Uruguay tops Costa Rica 1-0 in first leg of World Cup playoff

November 16, 2009

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Uruguay damaged Costa Rica’s hopes of qualifying for a third straight World Cup, scoring a first-half goal and holding off the 10-man Ticos 1-0 Saturday night in the first leg of their inter-confederation playoff.

Diego Lugano capitalized from the second chance off the same corner in the 22nd minute and Uruguay will return home on Wednesday for the second leg with a clear advantage.

Randall Azofeifa all but sealed Costa Rica’s fate in the 53rd minute, arriving late for a challenge on Alvaro Fernandez, tripping him with a lunging left leg and drawing his second yellow card from Spanish referee Alberto Undiano.

Costa Rica, playing without manager Rene Simoes on the bench due to his expulsion from the Ticos’ final CONCACAF qualifier on October 14 against the United States in Washington, had the better possession early. Walter Centeno had a chance from distance in the 19th and it created a number of set piece situations that appeared to give it the early momentum.

But Uruguay, which trained in Guatemala to get accustomed to Estadio Saprissa’s artificial turf pitch, adjusted and scored with a second effort on Nicolas Lodeiro’s corner kick.

Lugano headed Lodeiro’s offering at goal, which had to be headed off the line at the right post by Azofeifa. The ball sailed to the top of the area, where Fernandez sent it back in and Lugano reacted, getting enough of a high right leg to push it inside the right post, where goalkeeper Keilor Navas could reached while being blocked by Azofeifa.

Uruguay had better possession after the goal, but Costa Rica had its best chance in the 43rd when Azofeifa’s ball out of the midfield was flicked high past Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, who had come off his line, but sailed just over the bar.

Costa Rican felt it should be offered the chance to equalize in the 48th when Uruguayan defender Sebastian Eguren appeared to settle a high ball at the top of the area with his right arm. Television replays appeared to indicate Eguren clearly hit the ball with his upper right arm, but Undiano allowed play to continue and five minutes later Azofeifa was sent off.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica

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Costa Rica looks to seize opportunity at home

November 11, 2009

Costa Rica was 30 seconds from earning a trip to the World Cup next year. Now it has another 180 minutes to try again.

If the Costa Rican national team wants to qualify to the quadrennial championship in South Africa, it will have to capitalize on the home-field advantage Saturday in the first leg of its qualifying playoff against Uruguay at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa in San José.

Any other result will make the Ticos’ desire of a third straight trip to the World Cup much more difficult. Four days later, la Tricolor will visit mythic Estadio Centenario in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo.

After failing to earn a direct berth – allowing a 95th minute equalizer to the United States on October 14 in Washington, Costa Rica now must face an opponent with a roster filled with foreign-based players such as Diego Forlan, last year’s leading scorer in Spain’s La Liga.

In Costa Rica, expectations are high. The 19,500 tickets put on sale sold out in a day and half, assuring a capacity crowd at el Saprissa.

Certain details are sure to affect the first leg, not the least of which is Saprissa’s artificial surface which gave the the Ticos a distinct advantage throughout World Cup qualifying. In its nine games at home, Costa Rica won eight by a combined score of 23-1, not counting its only blemish: a 3-0 defeat to Mexico during a three-game losing streak in August and September.

However, according to the history between the two teams, the numbers do not favor Rene Simoes’ charges. Costa Rica has never defeated La Celeste in eight tries, friendlies or competitive matches.

On Saturday, Costa Rica will have its full rosters available, including its most notable foreign-based player, Bryan Ruiz. Ruiz’s nine goals so far this season with FC Twente in the Netherlands make the youngster Costa Rica’s most dangerous attacker.

On the other side of the field, los Charruas have been hit by a number of a key absences, including injuries to Jorge Fucile of Porto in Portugal and Jorge “Malaka” Martinez of Italy’s Catania.

Additionally, Uruguay will without several players due to accumulated yellow or red-card suspensions: Martín Cáceres (Juventus, Italy), Andrés Scotti (Argentinos Juniors, Argentina), Diego Pérez (Mónaco, France) y Maximiliano Pereira (Benfica, Portugal). Porto midfielder Christian Rodriguez will miss both playoff matches after receiving a four-match ban for striking Argentina’s Gabriel Heinze after the final whistle on October 14.

Heading into the match, Simoes has opted to close all training sessions to the media to limit knowledge of his tactics and plans. Uruguay has moved its training camp to Guatemala, where it is preparing on an artificial surfance to get ready for the turf in el Saprissa.

With all his secrecy, however, Simoes will not be on the Costa Rica bench Saturday, having been ejected from the end of the 2-2 draw against the United States on October 14. FIFA subsequently suspended him for one match.

