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If there was anything to learn from the United States 1-0 victory over Costa Rica, it's that Landon Donovan's squabble with Jurgen Klinsmann is a thing of the past. Or needs to be a thing of the past. At any rate, Donovan has shown his return to form and his value to the national team going forward.
Donovan's 52 int'l assists more than double the next 2 active #USMNT players COMBINED (Beasley 13, Dempsey 12).
— Paul Carr (@PCarrESPN) July 17, 2013
His vision on the pitch is simply unparalleled in American soccer. He one touched a fine pass from Joe Corono directly into the path of Brek Shea who didn't have to break stride putting the US up 1-0. If he needed to use this tournament to earn his way back on the A-squad, mission accomplished.
With the victory, the US wins Group C and will play El Salvador in the quarterfinals Sunday in Baltimore. Cuba, with a 4-0 victory over Belize jumped past Martinique amongst third place teams on the goals scored tiebreaker. Since the US and Cuba were in the same group, the US will face the top third place team despite being the only side to secure all nine points from their group.
The US are on an eight man win streak, the longest in federation history. The quarterfinals take place on the 21st of July, so the earliest Donovan could return to the LA Galaxy is for next weekend's road trip. There's also the possibility that Omar Gonzalez could be called into duty for the quarterfinals.