U.S. vs. Costa Rica Preview

Wednesday night (June 3rd) the United States will take on Costa Rica in a crucial World Cup Qualifier down in San Jose. The match can be seen live on ESPN (HD) and Galavision at 10:00 PM Eastern. Though, all World Cup Qualifiers are crucial in my mind.
The United States has never won a qualifier in Costa Rica (0-6-1) and if the United States wants to really make a statement and live up to their "Best Team in CONCACAF" title, they should go out and win this one. Though, Saprissa Stadium in Costa Rica is extremely difficult environment to play in - the crowd is on top of you and they are loud, the field is turf - slick and fast and the heat and humidity are the icing on the cake. So stealing a point, sometimes, is seen as a victory. One positive for the U.S. is this match is being played after the sun sets, so it will be hot and humid, but not as hot as it could be if the match were to be played during the daytime.
The winner, if there is one, will take sole possession of first place in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying. The U.S. currently sits in first (2-0-1=7 points) and Costa Rica is second (2-1-0=6 points). A draw will keep the status quo.
For Costa Rica, this match (along with Mexico at home) is THE match. The crowd will be intense and the entire country is not only demanding victory, but expecting one. With that, sure there's pressure on the U.S, but there is more pressure on Costa Rica to win and if the U.S. can score an early goal, panic could set in for Costa Rica.
With another qualifier coming up at home against Honduras (who does not play on Wednesday), the challenge for U.S. Coach Bob Bradley is who to play who to rest for the next match. There will be some changes in the line-ups, but I expect 7 or 8 starters from Wednesday to also start on Saturday. With that, here's my guess at the line-up.
In Goal - Tim Howard. Howard is the #1 Keeper for Team USA and will be between the pipes for the next few years.
On Defense: Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu will start. Gooch and Carlos are the men in the middle and the anchors of the U.S. defense. The challenge will be who to play on the outside. It all depends on how camp went. My guess is DeMarcus Beasley will start at left back. His speed will be needed on the quick surface. On the right side, three guys come to mind. Jonathan Bornstein, Jonathan Spector and Danny Califf have been mentioned in what I've been able to read. Bornstein and Spector do not have a lot of caps, though, and I'm not sure if Bradley wants to throw them to the Lions, so to speak. Another longshot to start is Marvell Wynne. I can only imagine whats running through Bradley's mind. Clearly, the outside backs on defense are where the U.S. is thin and there are countless players to put in there. The reason for this dilema is Frankie Hejduk and Steve Cherundolo are injured, so it's up to one of the backups to step up and claim his spot.
I'll lump midielders and forwards together since a couple of guys are interchangeable. Pablo Mastroeni should start at holding mid with Michael Bradley getting the nod in the attacking mid slot. On the outside of midfield, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan could get the start, though both could be the forwards. One of the forwards, though, should be Brian Ching. He will be the target man up front, expecting to win the ball and set up Donovan, Dempsey and the other striker. Ching will do the rough and tough things that don't get noticed or acknowledged on the scoresheet. The other forward could be Jozy Altidore or Charlie Davies.
Others who could see action, or may even start: Freddy Adu, Sacha Kljestan, Heath Pearce and Jose Fancisco Torres. Torres could even start, but he just finished playing in the Mexican League championship with Pachuca and may not be rested enough to go a full 90. He could sub in for the last 20 or so minutes and I expect to see more and more of him this summer.
Overall, the U.S. is capable of going to Costa Rica and winning, but history is not on our side. A point would be wonderful, but, my gut is telling me this is not the year. The U.S. puts forth a valient effort, but falls short, 2-1.
I hope I'm wrong.