USA vs. Costa Rica: Time, TV, streaming, betting odds for CONCACAF World Cup qualifier

Simon Borg

USA vs. Costa Rica: Time, TV, streaming, betting odds for CONCACAF World Cup qualifier image

The U.S. men’s national team will look to get back on track after its first loss in World Cup qualifying as it gets set to meet a Costa Rica side that is back from the dead in its bid to make it to Qatar 2022.

An American squad with seven new starters from its previous 2-0 win over Jamaica logged what was arguably the worst U.S. performance in the Gregg Berhalter era on Sunday, failing to register a single shot on target in a 1-0 loss to Panama. Berhalter’s decision to heavily rotate the squad was met with criticism, but he made it clear that it was a gamble for which the payoff comes on Wednesday.

“It obviously doesn't look like the best choice, but I think we have to wait till Thursday,” Berhalter said after the Panama loss. “If we were going to play the same players [vs. Jamaica on Thursday] in this game [vs. Panama on Sunday], I’m not sure we would position ourselves in the best way to win again on Wednesday [vs. Costa Rica]. Again, the conditions that we’re dealing with [in Panama] with the travel and the weather made it complicated. And we had to make, I guess, somewhat of a risky decision."

LIVE BLOG: Match updates, starting lineups and commentary

Winning your home games is critical in World Cup qualifying and Wednesday’s opponent showed why. Back in 2017, Costa Rica went into Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., and beat the USA 2-0 in a qualifier that ultimately cost the Americans a place in the 2018 World Cup. That match was also the Ticos’ last win against the USA; they’ve experienced a period of slow decline since the end of the 2018 World Cup, going a mediocre 8-8-11 in all matches and having to fire their coach in June.

It’s experienced hand Luis Fernando Suarez who was appointed to take over a Costa Rican team in desperate need of a generational changeover. But Suarez is still rolling out the old guard, and it was those veteran heroes who allowed the Ticos to secure a draw in Honduras last week and salvage a 2-1 come-from-behind win over El Salvador on Sunday. PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas was the star, making a key save in both matches to preserve the results. Those four points have Costa Rica back in the qualifying mix.

The USMNT will be starting its youngest-ever lineup in a World Cup qualifying match (22 years, 229 days), including emerging goal scorer Ricardo Pepi. The 18-year-old is one of 13 U.S. players age 23 or younger, while Costa Rica has 12 players who are 30 or older. It makes for a fascinating battle of youth vs. guile with valuable points on the line.

DECOURCY: It's a stretch to blame Berhalter for Panama loss

How to watch USA vs. Costa Rica

  • Date: Wednesday, Oct. 13
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET
  • TV Channels: ESPN2
  • Spanish-language TV: UniMas, TUDN
  • Streaming: fuboTV, ESPN+

USA vs. Costa Rica will air on ESPN2 (English), and UniMas and TUDN (Spanish) with all three channels streaming on fuboTV. New subscribers can get a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.

The match, which will also be available to stream on ESPN+, will be held at the new Lower.com Field in Columbus. It’s the home of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, which opened in July.

MORE: World Cup qualifying standings, schedule & highlights

USA vs. Costa Rica: Lineups

The Americans will benefit from the return of goalkeeper Zack Steffen, midfielder Weston McKennie and left back Antonee Robinson after all three skipped the USMNT’s trip to Panama. Two of those players were carrying injuries heading into the game — McKennie (right quad) and Robinson (knee) — but passed the fitness test.

MORE: Berhalter doesn't regret fielding lineup vs. Panama

USA starting lineup (4-3-3, left to right): 13-Zack Steffen-GK — 5-Antonee Robinson, 12-Miles Robinson, 15-Chris Richards, 2-Sergino Dest — 8-Weston McKennie, 4-Tyler Adams, 6-Yunus Musah — 11-Brenden Aaronson, 16-Ricardo Pepi, 20-Tim Weah

USA subs: 1-Matt Turner-GK, 22-DeAndre Yedlin, 21-George Bello, 18-Mark McKenzie, 3-Walker Zimmerman, 23-Kellyn Acosta, 17-Gianluca Busio, 10-Cristian Roldan, 19-Matthew Hoppe, 9-Gyasi Zardes (Not in squad: Sean Johnson, Shaq Moore, Sebastian Lletget, Paul Arriola - picked up injury in warmups)

Costa Rica had to replace Joel Campbell (sprained right ankle) and Jose Guillermo Ortiz (positive COVID-19 test), opting for 39-year-old Alvaro Saborio and 27-year-old Christian Bolanos, veterans of countless U.S.-Costa Rica matchups. Costa Rica looks to be going with a 5-3-2 formation, which has proven successful in the past.

Costa Rica starting lineup (5-2-3, left to right): 1-Keylor Navas-GK — 22-Ronald Matarrita, 15-Francisco Calvo, 6-Oscar Duarte, 4-Keysher Fuller, 2-Ricardo Blanco — 5-Celso Borges, 10-Bryan Ruiz (c), 17-Yeltsin Tejeda — 11-Johan Venegas, 21-Jonathan Moya

Costa Rica subs: 23-Leonel Moreira-GK, 18-Aaron Cruz-GK, 20-Fernan Faerron, 19-Kendall Waston, 8-Bryan Oviedo, 3-Juan Pablo Vargas, 13-Orlando Galo, 16-Youstin Salas, 14-Jimmy Marin, 12-Randall Leal, 7-Christian Bolanos, 9-Alvaro Saborio (Not in squad: Luis Diaz, Kenneth Vargas)

USA vs. Costa Rica: Betting odds & prediction

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

Pick: USA -1.25 Asian Handicap (+100)

After a dismal performance on Sunday, it’s hard not to see the Americans coming out pedal to the metal against a Costa Rica team that is not the opposition it once was. The Americans will be fresher, they’ll have a passionate home crowd behind them and, with Ricardo Pepi on the field from the start, they’ll have the best chance to score multiple goals. The only thing that would stand in the way is a lights-out performance from Costa Rican ’keeper Keylor Navas.

The -1.25 Asian Handicap offers some insurance (half the bet is refunded) in case the Americans only win by a single goal.

In case you’re into historicals: The USA has a 6-2-1 record against Costa Rica in World Cup qualifiers played on U.S. soil and a 7-1-2 record against all regional qualifying opponents in Columbus.

Prediction: USA 2, Costa Rica 0

  • Moneyline: USA -270 / Draw +350 / Costa Rica +650
  • Spread: USA -1.5 (+125) / Costa Rica +1.5 (-170)
  • O/U 2.5 total goals: Over +110 / Under -140
  • Both Teams To Score: Yes +145 / No -195

Simon Borg

Simon Borg Photo

Simon Borg is a senior editor at The Sporting News who has covered football/soccer for over a decade. A supporter of Italian club Parma Calcio from his years growing up in Europe, he was previously a long-time member of Major League Soccer's digital media team, as a multimedia content producer, on-air personality, and Editor-in-Chief. Based in New York City, Borg is multilingual and has covered the domestic and global scene for TSN since 2021.