A 5-1 Panama crash in Orlando on Sunday brought the USMNT to pole position to exorcise the demons from Couva in 2017, it needed any result other than a six-goal or more defeat at San Jose to close its ticket to Qatar After a promising start to the second half for the United States, which saw Kaylor Navas make a dive to deny Miles Robinson a header, Costa Rica broke the deadlock without a score in the 51st minute. Juan Pablo Vargas took the corner kick of Brandon Aguilera and headed Jacques Stephen just outside the 6 meters. The Ticos doubled their lead eight minutes later with Anthony Contreras hitting the back post after Jewison Bennette’s recycled ball from a set piece that Steffen struggled with. These quick consecutive goals, perhaps, made some people a little more nervous than when the match started. But the last whistle brought the desired result: a return to the World Cup after the loss of Russia 2018.
