Costa Rica vs USA: Los Ticos are still in contention for third place in the CONCACAF group

In the 14th round of CONCACAF World Cup 2022 qualifying, the USA national team will face Costa Rica on the opponent’s field. Both teams remain tournament motivated, with the USA national team not yet guaranteed a place in the group stage of the Mundial, although they are close to it. The Costa Ricans, meanwhile, need a blowout win over the States and a double-overtime defeat for Mexico to make it into the CONCACAF Top 3.

The Costa Ricans last lost to Canada in mid-November 2021, and since then this national team has played six matches in the qualifying tournament, five of which were won with one draw against Mexico. Excellent statistics of the future hosts allowed the Costa Rican national team to rise to fourth place. The Costa Ricans are three points behind the Mexicans and the States and to get ahead of, for instance, Mexico, the Costa Rican national team needs to beat the USA by three goals and hope for a home game against El Salvador in Mexico. Costa Rica’s home statistics are third in the CONCACAF Group, with four wins in six matches, one draw and one defeat, with a goal difference of 7:4.

The current group qualification for the 2022 World Cup might not be ideal for the USA. Before the final round of qualification, the States can hardly count on the first place in the CONCACAF zone, the lag from the leading Canadians reaches three points and on goal difference in case of defeat of the Canadian national team, the Maple Leafs look preferable. After Canada’s 2-0 defeat in Hamilton, the American squad played three official games, edged teams from Honduras and Panama, and drew 0-0 with Mexico. The away record of the USA team is only the fourth in the group, with one win against Honduras, three draws and two defeats, on a goal difference of 5:5. Note the low figures for the States in away matches.

Costa Rica and the USA have played each other 38 times, with 16 victories for Costa Rica, six draws and 16 wins for the USA team, a goal difference of 43:43. Directly in World Cup qualifiers, Costa Ricans and the states played against each other 21 times: 11 wins for Costa Rica with three draws and seven victories for the States, 31:20 in favor of Costa Rica. On the field of Costa Rica, an immense advantage for the home team: +9=2-1 in 12 games, 24:9 goal difference.

The USA team is completely satisfied with a draw in the upcoming game, which guarantees the states a place in the group tournament of the Mundial. Even a two-goal defeat will guarantee the Stars and Stripes a place in the top 3 of the CONCACAF zone. The Costa Rican national team will not abandon their attempts to wedge themselves into the fight for the top three in the group, and for that, the future hosts need a confident victory over a strong, but comfortable opponent. The statistics between Costa Rica and the USA should not be forgotten either. The Costa Ricans have a huge advantage in home games, but, despite this, the USA national team is quoted as the favourite of the meeting, which is an underestimation of the home team. Let’s take advantage of this line and bet on the home team’s minimum handicap: H1 (+0.25) for 1.90.

The Costa Ricans do not want to get a draw in the upcoming game. Los Ticos need only a victory over the United States, and it is very desirable to get a confident victory, even a landslide. A few days ago, the Costa Rican national team beat the Canadians at home, the sensation of the current qualification and the leader of the CONCACAF zone. If Costa Rica beat the Maple Leafs, why can’t they beat the USA? W1 for 3.60.

Costa Rica have scored an average of fewer than two goals per game in home games. In the US away games, the statistics are even more lopsided, with just 10 goals scored in six games. From this, we conclude that the upcoming meeting will not be rich in goals, and the Costa Rican team has a good chance of winning the upcoming match with a score of 1-0 for 8.00.

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