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USA vs. Costa Rica, International Friendly: Final Score 1-0 as Young Yanks Win 2020 Opener

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7 years ago

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In its first game of the decade, the United States Men’s National Team cruised to a rather comfortable 1-0 victory over Costa Rica in Carson, CA. 18-year-old Ulysses Llanez impressed in his international debut and scored the team’s only goal from the penalty spot.

While Costa Rica started familiar faces, USMNT Head Coach Gregg Berhalter chose a young starting lineup, with midfielder Paul Arriola as the player with the most caps (33). Sean Johnson started in goal behind a back line comprised of Reggie Cannon, captain Aaron Long, Walker Zimmerman, and Sam Vines. The midfield featured Jackson Yueill, Brenden Aaronson, and Sebastian Lletget while Arriola, Jesus Ferreira, and 18-year-old Ulysses Llanez played up front.

It was the USMNT debut for Vines, Aaronson, Ferreira, and Llanez, and all four could take part in the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship next month.

The U.S. put the pressure on early with a string of corner kicks, but lacked the finishing touch once the ball got into the box. While Cannon and Arriola performed well on the right side of the field to create chances, the youngsters made their presence known as well. Llanez had a few flashes of individual ability to shake defenders and open up space, but his shots and crosses were deflected by a tight Costa Rican defense.

Ferreira created the USMNT’s first real chance to score in the 14th minute. The 19-year-old deftly stepped into space to receive a pass and then gave a great ball in on goal to Arriola, whose shot went low but not wide enough to get past Costa Rican goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado.

Momentum shifted in the 23rd minute when the U.S. defense broke down on a Costa Rican free kick. The ball was sent into the box and the USMNT couldn’t collapse on it before Giancarlo Gonzalez put his head to it directly in front of the goal, somehow hitting the crossbar and bouncing out of harm’s way for the U.S.

After nearly scoring, Costa Rica settled into the game and held possession a bit more although they continued to sit deep defensively. The U.S. changed course after spending a majority of the first half attacking the right side, leaning on left back Sam Vines.

In his first USMNT first team game, Vines was a little uncomfortable at times but worked past defenders and opened up space on the left side. The fruits of his labor were nearly claimed in the 34th minute after he earned and took a corner kick that Long couldn’t convert after getting his head on the end of it.

The Yanks started to reclaim their footing as the first half wore on, with Aaronson getting in on the action in the 44th minute and sending a shot only a yard wide of goal. Just a minute later, Lletget nearly scored with a curling shot that forced Alvarado to make a diving save to push it out of play.

The referee ended the half before the corner kick could be taken and the first half ended scoreless. Regardless, the U.S. looked to be the more comfortable side and out-shot Costa Rica 8-3 with 69% of possession. Although Arriola and Lletget had the best scoring chances of the half, the younger Americans did fairly well in their international debuts and no substitutions were made at halftime.

The second half started similarly to the first for the U.S., with Arriola and Cannon leading the charge right off the bat. In the 48th minute, Arriola held the ball inside the box until Cannon sprung forward. Arriola played Cannon in on goal and the FC Dallas defender was promptly brought down by Randall Leal before he could shoot, the referee promptly pointing to the penalty spot.

It was Llanez who stepped up to take the penalty and he coolly tucked it away in the right side of goal after sending Alvarado the wrong way to become the youngest USMNT player to convert a penalty and score his first international goal. The California native gave a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant after scoring in front of the Los Angeles crowd and the U.S went up 1-0 in the match in the 50th minute.

The goal seemed to wake up Costa Rica as the Ticos switched to only three in the back and pushed forward. The U.S. defense made life difficult for the visitors, deflecting shots and goalkeeper Johnson didn’t have to work too hard.

Costa Rica’s best chance of the second half came in the 56th minute when Marco Urena had a close-range header from a corner kick. Doing his job on the back post, Cannon got in the way of the shot and Johnson collected it before a Costa Rican player could pounce on it.

Despite the lead, the U.S. continued to push for more and Lletget missed a chance in the 59th minute after a good string of passes in front of goal. Llanez used great awareness to lay the ball off to Lletget on his left, but the LA Galaxy midfielder fired wide.

The U.S. made its first substitutions of the game in the 62nd minute with forward Gyasi Zardes coming on for Ferreira and defender Mark McKenzie making his national team debut by coming in for Long. A few minutes later, Brandon Servania debuted as well when he came on for Aaronson in the midfield. In the 73rd minute, Llanez was substituted off for Jonathan Lewis, taking the long way off the pitch to relish the moment after a very impressive outing.

Johnson’s toughest save of the day came in the 75th minute, but it was far from difficult. Still, Johnson tracked the ball well to stay in good position after Costa Rica passed the ball around and fired from outside the box. It went straight at the New York City FC goalkeeper for an easy save and a few minutes later he was substituted for Bill Hamid.

Chase Gasper was the last substitute and seventh debutante of the day when he came in for Vines in the 77th minute.

