SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – The US men return to the World Cup after the trauma of missing out on the 2018 tournament, claiming the spot for this year’s championship in Qatar on Wednesday despite losing 2-0 to Costa Rica on the final night. Rehabilitation.
Juan Pablo Vargas led behind Walker Zimmerman and Brandon Aguilera headed a corner kick past goalkeeper Zach Stephen in the 51st minute, and Anthony Contreras hit a cross in the 59th minute after Stephen was unable to hold on to a free kick.
A crowd of about 35,000 showed up at the National Stadium, but the Americans’ 5-1 win over Panama at home last weekend gave them a huge goal difference over Costa Rica. This means that the United States only had to avoid losing by six or more goals in order to gain an automatic berth by finishing among the top three countries in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The American players on the bench came onto the field at the final whistle and exchanged handshakes and hugs with their teammates who finished the match, while local fans cheered for Tico.
Canada, who sealed their first World Cup trip since 1986 with Sunday’s win, finished first with 28 points after losing 1-0 to Panama, ahead of Mexico on goal difference. El Tri overtook the United States and won the World Cup for the eighth time in a row, while the United States finished third with 25 points and a goal difference of plus 11.
[ad_2]
