In total, seven players earned their first U.S. national team cap on the day including four in the starting lineup. The veteran presence consisted of captain Aaron Long, Walker Zimmerman, Paul Arriola, and Sebastian Lletget.
team played well from the start and newcomers Jesus Ferreira and Ulysses Llanez provided a spark to the offense. The team, however, failed to convert many of its opportunities. Paul Arriola was denied by Costa Rican keeper Esteban Alvarado in the first half and Brendan Aaronson missed a shot just wide.
the U.S. team finally broke through. On the play, Paul Arriola played Reggie Cannon into a dangerous position in the box and Cannon was brought down with an obvious foul. On the ensuing penalty, Llanez elected to take it and sent it to the low left corner while Alvarado guessed the wrong direction.