Both games will be officiated by European referees, the first having been assigned to Spain’s Alberto Indiano while the second to Switzerland’s Massimo Busacca.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica

By Kenneth Hernández Cerdas

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US break Costa Rican hearts but lose Onyewu

October 15, 2009


Jonathan Bornstein’s header in the fifth minute of stoppage time gave 10-man United States a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica that denied the Ticos a berth in the 2010 South Africa World Cup.

On a cold and rainy night where Bryan Ruiz scored in the 21st and 24th minutes to give Costa Rica a 2-0 lead, the Americans fought back to finish North American qualifying with three wins and two draws when foes score first.

“It’s a good thing we respond and compete,” US coach Bob Bradley said. “It was a strong effort. It’s not how you draw it up but it showed their maturity, the spirit of our team and we’re very proud of that.”

But the victory came at a heavy cost.

US star defender Oguchi Onyewu of AC Milan will be out three to four months with a torn left patellar tendon, the injury coming a day after a car crash that severely injured US forward Charlie Davies and likely took him out of the World Cup.

“We’ve had two days of tough news,” Bradley said. “It’s another setback for us.

“Gooch (Onyewu) has been such an important part of our team. It’s normally three of four months recovery time. He’s young. He’s healthy. He has good doctors. He’s someone we’re sure is going to get back.”

With Onyewu carried off on a stretcher in the 83rd minute, a 10-man US side was left since the Americans had used all their substitutions. It proved enough.

Michael Bradley, the US coach’s son, scored in the 72nd minute but the Ticos were still on track for a World Cup berth until defender Bornstein took a pass from Robbie Rogers and nodded it past Costa Rican goalkeeper Keilor Navas.

“We put a lot of numbers in the box,” Bornstein said. “I don’t usually go up for that but it was last shot time. No one marked me. I just snuck in there and the ball landed on my head.”

Seconds away from a victory that would have booked a third consecutive trip to the global football showdown, Costa Rica instead lost out to Honduras and must now play Uruguay in a two-leg playoff to decide which makes the World Cup.

The Americans finished atop the North American regional qualifying group at 6-2-2 for 20 points, one more than Mexico with Honduras third ahead of Costa Rica on goal difference plus-six to nil after each finished 5-4 with one drawn.

“We’re very proud to win the group,” coach Bradley said.

The Americans won a 19th consecutive World Cup home qualifier despite early struggles as Costa Rica has now gone 24 years since winning a qualifier on US soil.

Ruiz opened the scoring by racing around US defender Steve Cherundolo to the right of goalkeeper Tim Howard and left-footed the ball past the sprawled US netminder.

Ruiz struck again in the 24th minute on a give-and-go play, taking the ball at the top of the area and curling a left-footed kick high into the far corner past a diving Howard.

“Every time. Every (expletive) time,” Howard screamed at US defenders after the goal, which delighted thousands of loud, flag-waving Costa Rica supporters.

Bradley answered 27 minutes into the second half after Navas stopped a Landon Donovan shot, Bradley chipping the rebound over Navas into the net.

Ticos coach Rene Simoes, a Brazilian and former Jamaica coach hired for the last qualifiers, was ejected in stoppage time, escorted off before Costa Rica was delivered a heartbreaking blow.

The Americans lead Costa Rica 12-11 with five drawn in the all-time rivalry.

WASHINGTON (AFP)

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More work needed for US to taste South Africa success

October 14, 2009


Landon Donovan likes what he sees from the US football squad after qualifying for the World Cup, but knows much more work is needed to make the most of their chances next June in South Africa.

Donovan, the all-time US scoring leader and a Los Angeles Galaxy teammate of English star David Beckham, said Tuesday it was difficult to compare US levels at this stage to the 2002 Cup quarter-finalists or the 2006 first-round flops.

“We’re pretty satisfied with where we are now and the hard work we’ve put in but I think we realize if we want to be ultimately successful in South Africa we still have some work to do,” Donovan said.

“OK, we’re there. Now how do we do everything we can to have success once we get there?”

Donovan will spark the Americans in Wednesday’s final North American hexagonal World Cup qualifying match against Costa Rica in the US capital. He feels he has made improvements on and off the field in the past three years.

“I’ve done a lot of that work already,” Donovan said. “I’m comfortable knowing I’m a different player and person than I was the last two hexagonals.”

The Major League Soccer standout said the North American league has already shown it can develop competitive talent.

“Our league can produce players that can play in the biggest tournaments in the world and I think we’ve shown that in the past two World Cups and this one,” Donovan said. “There’s not a vast difference.”

The next step is to win such a showdown. US coach Bob Bradley sees finishing first ahead of Mexico in the CONCACAF regional qualifying as a potential key to boosting the US seeding position for December’s World Cup draw.

“We don’t know for sure it will affect seeding but we believe that it could so in that regard it is important,” Bradley said. “We take a great deal of pride of being the best team in CONCACAF.”

