The U.S. national team figured to face a more difficult challenge from the Ticos than from Panama last week, and the Americans stepped up on Saturday
Gregg Berhalter's first two matches as U.S. national team coach went about as well as he could have hoped, with Saturday's 2-0 victory over Costa Rica showing the USMNT's ability to face a tougher challenge and pass it.
Last week's 3-0 win against Panama was the ideal cushy opener to start the Berhalter era, but Sunday's visit from Costa Rica figured to provide the upgrade in difficulty necessary to better assess how Berhalter's players were adapting to their new coach's system.