
USA vs. Costa Rica Betting Odds, Best Bets: USMNT Favored In Gold Cup QF
Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT are favored over Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup on Sunday night.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
USA takes on Costa Rica tonight in the Gold Cup quarterfinals in one of the biggest games of Manager Mauricio Pochettino's stint at the helm of the USMNT.
Though the team is currently without a number of its best players, including stars Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, a loss to this Costa Rica squad would mark a massive disappointment just one year after a full-strength lineup failed to reach the knockout stage of the 2024 Copa America.
Following a pair of disastrous showings in pre-Gold Cup friendlies vs. Turkey and Switzerland -- which the American lost by a combined score of 6-1 -- they took down Trinidad and Tobago, Saudi Arabia and Haiti in group play to reach the quarters.
Costa Rica, which has traditionally been a tough opponent for the United States, is coming off a solid showing in group play. Los Ticos beat Suriname and the Dominican Republic and also earned a 0-0 draw against tournament favorite Mexico.
USA vs. Costa Rica Betting Odds
Below are the odds from three top sportsbooks in the two most popular markets for soccer matches: three-way moneyline and match winner.
Gold Cup Quarterfinal Moneyline Odds: USA vs. Costa Rica
The DraftKings, FanDuel and bet365 three-way moneyline odds below apply to today's result after 90 minutes, plus stoppage time.
DK FD bet365 USA -175 -175 -182 Costa Rica +550 +500 +550 Draw +295 +280 +290
Gold Cup Quarterfinal Winner Odds: USA vs. Costa Rica
Sportsbooks also offer each team's odds to advance tonight.
In this market, it doesn't matter whether the winner comes out on top in 90 minutes, extras or PKs.
DK FD bet365 USA -400 -385 -350 Costa Rica +295 +290 +250
How to Watch USA vs. Costa Rica Gold Cup Quarterfinals
Kickoff : 7 p.m. ET
: 7 p.m. ET TV: FOX/Universo
USA vs. Costa Rica Betting Analysis
The odds for tonight's game give Costa Rica very little respect, and they also downplay how uninspiring (or worse) the Americans have looked under Mauricio Pochettino in 2025.
And remember, the USMNT lost to Costa Rica in both qualifiers ahead of the 2018 World Cup, and it split its two 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica.
USA did, however, beat Costa Rica 3-0 in the most recent meeting between these teams in a friendly back in January.
One big reason why the USA is so heavily favored tonight is that Costa Rica will be without two key starters in defender Joseph Mora and forward Manfred Ugalde. Ugalde is Costa Rica's top player, and he scored two goals vs. Suriname in group play, then tallied a goal and an assist vs. the Dominican Rebublic.
Even shorthanded -- the only two starters from the 2022 World Cup who are starting for this squad are center back Tim Ream and midfielder Tyler Adams -- the USA has a talent advantage in this match, especially with Ugalde and Mora unavailable.
But we've seen little reason to expect USA (FIFA No. 16) to win comfortably, as the Gold Cup group stage wins over Trinidad and Tobago (FIFA No. 100), Saudi Arabia (FIFA No. 58) and Haiti (FIFA No. 83) were just a case of the Americans handling overmatched opponents.
Against a Costa Rica side (FIFA No. 54) that has not been great defensively, I expect a back-and-forth battle tonight, with the USA squeaking out a win.
It would be a gross understatement to say that going out in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup -- especially after entering this tournament on a four-game losing streak -- would ramp up doubts about USA's chances of making noise in the 2026 World Cup.
I expect this to be a struggle for the USMNT early on, which makes the halftime draw tempting. The other play I'd recommend tonight is USA to Win and Over 1.5.
USA vs. Costa Rica Best Bets
Halftime draw (+115 at DK) -- 1 unit
Parlay: USA To Win, Over 1.5 (+100 at DK) -- 1 unit
Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

NBC Sports
26 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Pick Six: Boise State primed to make another run at Group of Five's auto bid for CFP
Losing a Heisman Trophy finalist, the best defensive player on the team and other key personnel would tamp down expectations for a lot of programs even in this era of quick fixes through the transfer portal. Not Boise State, which brings back more than enough talent to be deemed the favorite to earn the Group of Five's guaranteed College Football Playoff bid a second straight year. Boise State has a second-year starter in quarterback Maddux Madsen, who threw for more than 3,000 yards with 23 touchdowns, and a deep offensive line returning 10 players who started a game. One of Madsen's favorite targets will be Matt Lauter, an All-Mountain West Conference pick whose 47 receptions set a school record for tight ends. The departure of Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman runner-up, creates opportunities for promising running backs Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines. There's a hole on the defensive line without Ahmed Hassanein, the MWC's top defensive draft pick as a sixth-rounder. Edge rusher Jayden Virgin-Morgan and linebacker Marco Notarainni, both All-MWC picks, are back. So are cornerbacks A'Marion McCoy and Jeremiah Earby. The Broncos' early schedule is intriguing: The opener at South Florida is followed by a mid-September trip to Air Force to start Mountain West play. There also is a road game against No. 6 Notre Dame. This is the second year the highest-ranked G5 conference champion will be assured a spot in the playoff. In addition to the Mountain West, the G5s are the American, Conference USA, Mid-American and Sun Belt. Tulane The Green Wave are looking for their fourth straight American Conference championship game appearance, and their 32 wins over the last three seasons are fourth-most nationally. Jon Sumrall brought in 34 transfers after getting dinged hard in the portal. Transfers Jake Retzlaff (BYU) and Brendan Sullivan (Iowa) are battling at QB, and the running back and receiver rooms are full of new faces. The offensive line is perhaps the best in the league, and the defense has quality players at all three levels. The schedule, with a home game against Duke and a trip to Mississippi, is second-toughest among G5 teams. Memphis The Tigers are extremely tough at home, and that's where they play key American games against South Florida, Tulane and Navy and a nonconference game against Arkansas. Nevada transfer