United States Tops Costa Rica in Gold Cup EAST HARTFORD, Conn. - Near the end of a stuffy, sultry, sluggish night of soccer, two flashes of brilliance gave the United States national team a victory in its final Gold Cup group-stage game. For most of the night, the United States and Costa Rica turned in forgettable performances, as both teams were assured a place in the knockout round, with only seeding in doubt. With about 10 minutes left though, goalkeeper Sean Johnson made a dazzling save on a Costa Rica header at one end and, seconds later, Landon Donovan curled a perfectly placed cross-field pass to Brek Shea, who slotted the ball into the net to give the United States a 1-0 win. The goal was Shea's first in an international match. Donovan, one of the few stars playing in this tournament as he tries to work his way back in with Coach Jurgen Klinsmann after his sabbatical last year, recorded his 52nd assist (to go with 53 goals) in 147 national appearances. The win, the eighth straight for the Americans, pushed them to the top of their group and sends them into a quarterfinal game against El Salvador on Sunday in Baltimore.