MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- United States men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino hailed Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas as "one of the best in the world" ahead of Sunday's Gold Cup quarterfinal between the U.S. and the Ticos.
Pochettino managed Navas when the two were at Paris Saint-Germain during the 2021-22 season, a campaign that saw PSG claim a domestic double. That season also coincided with the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma, though Navas still managed 26 league and cup appearances.
Navas now plays for Argentine side Newell's Old Boys, the same club where Pochettino began his playing career. Now Pochettino will be attempting to stop Navas from leading Costa Rica into the semifinals.
"My memory with Keylor, amazing because I think [back] when we met there at Paris Saint- Germain, and I think always we admire him, his mentality and his quality," Pochettino said during his pre-match news conference. "It's going to be a fantastic moment to share tomorrow with him. He's a great player, he's a great keeper, one of the best on the world. And yes, obviously it is a joy to see him and hope that we have better luck than him and Costa Rica"
Pochettino added that he is expecting a difficult match against Costa Rica, who have long proved a difficult foe for the USMNT. The U.S. holds an all-time record of 20-17-6 against the Ticos . That doesn't figure to change against a Costa Rica side now managed by former Mexico manager Miguel Herrera.
"Watching video of them that we have is we expect them to be aggressive," said Pochettino. "We expect them to fight, to battle for everything, and that's the way most of these games go. So the group games were a nice taste of what is to come, but this game is ramped up exponentially. So we expect it to be a very tough physical opponent that as long as we match and exceed their aggressivity, we will be all right."
That battle figures to be especially intense in midfield where Pochettino has a selection dilemma on his hands. Johnny Cardoso didn't train with the team on Saturday due to an ankle injury, with Pochettino saying that he will "see if he can be on the bench or not."
That likely leaves Pochettino to pick from Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter and Luca de la Torre. He didn't rule out using all three.
"I think we have midfielders that can play together," Pochettino said. "Then maybe we can use the three or two, the different combination players ... This is one of the possibilities."
But Pochettino voiced has confidence in his young side, one shorn of many first choice players due to injury, club commitments and fatigue.
"Yes, we are ready," he said. "We will prepare really well. And now tomorrow is our show."
Costa Rica will be missing their top scorer in the tournament, striker Manfred Ugalde, and starting wingback Joseph Mora due to yellow card accumulation while Jeyland Mitchell, Ariel Lassiter and Warren Madrigal are out with injuries.