HARRISON, N.J. — Over the past 14 months, the U.S. national team and Costa Rica have met four times: Two World Cup qualifiers, a Copa America Centenario group stage clash and a CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal.
Backup goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton started two of those matches for the Ticos. The goal differential? A whopping 6-0 in favor of the U.S.
Real Madrid star Keylor Navas got the nod for the other two — a pair of Costa Rica wins by, you guessed it, a combined 6-0 margin.
That's not a coincidence.
As Costa Rica earned a 2-0 triumph Friday, marking its first World Cup qualifying win on American soil since 1985, Navas made it clear: He's the most influential X-factor CONCACAF has to offer.