It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t efficient, but the U.S.’s performance Thursday in the opening game of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament was effective, ending in a 1-0 victory over Costa Rica in Guadalajara.
In the second game, Mexico rode three second-half goals from Sebastián Córdova to a 4-1 win over the Dominican Republic.
The only score the U.S. needed came from Jesús Ferreira in the 35th minute. Though the Americans put just one other shot on target, they were bailed out by Oxnard’s David Ochoa, who made nine saves
in a game they couldn’t afford to lose.