The US Men’s National Team’s win against Costa Rica on Friday night may have occurred under some unique circumstances, but it was a win nonetheless. It gave them a much-needed boost in their quest for a seventh straight World Cup final, with their likelihood of doing so only standing at 53% after their opening match loss to Honduras according to ESPN.com’s Soccer Power Index (SPI) . A quick Clint Dempsey goal against Costa Rica with some non-ideal weather slowing down play later in the match gave the US Men’s National Team their first three points of the Hexagonal and vaulted them to a nearly 69% chance of qualifying for Brazil 2014 (Costa Rica protest notwithstanding). Everyone knew this was the warmup fight ahead of the main event with fellow CONCACAF heavyweight Mexico on Tuesday night, but it was an warmup that had to be won to keep US hopes alive. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest