It should go without mentioning that every World Cup qualifier is an important match until qualification is secured. But Friday night’s match against Costa Rica at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., has added importance on so many levels.
“We have to flip one of the results that happened in November,” said goalkeeper Tim Howard, referring to a 4-0 away loss that left the United States with zero points after two matches followed by four months of inactivity withe the exception of friendlies against Serbia and Jamaica.