After a strong showing in the group stage of the Concacaf Gold Cup, the knockout stages are here for Mauricio Pochettino and the U.S. men’s national team as they look to regain the title from Mexico. They’ll be facing a familiar opponent in Costa Rica, but the goal will be the same — advance in the tournament to face the winner of Canada and Guatemala for a spot in the final.
The USMNT defense will have a challenge with Costa Rican strikers Manfred Ugalde and Alonso Martinez in good form, but that will also be a welcome challenge. With Pochettino looking to determine his squad for the 2026 World Cup, these players do need to be tested, and Costa Rica can help provide that. During the Gold Cup so far, the attack has gotten the job done, but the defense has been suspect occasionally, so there’s no better time to clean things up than now, entering the knockout stages.
Here are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch USMNT vs. Costa Rica, odds
- Date: Sunday, June 29 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: U.S. Bank Stadium — Minneapolis, Minnesota
- TV: FOX | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Odds: USMNT -180; Draw +280; Costa Rica +500
Last meeting
The USMNT faced a skeleton Costa Rica squad during January camp this year, winning 2-0. With Pochettino’s squad including a strong MLS contingent, players like Jack McGlynn, Diego Luna, Brian White, and Patrick Agyemang, who were in that squad, will be in this one to face Costa Rica’s top squad. This will help provide an accurate litmus test for where these players are since Pochettino can compare their performances in January to their performances now.
Predicted lineups
USMNT: Matt Freese, Max Arfsten, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Alex Freeman, Tyler Adams, Luca De La Torre, Malik Tillman, Sebastian Berhalter, Diego Luna, Patrick Agyemang
Costa Rica: Keylor Navas, Joseph Mora, Francisco Calvo, Juan Pablo Vargas, Jeyland Mitchell, Carlos Mora, Josimar Alcocer, Orlando Galo, Brandon Aguilera, Manfred Ugalde, Alonso Martinez
Player to watch
Manfred Ugalde, Costa Rica: Only 23 and coming off a season where he scored 17 goals for Spartak Moscow in the Russian Premier League, Ugalde has been a hot name on the transfer market. He has already scored three goals and assisted one more during the Gold Cup, but he was unable to make a difference when facing Mexico. With a strong performance against the USMNT, Ugalde will only generate more buzz, which could lead to a move to a larger European team. Ugalde will also provide a good test to the USMNT defense, and every test that they can get is a good thing for development.
Storyline to watch
Will off-the-pitch noise impact the game? The transfer window has brought a bit of noise into the USMNT camp with Malik Tillman being linked to Bayer Leverkusen, Patrick Agyemang being linked to Derby County, and rumors of Johnny Cardoso to Atletico Madrid rolling on. While Cardoso may not be available due to an ankle injury, and the players have said that they’re focusing on the match, it’s hard not to think about life-changing moves while playing soccer. That will all need to stay on the sidelines, where rumors were connecting Pochettino to the Brentford job. While the Argentine has denied those rumors, that’s a lot of things to juggle at once. Winning will make it easy to put this behind them, but if the USMNT struggle, this could drag out.
Prediction
Costa Rica has improved, and they’ll likely find a goal in this one, but the USMNT attack has been one of the highlights of this tournament. Behind an in-form Tillman, the USMNT will get enough goals to push forward for a date in the semifinals while continuing to pursue a Gold Cup title. Pick: USMNT 2, Costa Rica 1
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