USA vs Costa Rica: 5 Things Americans Learned from International Friendly Defeat

In soccer, as in any sport, it's only a matter of time.

The longer an inferior team sticks around, the more dangerous it gets.

And the United States men's national soccer team learned it Friday night in a 1-0 loss—or at least we hope they did.

At times last night, the U.S. dominated Costa Rica. Especially in the first half, the U.S. held most of the possession, played positive soccer and put itself in position to create chances.

But the chances—the real, clear-cut chances to score—never quite materialized. The great chances always stayed one more pass away. But no one in a U.S. jersey had that pass, not even Jose Torres, our best player last night.

And when the U.S. did create one clear chance, Landon Donovan couldn't hit the target. The stats at halftime told the story. Even though the U.S. had more possession and shots than Costa Rica, the visitors had two shots on goal to none for the U.S.

When the second half started, it was clear the U.S. had run out of ideas. Instead of enjoying long possessions, the players started giving the ball away too easily, started trying to do too much or neglected the full width of the field.

Costa Rica took its cue, and by the time they scored, they deserved their lead.

And that was it for the U.S. Despite a few more half-chances after the goal, the U.S. didn't ever look ready to take control and win the game. And so the Jurgen Klinsmann era gets its first defeat and the U.S. has to try to find a few takeaways from a match it should have won.

With that in mind, here are five things we learned from Friday night's game.

The Revolution Will Take Time

When Jurgen Klinsmann took over as manager of the United States men's national soccer team a few weeks ago, his hiring marked the beginning of a new era for the program.

But actually, we don't know that yet, we just really hope it will.

For now, though, the revolution is taking time.

That's not a poor reflection on Klinsmann, a world champion as a player who as a manager once led an overachieving Germany to the semifinals of the World Cup. It's a poor reflection on his predecessor, Bob Bradley.

When Klinsmann took over, the U.S. program had the feel of an old Chevy sitting in its rust on the junkyard heap. The potential was there, and it always had been, but the signs of disrepair were obvious.

The U.S. had just been embarrassed by Mexico, its nearest neighbor and fiercest rival, in the final of the Gold Cup. After the U.S. took an early 2-0 lead, Mexico seemed to shake off its doldrums, then flexed its creative muscles with four unanswered goals.

And that wasn't the only sin of the Bradley regime. The team had grown stagnant. The players seemed disinterested. There was not enough development of future talent. In short, Bradley had taken the program as far as he could.

Klinsmann can take the program further, but Friday night showed that the road is long.

The U.S. played great soccer at times and dominated Costa Rica for much of the first half. Somehow, though, the U.S. ended up losing. But while losing in itself is not an indicator of overall progress, the contributing factors of the loss serve as symptoms for the team's problems.

The team maintained possession and played with flair. But no one provided the killer instinct in the box.

The U.S. didn't have some of its best players, but neither did Costa Rica.

The defense played well overall, but once again a moment of poor team defending cost the U.S. And as has become so customary, it was a through ball over the top that did us in.

These problems are fixable. And they can even be fixed using most of the players that featured last night. But it's going to take some time before the U.S. can sleepwalk through a Costa Rica game and still win.

And besides, this was only Game 2 of the new era. There's still time.

Jozy Altidore Remains a Mystery

Jozy Altidore has been playing well with his club.

The big, powerful United States forward scored twice in AZ Alkmaar's 4-0 win over NEC on Aug. 21 and added two more four days later as Alkmaar routed Aalesund in the Europa League.

With the U.S., on the other hand, he's still a bit of a mystery.

Altidore had good moments and poor moments against Costa Rica. He supplied the return ball in a beautiful 1-2 with Brek Shea on a play that should have resulted in a Landon Donovan goal in the first half. But he often showed his lead-footed touch and couldn't seem to stay onside consistently.

Granted, both of those problems might come partially from playing with unfamiliar teammates. Altidore has developed a rhythm with his club teammates, and any pass from someone else is going to feel different.

In addition, Altidore's problems with the U.S. national team might have to do with how he's used. On Friday, Jurgen Klinsmann seemed to want Altidore to act as a multi-purpose striker who holds up play, provides a big target and contributes with flair. But Altidore is not suited to all of those roles.

On the other hand, it's his job as an international player to adjust quickly. Altidore didn't do that Friday night, and he's shown that it's not his strongest trait.

Still, Altidore is only 21 and could develop into the target-man striker the U.S. wants him to be. For now, though, he's too inconsistent to keep Juan Agudelo on the bench.

