled and tactically more astute. They were also faster, more creative, and hungrier than their visitors.

One of those on the rain-soaked field after it was all over was Miguel A. Rodriguez, Costa Rica’s president, who told a television interviewer that the team’s performance had been “extraordinary.”

Alexandre Guimaraes, the Brazilian coach who has guided Costa Rica back to the World Cup for the first time since 1990, used such words as “super” and “sensational” to describe his team’s play.

No one could fault either description.

The Americans came to Costa Rica burdened by consecutive losses caused in part by a rash of injuries to key players.

Arena thought the team had the depth to overcome the setbacks, but that apparently is not the case.

Either that, or Arena’s tactics or team selection are at fault. After the loss to Honduras four days earlier, the coach had talked guardedly about his starting lineup.

“There’ll be some changes,” is all he would say, declining to tip his hand. Later, he expanded on the thought.

“I think where you need to be careful is you that don’t make too many changes,” he said. “Anyone could come up to you after that game [the loss to Honduras] and there could be a clear argument for four or five changes.

“You could single out everyone in the back, and a couple [of players] in the midfield didn’t perform particularly well.

“We’re not overreacting, but I think there are a couple of adjustments we can make that will make us better.”

Arena’s adjustments turned out to be packing Wednesday’s starting lineup with seven defensive players, plus goalkeeper Brad Friedel, and only three offensive choices: Earnie Stewart, Cobi Jones and Jovan Kirovski.

“Every time you play on the road your objective is to get a point,” he replied when asked if the U.S. would play for a tie.

Arena’s game plan was clear: keep it close and hope to steal a victory late in the game.

Everything went according to plan for the first half hour or so as the U.S. turned away one Costa Rican attack after another.

Harold Wallace proved a particular thorn in the U.S. side with his speed on the right.

It all went awry for the U.S. in the 38th minute. Costa Rican forward Ronaldo Gomez shrugged off the challenge of defender Eddie Pope out on the left flank, then raced in toward the net.

Defender Carlos Llamosa stuck out his right leg and tripped Gomez and Guatemalan referee Carlos Batres had no hesitation in awarding a penalty kick.

Orlando Fonseca fired the 12-yard shot straight up the middle as Friedel dived to his right and just like that it was 1-0 in Costa Rica’s favor.

Fonseca raced to the sideline, pulled his jersey back over his head, pointed both index fingers at the sky and then pointed to his heart as he acknowledged the explosion of cheers from the fans.

Costa Rica was on its way, having dominated the first 45 minutes to such a degree that the U.S. managed only two shots on goal, one by Stewart that flew straight to goalkeeper Erick Lonnis and the other by Richie Williams that flashed wide left.

Urged on by its fans, Costa Rica kept the pressure in the second half and was rewarded in the 68th minute with a goal that put the game away.

Midfielder Mauricio Solis threaded a perfect pass between defenders Llamosa and Jeff Agoos and Fonseca latched onto the ball, leaving both players behind before unleashing a right-foot shot that Friedel had no chance of stopping.

Costa Rica’s vision and execution had undone the U.S. once again. Arena brought forward Joe-Max Moore on in place of defender Greg Vanney not long after Vanney had forced Lonnis into a fine save with a well-struck free kick.

Later, Arena added forward Landon Donovan to the mix in place of defensive midfielder Williams.

His last resort was to bring on Preki, who also gave Lonnis a shock with a fine free kick.

But it was too little, too late.

The writing was on the wall when Guimaraes brought veteran Hernan Medford into the game with about 15 minutes left.

Medford was on Costa Rica’s 1990 World Cup team, the one that reached the second round.

The current U.S. squad made it to that World Cup by beating Trinidad and Tobago in the final qualifying game in November 1989.