While Arriola and Lletget continued to create chances and involve players on offense, LAFC’s Zimmerman became a force of his own in the attack. Dominating Costa Rican captain Gonzalez, Zimmerman connected on many corners and crosses and threw himself at anything that came his way before hustling back to defense. His best opportunity came in the 77th minute with a shot that forced Alvarado to kick the ball away off the line.

With the game winding down in the 86th minute, it looked like Zardes doubled the team’s lead. Off balance, the 28-year-old flicked a header over Alvarado to find the back of the net, but he was correctly ruled offside and the game ended 1-0.

The U.S. ended the with 17 shots, five of which were on target, and 61% of possession. Costa Rica improved in the second half and finished with 14 shots, but only two of them were on target and the experienced side looked like the lesser side. That being said, if Gonzalez had scored his unmarked header early in the game then who knows how things would’ve shaken out.

It was a strong game from the USMNT and a great start to the decade that showed off young talent like Llanez and Ferreira. With a trip to Europe in March and Olympic qualifying right around the corner, it will be interesting to see which players make more of a name for themselves as 2020 gets rolling.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 144: Gotham Rewind, Seattle Preview, and More

The Pride finished their home schedule with a loss to Gotham and hope to finish their road schedule with a win in Seattle.

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1 week ago

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October 28, 2026

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Image of Solai Washington running onto a ball behind the Gotham defense.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride tried to send their fans home happy in their regular-season home finale, but despite an impressive overall performance against the league leaders, the Pride wasted numerous chances in front of goal and paid for two big mistakes at the back in what ultimately ended as a 2-1 loss in a season filled with far too many defeats. Solai Washington did so many things well, but despite a month’s worth of chances, she could only muster one goal. Still, it was a promising outing albeit in a developing story that won’t continue much longer this year.

We discuss the key plays, players, and moments, look back at our score predictions from last week, and select our Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Marta, the reasons for the Pride’s struggles in 2026, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we look ahead to Sunday’s season finale at the Seattle Reign. The Pride opened their 2026 season with a home loss to the Reign but would like to close it with a road win over Seattle to enter the off-season on a positive note. It won’t be easy, as the Reign are clinging to the last playoff spot and trying to catch rival Portland as multiple teams are trying to catch them. We look at Orlando’s attempt to play spoiler, check back on the series history, compare the teams’ positions in the table, provide our key matchups, and more.

Here’s how Episode 144 went down:

0:15 – The Pride finished their home schedule with a good performance but another poor result against the league’s top team.

20:07 – Our mailbagbox has questions about the GOAT.

38:26 – Seattle was the first 2026 opponent and will be the last 2026 opponent. We preview for the last time this season.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 140: Bay FC Rewind, San Diego Preview, and More

The Pride keep their playoff hopes alive by eliminating Bay FC but things get tougher with San Diego visiting Friday.

Published

1 month ago

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September 30, 2026

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Image of Jacquie Ovalle dribbling toward the Bay FC defense.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

The Orlando Pride remained perfect on the road against Bay FC with a 3-1 win on Sunday. Deuces were wild, as Haley McCutcheon, who wears jersey No. 2, scored in the second minute of both halves, and her two goals in California gave the midfielder her second brace of both the 2026 NWSL season and her career. Barbra Banda figured heavily in pulling defenders out of position on two of the three Orlando goals and assisted on Jacquie Ovalle’s right-footed thunderbolt in stoppage time to put the game away. But make no mistake, it’s not as if the Pride played well, turning the ball over often and conceding 28 shot attempts to the hosts.

We break down a road win that may have been more exhausting to watch than to play in (although I wouldn’t bet on it), check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Haley McCutcheon, where to most strongly place the blame for the Pride’s disappointing season, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we looked ahead to Friday, when Orlando will host San Diego Wave FC, looking to both complete a season sweep and to keep its faint playoff hopes alive. We look at the series history, provide our key matchups for the contest, and make our predictions for the final score.

Here’s how Episode 140 went down:

0:15 – The Pride improved to 2-1-1 under Yolanda Thomas, but a lot of good Cosette Morche saves were required to get that second win.

20:00- The mailbagbox asks us to play the blame game.

33:36 – The Pride continue to face California-based competition, but Friday’s opponent is much higher in the table than Sunday’s was.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Orlando City restarts its 2026 MLS campaign late tonight out west at San Jose.

Published

4 months ago

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July 22, 2026

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Image of Braian Ojeda taking a shot in a friendly against FC Dallas.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a late night midweek matchup tonight between Orlando City (4-9-2, 14 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (10-3-2, 32 points) at PayPal Park (10:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams in 2026 and the first time the teams have met since 2024.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

Orlando City is 3-1-3 in the previous seven MLS meetings with the Quakes since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015. The Lions got their only away win in the series in the last meeting and enter tonight 1-1-2 on the road against San Jose.

The teams last met on May 18, 2024, with Jack Lynn coming off the bench to score the game’s only goal. Lynn’s strike in the 89th minute broke the scoreless deadlock and lifted the Lions to a 1-0 victory.

