USA Costa Rica Preview

Tonight, the USA travels to Costa Rica to play the Ticos in World Cup qualifying. The game was moved forward from next week due to the Confederations Cup (get excited!), and is the only international in the world being held today. Obligatory shambolic preview, after the jump.

The US National Team hasn't taken a point in Costa Rica in qualifying since 1985, and after the uneven performance against El Salvador on the road, it's questionable whether or not that streak is going to end tonight. Landycakes and others have said that they will benefit from the experience gained in the comeback to tie. But the Ticos, second place in the group, have only lost one game this decade at the Estadio Saprissa. So its not surprising that veteran Pablo Mastroeni is widely expected to see time in the midfield tonight alongside Michael Bradley.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Spector is expected to get the start at right back filling in for Steve Cherundulo, and the Beasley-as-a-left-back experiment is likely to continue. Despite injury concerns, Jozy also looks set to start, but Bob Bradley has already been complaining about the artificial surface. "I think for the most part the players will tell you that the game is not the same on artificial turf," he told the LA Times.

The game has been moved to ESPN2 from ESPN, and pregame coverage kicks off at 9:30 pm EDT. Chances of a liveblog are pretty slim at this point, but do join us for what promises to be a truly spectacular open thread. Start placing bets on many times John Harkes compares the crowd at the Saprissa to "his time in England."

Image from the invaluable MNT Blog.