HOUSTON, TX – JUNE 11: Johan Venegas #11 of Costa Rica brings the ball up the field as Stefan Medina #15 of Colombia pursues at NRG Stadium on June 11, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Watch: Costa Rica strike right before halftime on the US

Once again it was an ugly first half for the USMNT. When you go into Costa Rica you know the conditions aren’t going to be great, and though this isn’t the old Saprissa Stadium, the field conditions left a lot to be desired.

Players were slipping left and right in the first half for the United States but that was far from their only problem. The defense looked lazy and were under constant pressure thanks to Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones failing to establish presence in the middle of the park.

It did look as though the US would escape the first half level with Costa Rica, all they had to do was give a little bit of effort and play out the final minutes. That seemed to be too much to ask as several US defenders got lazy (including Timmy Chandler not even being back on defense) and Costa Rica finally took advantage.

 

About Pauly Kwestel

Pauly is a Producer for WFAN in New York and the CBS Sports Radio Network. He has been writing about the beautiful game since 2010 and can be followed on twitter @pkwestelWFAN

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