HARRISON, N.J. — The stadium had been rented, the TV time had been reserved, and the tickets — some of them, at least — had been sold, so the United States went ahead and played its friendly against Costa Rica on Tuesday night. But one got the feeling that skipping it would have been just fine for everyone involved.
Three days after an emotional loss to Mexico drained the team’s energy and brought down a hail of criticism on Coach Jurgen Klinsmann and his players, the Americans pushed their way through an uninspired exhibition at a less-than-half-full Red Bull Arena.