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U.S. soccer team suffers brutal 2-0 World Cup qualifying loss to Costa Rica

It's the first time since the 1950s that the Americans have lost multiple home games in the final round of qualifying.

United States goalkeeper Tim Howard, right, looks on as Costa Rica players celebrate Marco Ureña’s goal during the first half.
United States goalkeeper Tim Howard, right, looks on as Costa Rica players celebrate Marco Ureña’s goal during the first half.Read moreJulio Cortez/AP

HARRISON, N.J. — For the first time since returning to the helm of the U.S. national team, Bruce Arena lost a game.

And it was almost surely the game that he could least afford to lose.

Costa Rica upended the Americans, 2-0, at Red Bull Arena, dealing the U.S. its second home loss in the final round of qualifying and its third overall. Marco Ureña of MLS' San Jose Earthquakes scored both goals.

"Give Costa Rica credit — I thought they out-played us and out-coached us tonight," U.S. coach Bruce Arena said. "We had to try to break down seven, eight players for long periods of the game, and they did a good job."

It's the first time since 1957 that the Americans have lost multiple home games in the final round of qualifying.

Don't call Costa Rica's win an upset, because the Ticos have been a power in CONCACAF for some time. They beat the Americans on their turf last November, and hold second place in the World Cup qualifying standings on merit. But do call it a very bad result.

The Ticos (4-1-2) are now six points ahead of the U.S. (2-3-2) in second place in the standings with three games to go.

Honduras moved into a tie for third place with the U.S. by winning 2-1 at Trinidad & Tobago. The U.S. visits Honduras in always-hostile San Pedro Sula on Tuesday (5:30 p.m., beIN Sports and NBC Universo).

Third place is crucial, because that team gets the region's last automatic World Cup berth. The fourth-place team faces a home-and-away playoff with an Asian team in November.

Panama could have joined the U.S. and Honduras in third with a tie at Mexico Friday night, or taken third for itself with a win. Fortunately for the U.S., Panama lost 1-0 at Mexico.

The result clinched a World Cup berth for Mexico, which tops the standings with 17, points, ahead of a game at Costa Rica on Tuesday (9:30 p.m., beIN Sports, Telemundo and NBC Universo). Panama will host Trinidad & Tobago on the same night (10 p.m., beIN Sports Connect and TelemundoDeportes.com)

Qualifying concludes with two games in October. The U.S. hosts Panama on Oct. 5 in Orlando, then plays at Trinidad & Tobago on Oct. 10.

Asked if he thinks his team is in danger of missing the World Cup, Arena said bluntly: "Qualifying has been in jeopardy since last year. … You hate to look at one game and not look at the whole. Tonight was not our night, we didn't play well, and we still have three games left in the competition."

That was a reference to the Americans' losses to Mexico and Costa Rica that started the round, cost Jurgen Klinsmann his job, and resulted in Arena's return to the helm.

The U.S. could have had the game's first goal in the 24th minute, when Jozy Altidore was hauled down in the 18-yard box by Kendall Waston. But referee John Pitti decided there was no foul, leaving U.S. coach Bruce Arena irate — not to mention the pro-American sellout crowd of 26,500.

Pitti's non-call came back to bite the U.S. in a big way six minutes later, when Ureña decisively beat centerback Tim Ream off the dribble and slid a shot around goalkeeper Tim Howard.

"It shouldn't happen," Arena said of the defensive lapse. "That's the most honest assessment I can give you."

Ureña's celebration was amplified by the large contingent of Costa Rican fans at the end of the stadium where he scored. The crowd was around 70 percent American fans, but in that moment, the other 30 percent drowned them out.

The lead allowed Costa Rica to spend the rest of the night packed into a defensive shell.

Arena waited until the 65th minute to make his first substitution, bringing in Clint Dempsey for defender Jorge Villafaña. The move also brought a tactical shift: the U.S. switched from a 4-4-2 formation to a 4-3-3, with Dempsey and Bobby Wood flanking Altidore.

Hershey native Christian Pulisic came close to an equalizer in the 67th. But he was denied from close range by the fingertips of Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who plays his club soccer for global superpower Real Madrid.

Navas also made a big stop on Altidore in the 81st, just seconds after Altidore picked up a yellow card in the 80th minute for bumping into Johan Venegas.

Altidore protested his innocence after the game, calling the contact "really soft" and claiming that Venegas had kicked at him first.

"I just went up to him, I didn't touch his face, I didn't put my hands up," Altidore said. "This is CONCACAF at the end of the day — stupid things like that happen, and it's pretty disgraceful, because I didn't put my hands up at him, I didn't do anything, but he goes down grabbing something."

But even if Venegas hit the ground easily, it was hard to blame the ref after watching replays. The booking earned the Americans' top striker a one-game suspension for accumulated cards, which means he'll miss the game at Honduras.

"It's really disappointing, but I think in our team, I don't think much will be missed," Altidore said. "We have a lot of very good attackers."

The final twist of the knife came in the 82nd minute, when Ureña sealed the victory with a run through a gaping hole between Ream and fellow center back Geoff Cameron.

At the end of the night, Arena was asked whether he believes his team has the fortitude to overcome this defeat and get qualifying back on track. His answer seemed a bit ominous: "We're going to find that out, aren't we."

Through seven games out of 10 in the final round

1. Mexico, 17 points (5-0-2, +8 goal difference; clinched World Cup berth)
2. Costa Rica, 14 points (4-1-2, +7)
3. United States, 8 points (2-3-2, +1)
4. Honduras, 8 points (2-3-2, -7)
5. Panama, 7 points (1-2-4, -1)
6. Trinidad & Tobago, 3 points (1-6-0, -8)