On a largely perfect night for the USMNT, other than Luna's nose, they cap the January camp by trouncing Los Ticos 3-0
ORLANDO – Spoiler alert: don't expect any real U.S. men's national team losers. That's because there was nothing really to complain about on Wednesday night. The USMNT ran away with a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica, one that concluded this January camp on yet another high following a 3-1 win over Venezuela last weekend. Two games, six goals scored and only one conceded – it's hard to find losers there.
There were plenty of winners to go around, however. In an MLS-heavy camp, Caden Clark and Brian White netted their first USMNT goals. Patrick Agyemang, netted his second – after scoring his first against Venezuela. All three were well-taken finishes that no doubt left Mauricio Pochettino smiling on the sideline.
The goals weren't the only things to bring joy to Pochettino. His veteran goalkeeper, Zack Steffen, made multiple highlight reel saves in his first real chance post-2022 World Cup. An experienced defense stood tall, as Pochettino would expect it to. And, in the midfield, Diego Luna showed what Pocehttino so jokingly described as "big balls" to shake off a shattered nose to provide one of the best assists you'll see at this level.
Plenty of reason to celebrate, particularly for Pochettino. It was another game that will leave most people in USMNT colors feeling better than when they arrived. It was a near-perfect night for everyone – well, except for Luna's nose.
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Inter&Co Stadium.
Getty Images SportWINNER: Zack Steffen
Wednesday night marked Zack Steffen’s first USMNT appearance in three years. It’s realistic to say that, if it didn’t go well, it well could well have been his last. Steffen, all but out of the picture since his 2022 World Cup omission, is fighting for a spot and, if Wednesday was any indication, he’s got a lot of fight left in him.
Steffen made three saves, including two absolutely stunning diving efforts, to keep Costa Rica at bay. They were the type of saves that an international goalkeeper has to be able to make, and Steffen stretched out and got his hand to it both times.
"It was massive," Steffen said of the effort in the first half. "Massive for me, massive for the team, because at that point it was 1-0. It was good, of course, to keep the ball out, and it's always fun to make saves in the upper 90. Those always make for good photo shots."
Steffen was in a cheerful mood, and rightfully so. He'd done plenty to impress Pochettino, who pointed to the obvious: Steffen kept the ball out of the back of the net.
"It's clear that Zack was really good," Pochettino said. "Today he performed really, really well and made a few saves that were amazing. That shows the quality of a keeper because, for me and for us, I think the keeper needs to make saves. At that, today, he was great. Then we can add in different areas to work with the keeper, but the most important thing in this type of situation is to make saves and show his quality. I'm so happy for him because he was great."
Where he stands now, only Pochettino knows. Steffen could only have helped his case. For him, they were a long time coming, as he continues to put the 2022 World Cup disappointment behind him.
"it's been a couple of years and a hard road, man," Steffen said. "Yeah, a hard road mentally. I'm just happy to get back out on the field, first and foremost."
AdvertisementGetty Images SportLOSER: Costa Rica
These two teams were relatively similar in experience level, although veteran Tim Ream does drag the USMNT averages up quite a bit. Either way, these were two, generally young and inexperienced teams looking to impress new coaches. Only one left much to be happy about.
Miguel Herrera, the former Mexico and new Costa Rica boss, won't have much to be thrilled with after this match, one which was played with an entirely domestic-based squad. Los Ticos showed flashes, testing Steffen a few times but, by and large, this was the USMNT's game.
Both teams surely had nerves given their lack of minutes at this level, but only the USMNT overcame them. Costa Rica, at times, fell right into them, with the defense, in particular, struggling to play out of the back at times throughout.
This was Herrera's first game and, once he gets his squad together, it's surely going to get better from here. For the players, though, this won't be one to remember.
Getty Images SportWINNER: The veteran centerback duo
This was the first time Ream and Walker Zimmerman had played together since the 2022 World Cup. More specifically, this was the first time since the USMNT were eliminated at that World Cup at the hands of the Netherlands. More than two years later, they didn't skip a beat.
"For centerbacks, especially when you have two veterans, two guys who played a lot of games, a lot of minutes, even a World Cup, it's just about communication," said Ream. "It's just about being on the same page and knowing each other's tendencies. Neither of our tendencies has really changed since the World Cup. It's easy to step back in next to him. The communication really, really high and really, really good. It just made it that much easier."
In this camp, Pochettino generally relied on the veterans in the centerback position. Ream and Zimmerman were joined by Miles Robinson, who started as a right-back that really was like a third centerback. The lone newcomer in that position was George Campbell, who didn't see the field on Wednesday after starting over the weekend.
"George was amazing," Pochettino said. "In the first game, I was so pleased with him. He finished a little bit tired in that first game against Venezuela, and then we wanted to play also with Walker and then Tim, with also the possibility of Miles Robinson. We only conceded one goal [against Venezuela] and that was on a set piece, but the performance was really good from the centerbacks. And the defensive line did really well in the two games."
Most of the competitors for this spot on the USMNT are in Europe. Several were playing in the Champions League earlier on Wednesday. Ream, in particular, will feel he's still in the mix. Zimmerman and Robinson, too, given their performances this camp. The competition is heating up, and there are plenty of familiar faces.
AFPLOSER: Diego Luna's nose
We'll let Pochettino say it.
"I was very surprised he broke his nose, but I didn't want to say anything because he was bleeding," Pochettino told TNT after the match. "Not have too much drama, you know. I don't want to scare them. I said 'How do you feel?' and he said 'Please coach, let me keep playing, at least until halftime, and then I'll go out. Doctor, give me the OK.' Then an assist and we scored."
Added Pochettino with a laugh, "I said 'big balls.’ He showed great character."
That says it all. The assist to Brian White in the 21st minute was fantastic, a display of Luna at his creative best. The fact that he did it with cotton plugs in his nose made it even wilder. Postgame, Luna headed to the hospital as a precautionary measure but, before that, he made his presence known.
Luna may find it tough to breathe for a little while with a busted up nose. A worthy sacrifice, he'll probably say. It made for one heck of a picture and, ultimately, he got the job done anyway – especially as Pochettino literally put a new shirt on Luna after removing the blood-staine one on the touchline.
Add it to the list of memorable Luna moments. It was his first true impactful performance in a USMNT shirt, and it was unforgettable. The one least likely to forget it? Pochettino, who no doubt came away impressed with his young No. 10.
"He showed great character and great quality," Pochettino said. "It's a player that, for sure, we are going to have a consideration for in the future."
