Big Game Tonight: U.S. vs. Costa Rica
Delayed by stormy weather and displaced by a poultry convention, the weary U.S. soccer team finally arrived here Friday for a game that may have more to do with which players reach the World Cup than which teams do.

For the United States, Saturday's game is a chance to test new players and keep a six-game shutout streak alive in qualifiers. The Americans already are set for next year's World Cup in Germany.

"This is definitely one of the hardest places to come and play, not only because it's a good, quality team but the fans and the stadium are fantastic," U.S. defender Eddie Lewis said after an evening practice.

"I wouldn't say it's the loudest" stadium, but "it's definitely one of the rowdiest -- in a very positive way," Lewis said.

He apparently wasn't thinking of Costa Rica's qualifier against Mexico in February, when spectators threw objects at opposing players, prompting FIFA to order Costa Rica to play its next game, against Panama, behind closed doors.

U.S. coach Bruce Arena said the Saprissa stadium may even be tougher than Mexico City's Azteca Stadium, another building in which the United States has never won.

"It's difficult in different ways," he said. "Azteca: problems with altitude, smog, good field. Saprissa: tough conditions with the fans."

Bad weather Thursday forced the U.S. team's charter flight to divert to Panama City, where the Americans found hotels full for the Latin American Poultry Congress. The team wound up at a hotel an hour from the airport.

The United States hasn't been scored on in CONCACAF qualifiers since losing 2-1 in Mexico City on March 27. The streak will be in danger against a Costa Rican squad looking to reach the World Cup.

"We want to end that string and win classification at the same time," Costa Rica forward Alvaro Saborio said.

A tie - or anything less than a victory by Guatemala over Mexico - would give Costa Rico the region's third automatic bid to the World Cup.

With Mexico already qualified, Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago appear to be battling for the final chance from the region, a playoff against Uzbekistan or Bahrain.

Saprissa, which seats 23,000, has artificial turf. It has been remodeled since the Americans played to a muddy 2-0 loss there in qualifying for the 2002 World Cup.

The game starts at 7pm local time and will end 90 minutes later in either eery silence if the Costa Rican team lose or with noise and partying on the streets, if the win.