The United States has a long road remaining to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. And to get there, the team will have to go through Colorado.

The U.S. Soccer Federation on Tuesday announced that its men's national team will face Costa Rica in a World Cup qualifying game on March 22 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.

The 8 p.m. game will also air live on ESPN and Univision. Ticket information will be available later, U.S. Soccer said.

It will be just the second U.S. men's World Cup qualifier at the Colorado Rapids' home stadium, after the Americans defeated Guatemala 2-0 there in 2008.

"Winning games at home in World Cup Qualifying is crucial," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a release. "We really are expecting the fans in Colorado to bring us a huge home-field advantage."

Colorado was among three sites competing to host the game, along with Salt Lake City and Kansas City, Kan.

It will be the second game for the U.S. in the fourth round of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup — and the first at home. Along with the U.S. and Costa Rica, the other teams still competing for three World Cup spots are Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica and Panama.

The Denver-area game will allow the team to train in Colorado's thin air before facing rival Mexico at high-altitude Mexico City four days later on March 26.

Rapids forward Edson Buddle, aquired last month from the L.A. Galaxy, is currently on the U.S. roster and training with the team in California.

The U.S. women's team in September played a friendly against Australia at DSG Park. That game sold out with a standing-room only crowd of 18,589.

Nick Groke: 303-954-1015, ngroke@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nickgroke