Jose Torres Is Our Best Player

Sorry Landon. Sorry Clint. Sorry Tim.

Jose Torres is the best player on the United States national team.

If there's anything we've gotten out of ESPN's bizarre decision to use Jorge Ramos as a commentator on U.S. matches, it's this—Ramos is a big fan of Torres, and he never stops talking about what a great combination he and Landon Donovan create in the attacking midfield.

Jurgen Klinsmann should pay attention.

When Jose Torres has the ball at his feet, the United States is a better team. When he combines with Landon Donovan, the U.S. becomes an attacking threat.

Torres once again bossed the midfield for the U.S. last night. He sprayed passes all over the midfield and supplied the forwards with plenty of service in dangerous areas. He displayed excellent close control and even showed a willingness to mix it up to win the ball back from the opposition.

When the US looked so dangerous in the first half, Torres was the man in the control room. When the US struggled in the second half, so did Torres, not coincidentally.

The same thing happened in Klinsmann's debut against Mexico. When the U.S. scored late to tie it, Torres was running the show. He has the most creative mind on the team, along with Donovan, and he has the skills to put his ideas into use.

From now on, Torres must be part of the U.S. plan.

Brek Shea and Timmy Chandler Earned Another Look

International friendlies serve as an opportunity for managers to try new players and tactics within the confines of a match that doesn't matter.

Jurgen Klinsmann has been doing that well.

A couple of new faces in the squad have been Timmy Chandler and Brek Shea. Both have shown they deserve even more consideration for playing time.

Chandler, 21, played well overall Friday night. His defense lacked slightly, but only at times, and he provided an offensive threat with his dangerous runs down the flank. Those runs sometimes put him out of position, but the U.S. covered easily.

He was partially at fault for the Costa Rica goal since he should have tracked his runner a little better. But again, that had nothing to do with his attacking tendencies.

About that, though.

The US could really use a good fullback that doubles as an offensive threat—a wingback, if you will. Too often—and Friday night was a good example—the US offense becomes too predictable. An overlapping run from a fullback can change that.

Chandler didn't play a perfect game, but he was good enough to earn another look. With more time, he could develop into a regular.

Shea, on the other hand, has to be considered on the fringe of becoming just that.

At just 21 years old, Shea is quickly becoming a fan favorite and vital part of the team. He played better against Mexico when he set up the tying goal, but his effort against Costa Rica was also strong.

In the first half he created space in the midfield and teed up Landon Donovan for what should have been the opening goal. And his speed and flair gave the U.S. a dangerous option on his flank.

Shea faded somewhat in the second half, but so did the rest of the U.S. squad. And since he's currently in the stretch run of the MLS season, that could feasibly be a direct result of fatigue.

Still, Shea played well again. He seems to be a favorite of Klinsmann, and he's definitely a favorite of the fans. Look for him to continue playing a major role

The Squad Still Lacks Depth

For years now, the United States national team has had a problem.

Its first 11 players can play with most national teams.

Its next few players, however, drop off in quality.

Even under Jurgen Klinsmann, the problem continues. But as smart and experienced as Klinsmann is, it would be surprising if he's not on top of it already.

The lack of U.S. depth showed again Friday night. It's true, the U.S. didn't have all of its best players available. Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley, just to name two, didn't make the trip from Europe.

But Costa Rica also played an experimental lineup without all of its regulars.

In other words, this was something of a junior varsity battle with a few A-team regulars sprinkled in. Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra, Jose Torres and Landon Donovan are sure starters when the US plays a competitive match. But everyone else on the pitch last night can be considered anywhere from a first-teamer to an unused sub.

The point of international friendlies is to give players the opportunity to prove themselves in a safe environment. Since nothing is on the line, managers can hand starts to whoever they want.

Friday's result was bad, but there were some positives. The offense purred in the first half, even if it didn't score. Brek Shea and Timmy Chandler staked claims to more playing time. Maurice Edu played well as the defensive midfielder.

But some negatives emerged too. Michael Orozco-Fiscal and Edgar Castillo looked mediocre at times and awful at others. It was easy to forget that Robbie Rogers was even on the pitch. Jozy Altidore failed to show he's definitely the answer at forward.

Or, to put it another way, some of the B-team failed to impress.

Klinsmann has a first-team that he can count on to stay competitive with most of the world's national teams. But the search continues for their backups.