The teams met in Orlando most recently way back on June 22, 2021, with the Lions beating the Quakes down, 5-0. Orlando got things started with an early penalty kick goal by Nani, followed by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike to easily put the game away. The lasting memory from the game is Michel’s celebratory dance wearing a cowboy hat that came out of the stands.

Prior to that Orlando City romp, the last time the teams met was on Aug. 31, 2019 when the Lions got freight trained 3-0 at Avaya Stadium, giving the Quakes their first win in the series. San Jose’s offense came via a Chris Wondolowski brace and an early opening goal by Magnus Eriksson. Orlando looked flat and weary out of the gate.

The Lions were victorious in Exploria Stadium in the 2018 meeting on April 21, a 3-2 Orlando win. It was the first win in the series for either side after three straight draws. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer gave the Lions a 3-0 lead before Florian Jungwirth pulled two back in the game’s late stages.

The Lions led all of the first three matches in the second half only to see San Jose pull level, with two of those tying goals coming late. In the 2017 meeting, Carlos Rivas finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Orlando City the lead in the 81st minute, but Wondolowski spoiled the Lions’ night with an equalizer two minutes later as the teams drew at Avaya Stadium, 1-1.

In 2016, the Lions were gut-punched in the 94th minute in an emotional match that ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first home match following the Pulse nightclub tragedy and what appeared to be a storybook ending to a cathartic win turned sour on a last-gasp equalizer by Shea Salinas. Seb Hines — now the Orlando Pride’s head coach — opened the scoring for Orlando, only to see Chad Barrett tie it up. Julio Baptista restored the lead in stoppage time, but Salinas ruined everything.

The two teams also drew in the first meeting, a 1-1 affair at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Lions down to 10 men after Brek Shea was sent off in the first half. Kaká and Wondolowski each scored from the penalty spot four minutes apart in that initial meeting.

Overview

The teams meet tonight to get their post-World Cup portion of the season started. Orlando City has been terrible on the road all season long, keeping only one MLS opponent under two goals all year away from home and allowing five goals twice (at New York City FC and Nashville) and six goals twice (at LAFC and in the team’s most recent match away at FC Cincinnati just before the break).

Orlando City is a putrid 1-6-1 on the road this season, and now the Lions must face the Western Conference co-leaders tonight before coming home to face Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at home on Saturday. They’ll have to play at least tonight’s game without Martin Ojeda, who is out with a thigh injury sustained some time between his first-half goal a week ago in a friendly against FC Dallas and the time the availability report dropped on Tuesday.

But it isn’t all bad news for the Lions, who should have both Antoine Griezmann and Dike in the lineup. Griezmann was the club’s highly prized and widely publicized summer Designated Player signing, while Dike’s return to Orlando came together more recently, following his departure from West Bromwich Albion. They’ll help the club’s offense, but the attack hasn’t been the issue in 2026 — it’s been the historically porous defense, which is on pace to shatter the MLS record for goals conceded.

Meanwhile, San Jose is one of the first half of the season’s biggest surprises, as the Quakes have been outstanding in 2026. Scoring 34 goals while conceding just 15, San Jose is among the league leaders in goals scored (tied for third), goals conceded (third), and goal differential (+19, third).

The Earthquakes are 4-2-1 at home and are coming off a 3-1 road win at Portland in their last game prior to the World Cup break. San Jose boasts Golden Boot challenger Preston Judd, who leads the Quakes with 11 goals, adding two assists in his 15 appearances. Ousseni Bouda has chipped in five goals and three assists. Niko Tsakiris leads the team with seven assists to go along with his two goals, but he’s still recovering from a lower body injury and is not available tonight. However, the arrival of Timo Werner (four goals and five assists in just seven games) has truly elevated Bruce Arena’s Quakes, and he’ll need to be one of the main focal points for the Orlando defense.

To have any shot at taking something from this game, the Lions will need to play better road defense than they have all season. Orlando can score goals, but with Ojeda out, Griezmann will need to adapt quickly, and someone other than the team’s leading scorer will need to find the net.

The Lions will play without Ojeda (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), Nolan Miller (knee), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archage (international duty). In addition, Marco Pasalic may or may not have returned to the team after the World Cup. He was not in training Monday, although interim head coach Martin Perelman said he expected the Croatian back soon. The Earthquakes will be without Nonso Adimabua (lower body), former Lion Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), and Tsakiris (you guessed it, lower body…come on, San Jose).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer

San Jose Earthquakes (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Angus Gunn.

Defenders: Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benjamin Kikanovic.

Defensive Midfielders: Beau Lerouox, Ronaldo Vieira.

Attacking Midfielders: Timo Werner, Nick Fernandez, Ousseni Bouda.

Forwards: Preston Judd.

Bench: Jonathan Gonzalez, Dave Romney, Paul Marie, Jack Skahan, Jack Jasinski, Ian Harkes, Francesco Montali, Max Floriani, Darius Johnson.

Referees

REF: Elijio Arreguin.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Timothy Ford.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10:30 p.m.

Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.

TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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