Costa Rica vs. USA: Score and Reaction for World Cup 2018 Qualifying

The United States lost its second consecutive 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying game Tuesday, this time to Costa Rica at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The Ticos steamrolled their way to a 4-0 victory after beating Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 in their previous qualifying game Friday. The United States failed to respond to a 2-1 loss to Mexico and is in early trouble in the final automatic qualifying round.

This was nothing new for Costa Rica. According to U.S. Soccer's website, the Americans have never won in World Cup qualifying visits to the country and are now 0-9-1.

Andrew King of MLSsoccer.com responded to the performance:

Costa Rica got goals from Johan Venegas, Christian Bolanos and Joel Campbell, with Campbell scoring two just minutes apart late in the second half. Bolanos assisted on Venegas' opener and scored the second on his own, and ESPN Stats & Info pointed out how involved he has been for his side:

The United States finished with 52 percent of the possession, per ESPN.com, but Costa Rica had 15 shots (nine on goal) to the Americans' six (one on goal).

The start of the game was a defensive battle, and the most notable moments came when the United States was shown yellow cards.

Jermaine Jones and Timothy Chandler each picked up a caution, and Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated noted they will miss the team's next qualifying match, which is March 24 against Honduras, as a result.

It looked as if the Americans would get on the scoreboard first when Bobby Wood dribbled into the penalty area and delivered a beautifully placed cross in front of the net, but there was nobody there to knock it in. It was the United States' best chance of the half.

That missed opportunity loomed large when Costa Rica opened the scoring in the 44th minute. Venegas beat defender John Brooks and headed the ball down off Bolanos' cross to give his team a 1-0 lead.

BeIN Sports USA shared video of the goal:

Taylor Twellman of ESPN and soccer writer Steve Davis reacted to the Americans' defensive breakdowns:

Paul Carr of ESPN.com noted the United States completed just 63.4 percent of its passes in the opening 45 minutes, which was its second-worst mark in the last three years.

Jones continued to struggle on the defensive side in the second half as the United States had trouble slowing the Costa Rica attack. Paul Tenorio of FourFourTwo USA said Jones appeared to be exhausted and "should be the first sub of this game."

Davis responded to the developments:

The defense couldn't hold Costa Rica, and Bolanos buried a header to make it 2-0 in the 68th minute. Doug McIntyre of ESPN proclaimed the game over at that point, and Maximiliano Bretos of ESPN expressed frustration with the product on the field:

BeIN Sports USA passed along video of the second goal:

The floodgates opened from there, as Costa Rica added another goal in the 74th minute when Campbell knocked in a shot with his left foot. At that point, the Ticos were essentially toying with the overmatched United States and on a clear path to an easy victory.

Four minutes later, Campbell scored Costa Rica's fourth goal, and Twellman said goal differential was already a concern for the Americans even though they were only two games into the final qualifying stage.

What's Next?

The United States will face Honduras on March 24 and Panama on March 28. That means it has an entire winter to work on what ailed them in the previous two games, which could lead to lineup switches or complete overhauls.

As for the Costa Ricans, they will play Mexico on March 24 and Honduras on March 28. They are in the catbird seat after two straight wins and will hope their momentum doesn't cool over the break.

Postgame Reaction

United States manager Jurgen Klinsmann said the loss was "definitely the defeat that hurts the most in my five years" in charge of the team, per Wahl.

Klinsmann offered more details, per Martin Rogers of USA Today:

"

There is always things that you say you could have done differently. It doesn't matter about the system, it is about the compactness of the team. The willingness to fight back—and after the second goal they didn't have that power or drive to get back in the game. It is a very bitter moment. They were too [flat], not enough alertness there, not enough tempo.

"

United States Soccer president Sunil Gulati discussed Klinsmann's future after the loss, per Wahl: "We won't make any decisions right after games. We'll think about what happened today and talk with Jurgen and look at the situation."

It appears as if the Americans are in for a long break before their next World Cup qualifier.