CHICAGO – A 4-0 loss to a CONCACAF rival in a tournament as prestigious as Copa America Centenario will certainly lead to some second-guessing among Costa Rica supporters. After reaching the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup, more was expected of a side looking to establish a bigger presence in the region, alongside Mexico and the United States.
A drab 0-0 draw in their first match against Paraguay followed by Tuesday's loss to the US hasn't deterred coach Oscar Ramirez from belief in the system he has implemented, however.
"Our pride in continuing with our style was still present," Ramirez said after the game. "We have a style that relies on a combination game, and in some situations today, the United States was very effective in complicating that. The goals hurt and we had some chances but couldn't capitalize. In the end, they scored four goals and the result is what it is.
"For Costa Rica, I'm sorry for the score but not for the football. I'll stay with this style of football. But today it was one of those games that happens in a process."
Ramirez emphasized the need to move on and recover from the defeat despite the looming possibility of an early exit from the tournament.
"Every player is bothered by the result and angry about it. We all feel it," he said. "It was an important game and we didn't want a game like this, but we need to use this and move. I know they'll be thinking about this all night."
Changes aren't expected in the third game of the group stage. Despite matching up with a Colombia side that became the first team to qualify for the quarterfinals with a win against Paraguay on Tuesday night, Ramirez said he won't be tempted to experiment.
"It's a process. I've only had 10 months directing the national team," he said. "At this point, I'll keep this group going, but it's a lesson. It happens. We'll keep going. We'll take a look at what happened and what we need to correct."
"I know the 4-0 score line will lead to some questions, but I think we did a lot of things well," Ramirez added. "I'm a football man. I know these things happen. I'm not going to go crazy about it. I can't worry about the score today. I think the players will keep going. We had a bad result in a tournament."
A defeat by four goals was unexpected, especially for a side looking to hold claim to a place among CONCACAF's top teams.
"There's no explanation for it. We came in with a clear plan and then we had a penalty and the second goal changed the game, although we thought we had control of the ball," said Celso Borges. "The people in Costa Rica will be frustrated by this. That's normal when you lose but our mentality won't change after one game."