So much so that Bradley is willing to risk top players even with a chance of injury or a red card that would bring a World Cup opener suspension.

“There are risks in the final game but this game is important,” Bradley said. “Of late, we’re very pleased with the way we’ve handled ourselves.”

Costa Rica qualifies for the World Cup with a victory but a draw or loss opens the door for Honduras, which must win at El Salvador to have a chance for the last automatic berth on offer from North America.

The same Hondurans who lost to the US team last weekend will cheer for the Americans against Costa Rica.

“We’ve got a job to do to put our best team out there,” US captain Carlos Bocanegra said. “It’s not fair for us not to go out there and give our best effort. If the situation was reversed we would be pretty angry.”

Costa Rica comes off a 4-0 blanking of Trinidad and Tobago in the first match under new coach Rene Simoes, a Brazilian who once guided Jamaica’s World Cup squad.

“Costa Rica is a talented team that hit a tough stretch in qualifying,” said Bradley. “Costa Rica’s big win has given life to their effort. We expect another big effort and we will prepare accordingly.”

WASHINGTON (AFP)

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Ticos end slide, beat Trinidad 4-0

October 11, 2009


Alvaro Soborio scored a pair of goals and helped on another as Costa Rica ended a three-game losing streak to revive its World Cup hopes, beating Trinidad & Tobago 4-0 Saturday night in Rene Simoes’ first game as manager.

Costa Rica, which hadn’t scored its three losses, climbed into third place in the standings for the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying with 15 points, four behind the leading United States but two ahead of Honduras in the fight for the last guaranteed trip to South Africa.

Three sides are assured of berths in the 32-team World Cup field while the fourth-placed team will have to play a two-leg playoff with the fifth-placed team from South America for the last place in South Africa.

Costa Rica will play its final game against the already qualified United States in Washington on Wednesday while Honduras will have to travel to play already eliminated El Salvador.

Costa Rica dominated the first half but took the lead on an own-goal by Radanfah  Abubark.

The 28th minute score came from after a seemingly innocent cross by Costa Rica midfielder Michael Barrante had deflected off the foot Trinidad defender Julius James before striking Abubakr in the shoulder and past goalkeeper Marvin Phillip.

Costa Rica appeared to have taken the lead just seconds earlier when a strong long distance blast from Barrante had Phillip beaten but smashed off the Trinidad and Tobago post.

Phillip made two saves in the first 25th minutes, thwarting a blast from defender Christian Montero and another try in the 25th minute by defender Esteban Sirias.

Phillip kept the game close late in the half, turning away close shots by Costa Rica midfielder Brian Ruiz in the 36th and 41st minutes.

Phillip could not deny Walter Centeno, who notched his 23rd career goal for the Ticos in the 50th when he got behind a Saborio cross to make the score 2-0.

Sabario got things started when he raced down the left wing, turned Abubakr at the goal line and sent a pass across the face of goal to an onrushing and unmarked Centeno.

Sabario then scored his first in the 61st minute when he raced on to a through ball after a clever back-heel from midfielder Rolando Fonseca before outpacing Abubakr and calmly slotting the ball past Phillip.

Sabario added his second of the game and 16th of his career for the Ticos two minutes later, outjumping Phillip and striker Kenwyne Jones to head a corner kick past Phillip.

Trinidad finished the game with 10 men after James was ejected in the 65th after colliding with Centeno and appearing to make contact with his elbow.

Costa Rica could have made the score 5-0 in the 82nd minute but Montero couldn’t convert his penalty kick after Phillip made a sensational save and then made a second stop when Dennis Lawrence nearly knocked the spot kick rebound into his own goal.

Saturday’s match kicked off in a driving rain which made the aging playing surface at Saprissa Stadium slippery leading to several strange bounces off the artificial surface and several players on both teams struggling to keep their footing.

While Trinidad already had been eliminated from advancing to the 2010 tournament before Saturday’s game they close out their campaign against Mexico on Wednesday in Port-of-Spain.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica

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Simoes tries to resurrect Costa Rica against Trinidad

October 7, 2009


Desperate for a victory to keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup alive, Costa Rica has turned to former Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago coach Rene Simoes to salvage the Ticos’ chances.

Once alone atop CONCACAF’s final hexagonal stage, the Ticos have lost three straight matches by a combined score of 8-0 and have slipped to fourth in the six-team field, one point behind Honduras heading into Saturday’s nest-to-last game against Trinidad in San Jose, Costa Rica.

“A team that has gained 12 points in five qualifying games in CONCACAF has to be strong,” Simoes said. “South Africa 2010 is still a good possibility for us because Costa Rica still has a strong team.”

The Brazilian, who most recently coached Portuguesa in Brazil’s Serie B, replaced Rodrigo Kenton, who was fired on September 14.

