© 2016, The Washington Post.
CHICAGO
By halftime, the “Fire Klinsmann” banner hanging in Soldier Field’s lower deck was long gone, either confiscated by authorities or pulled by the artists with a change of heart amid the U.S. national soccer team’s romp over Costa Rica.
Also vanquished Tuesday were questions about the Americans’ capacity to recover from an opening defeat in Copa America Centenario and the threat of becoming the first team eliminated from the 16-nation tournament.
Facing an almost must-win situation, the United States forged a three-goal lead before halftime and stomped on the Ticos, 4-0, before 39,642 at the lakeside venue.
In the span of 33 minutes, Clint Dempsey scored once and assisted on goals by Jermaine Jones and Bobby Wood as the Americans (three points) rebounded from a 2-0 loss to Group A favorite Colombia on Friday and invigorated their hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals.
They’ll close the first round Saturday in Philadelphia against Paraguay (one point), which played Colombia (three) late Tuesday at the Rose Bowl.
Substitute Graham Zusi, a former Maryland Terrapin, scored in the 87th minute.
Costa Rica, a 2014 World Cup quarterfinalist playing without injured star goalkeeper Keylor Navas, remained stuck on one point and must defeat Colombia this weekend for any chance of advancing.
Two teams in the group will pass to the quarterfinals in a 100-year-old competition being held outside South America for the first time.
The result alleviated mounting pressure on U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who has come under fire from all directions as his team has faltered in meaningful matches since 2014 (World Cup qualifiers, Gold Cup, CONCACAF Cup and the Copa opener).
Hours before kickoff, in his strongest language yet since hiring Klinsmann almost five years ago, U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati said “results of the last 18 months overall haven’t been what we would have hoped for, especially in the official competitions.”
Adding to speculation about Klinsmann’s future, Gulati also said: “No one has ironclad job security.”
Klinsmann stayed with the same starting lineup as in the opener, an anticlimactic decision that surely quelled fans’ complaints about inconsistency but fueled criticism that adjustments were necessary after the Colombia setback.
The Americans were shaky in the back in the early moments. DeAndre Yedlin’s poor clearance from the corner fell to Joel Campbell at the top of the box for a shot that streaked dangerously close.
Moments later, after a series of encouraging sequences, the Americans went ahead.
Yedlin served from the right side. Wood backed into position for a header. Behind him stood Christian Gamboa. Wood felt contact and went down, selling it to Ecuadorean referee Roddy Zambrano, who pointed to the penalty spot. The Ticos swarmed in fury.
Under normal circumstances, Costa Rica would have liked its chances with Navas facing a penalty kick. But the Real Madrid goalkeeper had withdrawn from the tournament last week, leaving the lead role to domestic-based Patrick Pemberton.
Dempsey pocketed a low shot into the corner for his 50th career goal, seven behind U.S. leader Landon Donovan. Dempsey had also scored his first international goal at Soldier Field, in 2005 against England.
The Americans trailed after eight minutes against Colombia. They were ahead through nine against Costa Rica.
The Ticos lost forward Michael Urena to injury after 18 minutes, prompting Coach Oscar Ramirez to summon D.C. United’s Alvaro Saborio.
The Americans built in the attack but weren’t in sync around the box. Wood and Gyasi Zardes struggled with their touch and communication, ending several hopeful prospects.
Zardes faltered with his finishing in the 33rd minute, collecting Dempsey’s pass and missing high when he could have picked out either corner.
Dempsey continued to manufacture opportunities from a central role. In the 36th, he set up Jones for a curling effort that missed by a whisker.
A minute later, Jones’s slide tackle provided Dempsey with possession near midfield. With an assertive run at the heart of the resistance, Dempsey drew two defenders and pushed the ball wide to Jones for a 19-yard one-timer to the far lower corner - his first goal since a screamer against Portugal at the 2014 World Cup.
The Americans weren’t content. With his back to the target, Wood gathered Dempsey’s pass, turned and lashed a 19-yard shot to the near corner in the 42nd minute.
Costa Rica made its final two substitutions at halftime, all but conceding the outcome and turning attention to an uphill battle against Colombia.
Zusi added to the blowout with a takeaway deep in Costa Rica’s end and a confident strike to the corner.
