After a disappointing result against Colombia, the hosts USA will hope to show their bouncebackability powers when they play Costa Rica in the Copa America Centenario on Tuesday. With Group A looking like it will be dominated by Colombia, the US and Costa Rica will know the importance of three points at the Soldier Field in Chicago.
As much as some bad luck played a factor in US' loss to Colombia, it was also clear that the South Americans were the vastly superior outfit, something that will concern everyone associated with USMNT. Despite so many years of control, Jurgen Klinsmann is still struggling to get the best combination out on the park, and if the US are to keep their knockout hopes alive, the German needs to identify the right lineup, which will give them the best chance of tripping up Costa Rica.
"I think since I've been in this team one of its strengths has always been the ability to respond on big days and be able to close the door, know who we are, know what needs to be better, understand that we're still good and get ready for whatever comes next and obviously that's what we need to do [against Costa Rica]," USMNT skipper Michael Bradley told MLS' official website.
"To win big games, to win games against good teams, we need to be better. Like I said, there's no magical dust or anything that is now going to changing things overnight. To win big games, you need more guys to play better.
"We want to be sharper. We need to in certain moments create a few more chances, defend a few more plays in front of your goal better. It's the entire package and just understand we have a few more games and need a lot of guys to play well. It's a basic way to put it."
The basic way to put it also would be that the US, currently, are not playing like a team that believe they can do well and go deep in this Copa America Centenario. Costa Rica, who played out a 0-0 draw with Paraguay in their Copa America opener, have the personnel, like Arsenal forward Joel Campbell, capable of beating any team, and they will certainly fancy their chances against the Americans.
"They're a team that's good in possession, they're a team that's difficult to break down, and they also have players that can score goals," forward Clint Dempsey, the go-to man when the US need a bit of inspiration, told US Soccer's official website. "They've shown in major competitions they can perform well like they did in the last World Cup, so we know it's going to be a difficult game. But we're ready for the challenge."
Where to Watch Live
USA vs Costa Rica is scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET (1 a.m. BST, 5.30 a.m. IST) start. Here are all the live streaming and TV information you need to watch the Copa America game live.
India: TV: Sony ESPN and Sony ESPN HD. Live Streaming: Sony Liv.
USA: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: FoxSoccer2Go.
South America/Latin America: TV: DirecTV. Live Streaming: DirecTV live.
UK: TV: Premier Sports. Live Streaming: Premier Player.
Mexico: TV: Univision, TDN, Azteca.
Canada: TV: Univision.
Singapore: TV: Singtel. Live Streaming: Singtel Go.
Thailand: TV: TrueSport 1.
Australia, France and Spain: TV: Bein Sports. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
