America men’s national soccer team made quick work of Costa Rica on Wednesday in an international friendly, taking home a 4-0 win over Los Ticos in Utah. The Americans, fresh off winning the Concacaf Nations League last over Mexico, went with a heavily changed lineup with Tyler Adams as captain, and the performance was once arguably more impressive than final time out.
Brenden Aaronson stole the show in the first half by scoring eight minutes in and providing some flair, while Daryl Dike got his first goal with the senior team just before half time to pretty much shut the door against the Central Americans, who showed next to nothing.
Aaronson, who wasn’t used in the last against El Tri, was once carving up the Costa Rica defense for much of the match and almost pulled off a stunning assist here:
From the first whistle, the U.S. dominated the chances, controlled the ball, passed with improbable accuracy and built even more momentum ahead of next month’s Gold Cup, where they are going to be the favorites thanks to their recent hardware.
Here’s the fine goal from Dike, which came with just one touch.
Correct back Reggie Cannon scored his first goal for the national team in the second one half to cement the lopsided scoreline and move the team’s winning streak to three games. Gio Reyna came off the bench and converted a penalty kick for the United States’s fourth.
The U.S. is set to go back to action in the Gold Cup on July 11 against an opponent yet to be decided.