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Jeff Carlisle
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — United States males’s nationwide crew coach Mauricio Pochettino hailed Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas as “the most effective on the planet” forward of Sunday’s Gold Cup quarterfinal between the U.S. and the Ticos.
Pochettino managed Navas when the 2 have been at Paris Saint-Germain through the 2021-22 season, a marketing campaign that noticed PSG declare a home double. That season additionally coincided with the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma, although Navas nonetheless managed 26 league and cup appearances.
Navas now performs for Argentine facet Newell’s Outdated Boys, the identical membership the place Pochettino started his enjoying profession. Now Pochettino might be making an attempt to cease Navas from main Costa Rica into the semifinals.
“My reminiscence with Keylor, superb as a result of I feel [back] after we met there at Paris Saint- Germain, and I feel all the time we admire him, his mentality and his high quality,” Pochettino stated throughout his pre-match information convention. “It is going to be a incredible second to share tomorrow with him. He is an incredible participant, he is an incredible keeper, the most effective on the world. And sure, clearly it’s a pleasure to see him and hope that we’ve higher luck than him and Costa Rica”
Pochettino added that he’s anticipating a tough match in opposition to Costa Rica, who’ve lengthy proved a tough foe for the USMNT. The U.S. holds an all-time report of 20-17-6 in opposition to the Ticos . That does not determine to alter in opposition to a Costa Rica facet now managed by former Mexico supervisor Miguel Herrera.
“Watching video of them that we’ve is we anticipate them to be aggressive,” stated Pochettino. “We anticipate them to combat, to battle for every part, and that is the best way most of those video games go. So the group video games have been a pleasant style of what’s to come back, however this recreation is ramped up exponentially. So we anticipate it to be a really powerful bodily opponent that so long as we match and exceed their aggressivity, we might be all proper.”
That battle figures to be particularly intense in midfield the place Pochettino has a range dilemma on his fingers. Johnny Cardoso did not practice with the crew on Saturday resulting from an ankle damage, with Pochettino saying that he’ll “see if he could be on the bench or not.”
That doubtless leaves Pochettino to select from Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter and Luca de la Torre. He did not rule out utilizing all three.
“I feel we’ve midfielders that may play collectively,” Pochettino stated. “Then perhaps we are able to use the three or two, the totally different mixture gamers … This is without doubt one of the potentialities.”
However Pochettino voiced has confidence in his younger facet, one shorn of many first selection gamers resulting from damage, membership commitments and fatigue.
“Sure, we’re prepared,” he stated. “We’ll put together rather well. And now tomorrow is our present.”
Costa Rica might be lacking their prime scorer within the event, striker Manfred Ugalde, and beginning wingback Joseph Mora resulting from yellow card accumulation whereas Jeyland Mitchell, Ariel Lassiter and Warren Madrigal are out with accidents.