“I would like to take the opportunity to thank Mr. Kenton for all of the work he has done,” Costa Rica Football Federation president Eduardo Li said at a press conference. “But results are important, and we have not got the right ones over the course of our last … matches.”

Three points Saturday are vital for the Ticos because their final match is against the United States in Washington on October 14. The Americans can clinch sixth straight trip to the World Cup with a win in San Pedro Sula Saturday night.

A fourth-place CONCACAF finish would mean Costa Rica, which is attempting to qualify for a third straight World Cup, would meet the fifth-place finisher in South America — currently Argentina.

Trinidad, meanwhile, will attempt to play the role of spoiler Saturday, having already been eliminated.

Richard Latapy, who retired from international football shortly after Simoes was named T&T coach in 2001, will use the Soca Warriors’ final two games as an audition for some of the county’s younger players.

Trinidad, which sits at the bottom of the six-team group with five points from eight matches, will host Mexico at Hasely Crawford Stadium on October 14 in its final qualifying match.

“We want to give some of the younger players the experience of playing at this level,” Latapy said. “It is very possible (that they can play on Saturday). They are here and they are training. My job is to put the best possible 11 on the pitch and to have the best squad available.”

Among those called into camp is under-20 captain Leston Paul and under-17 Shahdon Winchester, while Jlloyd Samuels will miss the match with a pulled groin.

“It’s a pleasure always to be called up to a senior team,” Paul said. “I was invited in the past, but now being here with the rest of the players going into a World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica is definitely something more intense and of a higher experience.”

By Dylan Butler

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Simoes installed as new manager of Ticos

September 18, 2009


Rene Simoes, who was dismissed as Jamaica’s manager a year ago, has been selected as coach of Costa Rica, looking to resurrect the Ticos chances of qualifying for the World Cup.

The Costa Rican federation announced the appointment Wednesday night, installing the 56-year-old Brazilian two days after dismissing Rodrigo Kenton following a third straight loss in World Cup qualifying. The latest loss, 1-0 to El Salvador on September 9, dropped Costa Rico to fourth in the final round of World Cup qualifying.

Three teams are guaranteed a berth in the World Cup finals in June in South Africa, while the fourth-placed team earns a two-game playoff against the fifth-placed South American team, currently Argentina, for the last spot in the 32-team field. Costa Rica has 12 points, four behind “hexagonal” leader the United States, one behind third-placed Honduras and four ahead of fifth-placed El Salvador.

“We will, with a lot of courage, do what we can so that Costa Rica has a strong group that can qualify to the World Cup,”  Simoes said in a statement released on the Costa Rican federation Web site.

(“Con mucho coraje, haremos lo posible para que Costa Rica tenga un grupo fuerte que pueda clasificar al mundial”, dijo Simoes.)

Simoes was fired as Jamaica’s manager after the Reggae Boyz were virtually eliminated from the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying in September 2008 following two losses in five days.

He coached Jamaica from 1994 to 2000, including to the 1998 World Cup in France, coached Brazil’s women to the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics and also Trinidad & Tobago from 2001 to 2002. He resigned from Brazilian second-division club Portugesa on August 26 after only two weeks on the job, saying armed men threatened his players in the locker room after a loss.

Costa Rica next plays Trinidad & Tobago at home on October 10 before finishing against the United States in Washington four days later.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica

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Whitmore replaces Barnes as Jamaica manager for Gold Cup

June 9, 2009


KINGSTON, Jamaica – Former Jamaican international Theodore Whitmore has been appointed as the new manager of the Reggae Boyz to replace John Barnes, who left to take over English third-division club Tranmere Rovers.

The appointment of the 36-year-old Whitmore came following Jamaica’s 3-2 friendly victory over Panama on Sunday. Jamaican Football Federation spokesman Nodley Wright explained that Barnes’ contract was to expire June 30 and that the federation installed Whitmore to prepare the team for next month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States.

This will be the third time Whitmore has served as manager of the Reggae Boyz. He replaced Bora Milutinovic on an interim basis in November 2007, winning two friendlies before ceding to Rene Simoes. He then filled in for Simoes in September when the Brazilian was fired following a pair of losses in five days that virtually eliminated Jamaica from the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying.

Whitmore coached the team for two games, a pair of 1-0 World Cup qualifying victories over Mexico and Honduras, before giving way to Barnes. The former Jamaican-born English international then guided the team through the Caribbean Championship finals, winning the Reggae Boyz’ fourth title in front of a home crowd.

Besides the national team, Whitmore also served as player-manager of Jamaica club team Seba United in 2006. He scored 24 goals in 105 appearances for Jamaica, including two goals against Japan in Jamaica’s World Cup debut in 1998.

Jamaica will begin the Gold Cup on July 3 against Canada in the first game of the tournament opening doubleheader. It is returning to the CONCACAF nations championship for a seventh time after missing the biennial event in 2005.

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