The U.S. defeated Costa Rica 3-0 on Wednesday, making it two wins from two for a team packed with players from MLS, which plays the tournament every January.
Vancouver Whitecaps striker Brian White took a sharp through ball from Diego Luna into the box and beat Esteban Alvarado to give the Americans the lead.
White, who turns 29 on February 3, became the oldest American player to score his first international goal since 29-year-old Matt Besler in 2016.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side were fresh from defeating Venezuela in another friendly on Saturday, but needed a big save from Zach Steffen late in the first half to hold a 1-0 lead at half-time. It was.
Steffen was once again a force for the USA in the second half, but great goals from Cayden Clark and Patrick Agyemang late in the game pulled the game away.
It was Agyeman’s second goal of the game, the first he scored in his debut with the United States in a 3-0 win over Venezuela.
With this result, former Mexico coach Miguel Herrera suffered a defeat in his first match since taking over as Costa Rica.
Pochettino led the U.S. team, which gave its all in preparation for the Concaf Nations League finals in March, making them the only team to win the tournament since its inception in 2019. Aim to continue.
The United States will open the Nations League on March 20th against Panama at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Players based in Europe will be able to take part in the Nations League, one of only six training camps left in the top pool before players arrive for the 2026 World Cup.
Steffen has made eight changes to his starting line-up since Saturday’s win, with defender Myles Robinson making his first international start at right-back among the three remaining players.
Central defenders Tim Ream and Walker Zimmerman were added to the lineup, along with left back DeJuan Jones, midfielder Luna, winger Indiana Vasilev and White. Rihm and Zimmerman are the first starting pair of non-goalies over the age of 30 since Rihm and Michael Bradley in 2019.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this summary.