It isn’t be too early to start peeking at the other games going on in the Hexagonal, in particular the Panama-Mexico game, which kicks off simultaneously to the Costa Rica-USA game on Tuesday night.Now that Mexico beat the USA — on U.S. soil — U.S. fans will want Mexico to beat up on the other […]
costa rica
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Scouting Report: Ticos ride momentum into U.S. match
As it turns out, USA keeper Tim Howard isn’t the only starter who can’t play Tuesday in the second Hexagonal game against Costa Rica. Ruled out of the game at EstadioNacional are defenders Francisco Calvo and Cristian Gamboa, who set up the first goal in Costa Rica’s 2-0 defeat of Trinidad & Tobago on Friday. […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential, Story
Asleep at the wheel, an old U.S. habit
By Paul Kennedy (@pkedit) First things first, the better team won on Friday night. Mexico coach Juan CarlosOsorio recalled Carlos Vela and Giovani dos Santos, starting them together in attack for the first time since he took over as coach and the first time since the 4-4 game againstTrinidad & Tobago in the group stage […]
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Klinsmann: USA will get result at Costa Rica on Tuesday
For the second straight time, the USA has opened the Hexagonal with a loss and will face Costa Rica, its toughest Concacaf opponent in recent years, in their second game. But thecircumstances this time are more precarious. Instead of facing the Ticos at home — where it won, 1-0, in the Snow Bowl game four […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Hex Files: Costa Rica injuries mount
Costa Rica will be without two starters — center back Francisco Calvo and right back Cristian Gamboa — for Tuesday’s game against the USA at San Jose’s Estadio Nacional. The Ticos werealready without starting center backs Oscar Duarte and Giancarlo Gonzalez, who missed the 2-0 win at Trinidad & Tobago with injuries. Calvo is injured […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Hex Files: USA's 27 years of misery in Costa Rica
One of the USA’s most impressive feats is that it has won the Hexagonal three times in a row. It has never done worse than open with three points after two games. That record will be tested on Tuesdayas the USA plays at Costa Rica, where it has lost eight straight qualifiers. This marks the […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Hexagonal: Road teams sweep all three games
Panama pulled a stunning upset in the opening game of the Hexagonal, beating Honduras, 1-0, at San Pedro Sula’s Estadio Olimpico, one of Concacaf’s most dreaded venues. In the other Hexagonal game,Costa Rica won at Trinidad & Tobago, 2-0, to give the road teams a clean sweep of all three games on Day 1. Fidel […]
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Ranking the Hexagonal's six teams
The Hexagonal — the final round of World Cup 2018 qualifying — begins Friday with three games: USA-Mexico, Honduras-Panama and Costa Rica-Trinidad & Tobago. The top three teams advance to thefinals and the fourth-place team faces Asia’s fifth-place team. Here’s how we rank the six teams based on their performances the last two years in […]
Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story
Hex Files: Battles of Colombians, T&T trouble
USA-Mexico will be only one of three games on the opening day of the Hexagonal. Honduras-Panama and Trinidad & Tobago-Costa Rica also are on tap. The former game is a battle of Colombian coachinggiants. In the latter, T&T is at home but facing all sorts of issues. Who’s the more Colombian? HONDURAS-PANAMA.Honduras and Panama are […]
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Hex Files: Costa Rica without two injured starters
Costa Rica named its squad for the Hexagonal openers at Trinidad & Tobago Nov. 11 and at home against the USA Nov. 15. The two notable absences are European-based defenders Oscar Duarte(Espanyol) and Giancarlo Gonzalez (Palermo), who both started four of six games during the semifinal stage of Concacaf qualifying but are injured. Coach Oscar […]