World Cup Qualifying: USMNT to host Ticos in Columbus
A new World Cup qualifier for Columbus
They may have lost out on the United States national team’s high-profile match in November, but Columbus is getting another shot at hosting a World Cup qualifier.
On Thursday, the United States Soccer Federation made official that Columbus’ new Lower.com Field will host Costa Rica on Oct. 13. It will the first qualifier in the stadium’s history.
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Lower.com Field opened this year, replacing Mapfre Stadium, a storied facility and the first soccer-specific stadium every built in MLS.
This will be the eleventh World Cup qualifier ever hosted by Columbus. The national team boasts a 7-1-2 record in central Ohio for qualifiers. The lone qualifying loss came in 2017, a 2-1 loss to Mexico.
The loss ended a streak of four straight home qualifying wins for the United States national team against El Tri, all by the same 2-0 score line. Those four wins as well as a 2-0 win over Mexico in the World Cup in 2002 led to the birth of the Dos a Cero legend surrounding these matches.
United States national team head coach Gregg Berhalter, who coached Columbus Crew SC prior to taking over the national team, praised Columbus as a venue for World Cup qualifiers.
“One thing you can count on in Columbus is unwavering support for the U.S. team, and that’s going to be critical in helping us get a win against Costa Rica,” Berhalter said in a statement released by the USSF.
“Having coached there for five years and then attending opening day of the new stadium, I know first-hand just how incredible the bond is between the team and the fans. We can’t wait to play there.”
The national team will start World Cup qualifiers in October with a home match on Oct. 7 against Jamaica, to be held in Austin, TX. Then three days later, there is a match in Panama City followed by the now announced fixture in Columbus.
On Wednesday, the USSF announced that the home match against Mexico will be played in Cincinnati, OH.
The United States national team returns to action Thursday night against Qatar in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.