The U.S. men’s national soccer team made it two wins from two January friendlies, defeating Costa Rica, 3-0, on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side got excellent goals from Brian White, Caden Clark, and Patrick Agyemang, while Zack Steffen made a pair of standout saves to preserve a clean sheet.
With Pochettino making eight changes for Wednesday’s game, all 17 outfield players in camp started at least one game. Two of the three goalkeepers also got a start, leaving Matt Freese as the only player in camp not to start a game.
The coach will come away with plenty to consider from the two-week January camp, which also included a 3-1 win over Venezuela on Saturday.
As Pochettino looks ahead to the Concacaf Nations League semifinal (and possibly final) in March, here are three takeaways from the win over Costa Rica.
Diego Luna takes one for the team
It’s rare to have a January friendly produce a moment that might well go down in USMNT lore, but Diego Luna’s bloody first-half sequence might just pull off the feat.
Luna caught a stray elbow from a Costa Rica player, sending him off the pitch with a bloody, and quite possibly, broken nose.
In a moment that wasn’t for the faint of heart, the broadcast showed team doctors forcefully adjust Luna’s way-too-pliant nose into place.
With a new jersey, his nose sufficiently adjusted and gauze in each nostril, Luna returned to the pitch looking like a boxer in the eighth round. And just moments later, Luna did what he did best: create a goal.
The RSL playmaker cleverly found a pocket of space before playing a pass for White that was equally perfect in weight and timing. The forward did the rest, taking a positive first touch before finishing low to the corner with his second.
Luna went off at halftime, but still finished with a game-high six key passes.
On the postgame broadcast Pochettino approved of his midfielder’s resilience.
“I said, big balls!’ the coach said.
Zack Steffen makes a statement
The USMNT goalkeeper depth chart looks extremely fluid right now. The team’s starter and backup over the past two years and change, Matt Turner and Ethan Horvath, are both riding the bench for their club teams. Other candidates for the role haven’t made enough of a case to supplant them, however, and that includes Zack Steffen.
The former USMNT starter was away from the team for 18 months before returning in October, and Wednesday’s start against Costa Rica marked his first international minutes in nearly three years.
Finally handed another USMNT opportunity, Steffen made his moment count.
The Colorado Rapids goalkeeper was one of the USMNT’s standout performers in Orlando, making three saves — two of which were highlight-reel quality.
Steffen was tidy with his feet as well, completing 24 of 27 passes.
It’s important to add a caveat here: Steffen wasn’t great last season in MLS. In fact, per American Soccer Analysis’ Goals Added metric, he was actually the worst goalkeeper in the league.
But he was at least playing, which is more than some of his competitors can say right now. The 29-year-old will have to improve with the Rapids, but he did his USMNT chances no harm on Wednesday.
Patrick Agyemang keeps momentum going
Agyemang may not have been on the radar of some USMNT fans before this camp, but the 6-foot-4 Charlotte FC striker took his January camp chance — and then some.
Just four years ago, Agyemang was playing Division III soccer at Eastern Connecticut State University. Now, the striker is the 12th player to score in both of his first two USMNT caps, and the first since Ricardo Pepi in 2021.
Unlike the game against Venezuela, Agyemang came off the bench against Costa Rica. The 24-year-old came on with just 15 minutes to go in Orlando, but still made his chance count with a powerful finish to wrap the game up in the 90th minute.
DeJuan Jones found the striker with an excellent through ball, and Agyemang did the rest.
There were several players who boosted their stock this month, but perhaps nobody did so quite as emphatically as Agyemang.