The U.S. national team will get the second game of their new era under Gregg Berhalter underway when they face off against Costa Rica at Avaya Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The USMNT will be coming off the backs of an emphatic 3-0 debut win against Panama that marked Berhalter's first game in charge, and gave glimpses for a promising future for the team following a period of inconsistency marked by the side failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup finals.
Djordje Mihailovic and Christian Ramirez scored their first senior goals against Panama alongside a strike from Walker Zimmerman, and a similarly young side is expected to be fielded against Costa Rica.
| Game | USMNT vs Costa Rica |
| Date | Saturday, February 2 |
| Time | 8:30pm GMT / 3:30pm ET |
| Stream (US) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision NOW | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be broadcast on television or streamed live.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| N/A | N/A |
Squads & Team News
| Position | USMNT players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Steffen, Johnson |
| Defenders | Lima, Long, Lovitz, Cannon, Trusty, Zimmerman, McKenzie, Rosenberry |
| Midfielders | Bradley, Trapp, Baird, Mihailovic, Roldan, Arriola, Canouse, Lletget, Lewis, Delgado |
| Forwards | Zardes, Ebobisse, Ramirez |
Berhalter has no new major injury concerns to worry about, and hinted on Tuesday that he will not be tempted to make drastic changes to his lineup from the side that won against Panama.
Djordje Mihailovic is in line to clinch his second start after he scored the opening goal against Panama.
Potential USMNT XI: Steffen; Lima, Long, Lovitz, Zimmerman; Bradley, Baird, Mihailovic; Roldan, Zardes, Ebobisse.
| Position | Costa Rica players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Alvarado, Madrigal, Chamorro |
| Defenders | Calvo, Francis, Mora, Salinas, Arboine, Fuller, Medina |
| Midfielders | Guzman, Cubero, Cruz, Monge, Marin, Sequeira, Alfaro, Araya, Loria |
| Forwards | McDonald, Ruiz, Ortiz, Scott |
Since this friendly will take place outside FIFA international dates during a time that has not been formally recognised as an international break, clubs are not required to release players for their national teams.
As such, the likes of Costa Rica regulars Keylor Navas, Bryan Ruiz, Joel Campbell and Giancarlo Gonzalez are not present.
Potential Costa Rica XI: Alvarado; Calvo, Francis, Mora, Salinas; Guzman, Cubero, Cruz; McDonald, Ruiz, Ortiz.
Betting & Match Odds
The USMNT are priced at odds of winning 3/10 according to bet 365 , while a draw is available at 5/1. A win for Costa Rica is priced at 10/1.
Match Preview
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As clubs are not required to release players on a non-FIFA official international break, high-profile players such as Christian Pulisic (who is in the middle of the Bundesliga season with Borussia Dortmund) have not been called up to the USMNT side for this month's friendlies against Panama and Costa Rica.
Instead, Berhalter has been given a chance to tinker with a side that has brought a look into the future, with Michael Bradley and Gyasi Zardes two of the few experienced players in the squad.
Victories haven't been entirely necessary for Berhalter's side as he attempts to undergo a restructure and an overhaul of his team – especially since the majority of his first-choice players have been unavailable for this month's games – but following a rocky 15 months for the USMNT, getting started on a positive note will have been a boost of confidence.
"We’ll mix guys in where appropriate," Berhalter said on Tuesday.
“I think our job is to continue to fine tune and continue to work on and develop our style of play. We may make some changes; we’ll see where everyone is physically."
Similar to the USMNT, Costa Rica will be fielding an inexperienced side on Saturday afternoon. New Portland Timbers arrival Marvin Loria will be getting his first senior nod with Costa Rica, having played for Portland's USL Championship side last season.
Timbers team-mate David Guzman joins him, alongside Minnesota united captain Francisco Calvo.
Costa Rica have not played since their 3-2 victory over Peru in November, their most recent of six friendlies following their group stage exit at the World Cup in Russia last summer.
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