U.S. coach Bruce Arena will start the Fulham man alongside Geoff Cameron at center back, with Jorge Villafana on the left and Graham Zusi filling in for the injured DeAndre Yedlin at right back. Tim Howard gets the nod over Brad Guzan in goal for the key World Cup qualifier.
Christian Pulisic and Fabian Johnson will man the flanks for the U.S., with Michael Bradley and Darlington Nagbe partnering in central midfield. And Arena has chosen Bobby Wood and Jozy Altidore up top, leaving Clint Dempsey in the substitute’s role he filled during the late stages of this summer’s Gold Cup.
USA XI: Howard; Zusi, Cameron, Ream, Villafana; Pulisic, Bradley, Nagbe, Johnson; Altidore, Wood
Substitutes: Guzan, Rimando, Gonzalez, Besler, Beasley, Lichaj, McCarty, Acosta, Arriola, Bedoya, Dempsey, Morris
Costa Rica XI: Navas; Gamboa, Waston, Acosta, Calvo, Oviedo; Ruiz, Borges, Guzman, Bolanos; Urena
Substitutes: Pemberton, Moreira, Gutierrez, Umana, Salvatierra, Venegas, Wallace, Azofeifa, Tejeda, Ortiz, Ramirez, Colindres
