Copa America 2016: Costa Rica Projected Lineup vs. USA

Costa Rica got off to a disappointing start to their Copa America Centenario journey. Playing the lowest ranked team in Group A, they only managed a 0-0 draw and lost one of the starting center backs because of a red card. The Ticos now face a very tough road to the quarterfinals as they'll likely need to win against either the USA or Colombia to advance.

Obviously the easier of those two match-ups is facing the Americans who are coming off a loss in their opening match. Heading into the match in Chicago the focus surrounding Costa Rica will be about the loss of Kendall Waston. He is their tallest center back by far, standing 6'5". Their next tallest defender, Michael Umana, is only 6'0" and 33 years old. Without Waston the 5-4-1 formation that the Ticos ran out against Paraguay could be tweaked. It would seem like they have two options. Replace Waston with a like for like center back or switch to a four at the back formation.

With the U.S. struggling of late, there's no reason for Oscar Ramirez to be afraid of them. Look for them to switch to a 4-4-2 and bring in another striker up top alongside Marco Urena. Our guess at who that might be is Alvaro Sabario. His familiarity with the American players could come in handy. Here's what Costa Rica's lineup could look like on Tuesday: