Lopez and U20's Win Their Group

Mikey Lopez got his first start of the U20 qualifying tournament tonight as the US took on Costa Rica.  Both teams had clinched a spot in the quarterfinals after both defeated the other team in their group, Haiti. 

The first half was not the best half of soccer you'll see, neither side looked good going forward, but Mikey Lopez had a solid half although he did pick up a yellow card.  In the second half the US finally got the lead off a Luis Gil corner, Jose Villarreal rose above the Costa Rican defenders to head the ball home and give the US the 1-0 lead.  Costa Rica picked up the game a little bit after that forcing a good save from Cody Cropper. The US was able to hold on and win 1-0.  Again a lackluster game for the US where they didn't impress but their first objective was done to advance out of the group.  Now they'll need to take care of business on Tuesday against Canada who finished second in group B with a 5-1 win over Nicaragua. Lopez actually looked quite good for the US helping to control the midfield.  With Costa Rica not providing a lot going forward, Lopez was able to help the US offensively.