Brendon Lewis takes over for four-year starter Seth Henigan at quarterback. As many as nine transfers could start on defense. Returning all-conference D-lineman William Whitlow Jr. is a menace. James Madison The Sun Belt Conference is a crapshoot, but James Madison gets the nod. Coach Bob Chesney was deciding between returning QB Alonza Barnett III, who is coming back from an ACL tear, and UNLV transfer Matt Sluka. Barnett set a school record with seven touchdowns in a 70-50 win over North Carolina and threw just four interceptions over 12 games. The Dukes also have the Sun Belt's top defense. JMU's biggest games are on the road — Louisville and Liberty in nonconference and Texas State, Marshall and Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt. Toledo Jason Candle, who has never had a losing record in nine-plus seasons as Rockets coach, could have his best team. He retained his best players, added key transfers and the schedule is one of his most manageable in years. The Rockets play four of last year's five bottom teams in the Mid-American Conference and avoid defending champion Ohio in the regular season. Key newcomers are RBs Chip Trayanum (Arizona State, Ohio State and Kentucky) and Trayvon Rudolph (Northern Illinois). They should help bring life to a lethargic rushing game and take pressure off returning QB Tucker Gleason. Liberty Coastal Carolina transfer Ethan Vasko takes over at quarterback following Kaidon Salter's departure for Colorado. Question marks remain at several spots, but the Flames' schedule is one of the easiest among Group of Five teams and they should be back in the Conference USA championship game after faltering late last season. The Flames, who joined the FBS seven years ago, have won at least eight games six straight seasons.


New York Times
26 minutes ago
- New York Times
Chat fantasy football all season long with Jake Ciely, Brandon Funston and more on Discord
This NFL season, The Athletic is launching its first fantasy football Discord server. Join today — free! — and get direct access to our fantasy analysts and contributors in the run-up to your draft and throughout the 2025 campaign. This server is part of an ongoing, evolving experiment to see how The Athletic's fantasy staff and contributors can engage with our users. If you have any questions about how to best use the server or suggestions to improve it, please submit them in the comments below or by joining the server and using the Suggestions channel. A few things to keep in mind when you join: The Athletic's fantasy staff is active in the server, but we also need time to research, create and publish the content that comprises our regular jobs. We will make periodic passes through the server to answer questions and share insights, but we will not be in there 24/7. If you have a question that has not been answered immediately, please just be patient or submit it during one of our regularly scheduled chats. Advertisement Throughout each week, we will hold hour-long Q&As with Jake Ciely, Brandon Funston and a host of very familiar contributors from the fantasy football community. On Sundays, Ciely and Jay Felicio will kick off a live gameday chat that will carry through the 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. games with the rest of The Athletic's fantasy team. Contributor KC Joyner will also live chat during Monday, Thursday and Sunday night games. Though it might change over the course of the season, the weekly schedule is as follows: Monday Jay Felicio (noon-1 p.m. ET) KC Joyner Live MNF Chat (8-11 p.m. ET) Tuesday Jess Bryant and Brandon Funston (4 p.m. ET) Wednesday Mike Hume (1-2 p.m. ET) Thursday Jake Ciely (10-11 a.m. ET) Brad Evans (1-2 p.m. ET) Dalton del Don (4-5 p.m. ET) KC Joyner Live TNF Chat (8-11 p.m. ET) Friday Andy Behrens (1-2 p.m. ET) Sunday Jake Ciely and Jay Felicio (11-1 p.m. ET) Jess Bryant, Brandon Funston and Mike Hume (1-7 p.m. ET) KC Joyner SNF Chat (7-11 p.m. ET) (You can find the schedule on the Events tab in the top left corner of the server. ) Related to the multiple well-known names above, we are not a hive mind. We all have different thoughts and opinions on fantasy topics, so if two people differ on advice offered, this is a feature, not a bug. Ultimately, your roster decisions are yours to make; we're just here to lend some perspective and insight. Most importantly, should you join our community, please be civil in all discussions. You can find our Rules and Regulations in the server, but they are also listed below for good measure. We reserve the right to ban violators from the server, but we're really hoping we don't have to do that. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Allar named to Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list
Even in the preseason, Penn State and its players have been receiving hype and accolades left and right. And no one player has received as much hype as senior QB Drew Allar. Going into his final year at Happy Valley, Allar is set for a career-defining season that could see his draft stock rise exponentially. Witn him being tabbed with many different quarterback watch list honors, the media certainly expect nothing less. The newest addition to Drew Allar's preseason resume may not be the most prestigious, but it is another feather in his cap. The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award has been around for almost 40 years, and in that time, has honored countless young college football athletes who are strong leaders, good of character, and are academically sound as well. Allar displays all these traits and more. Should he live up to the preseason buzz, he may just walk away with it. This is not the only award Allar could be up for this season. He has been nominated for awards that also have more to do with his on-field success as well. He has already been named to the Davey O'Brien, Manning, Maxwell and Walter Camp Player of the year award watch lists, a year after being named a Davey O'Brien semifinalist. While not named to any specific preseason All-American lists, he will be looking to get into a postseason squad after being named an All-Big Ten honorable mention in the two years he has started. Ultimately, any awards Allar wins will come down to his pedigree and overall play. He is already the most efficient Penn State quarterback, ranking first in completion percentage all time. However, his performance both on and off the field will have to be particularly stellar to contend for the Golden Arm. Allar can't just be extraordinary. He must be exemplary. With this team by his side, he certainly will have the chance to be.