2009: Costa Rica carries CONCACAF flag to U-20 World Cup semis

December 19, 2009


Reaching the semifinals of the Under-20 World Cup doesn’t make up for Costa Rica’s inability to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa. It might take some of the sting out of it – especially for the future.

While its senior team fell 30 seconds short of making the World Cup finals next year, Costa Rica’s youngsters garnered the soccer world’s attention with a run to the final four in Egypt, and signaled the Ticos could be a significant CONCACAF power for years to come.

A second CONCACAF title run in Trinidad, capped by a 3-0 victory over the United States, continued in Egypt. After escaping group play on goal difference, Costa Rica upset host Egypt 2-0 before a partisan host crowd of 70,000 and then beat the United Arab Emirates in the quarterfinals.

A semifinal loss to Brazil ended the run, which would provide hope to the Central American nation for the prospects of its national team.

“I’m very happy with how my team responded – they were compact and tenacious, just as we’d planned,” Costa Rican manager Ronald Gonzalez said. “It’s a performance that gives us great confidence for the future.”

The loss on penalties to Hungary in the third-place match didn’t do anything to dampen the mood of a squad which represents an “excellent new generation of Costa Rican footballers,” Gonzalez said.

Marcos Urena, who led the team with three goals and an assist, Josue Martinez (two goals), Diego Estrada and David Guzman were the keys in helping Los Ticos improve on their first-round exit from the World Cup two years ago in Canada.

Gonzalez’s men advanced while CONCACAF’s other three representatives – the United States, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago — all were eliminated in the group stage.

Costa Rica’s CONCACAF title was its first since 1988, sealed in the final with a pair of goals by Martinez and another by Estada.

It advanced to the final with one-goal victories over Canada and Mexico – which failed to get out of the group stage and was sent home without a victory – and a draw against Trinidad.

The United States dominated a first-round group including Honduras, Jamaica and El Salvador, winning twice and outscoring its opponents 5-0. Both the Americans and Costa Rica needed penalties to get past the semifinals after being held to goalless draws.

The United States prevailed over Trinidad, and Costa Rica outlasted Honduras. While its semifinal appearance assured the United States of a CONCACAF record 12th appearance in the World Cup, the Americans once again failed to claim the confederation crown at the U-20 level.

It was their first chance at a title since 1996, the last year CONCACAF conducted its finals as a championship at a single venue. Brian Perk was the U.S. hero, recording four shutouts before allowing three goals to Costa Rica in the title match.

By Vijay Setlur

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2009: El Salvador rules the sand to earn first title since 1943

December 17, 2009

Nothing was going to stop El Salvador from its first international title since 1943 _ not even swine flu.

The fabled “Fishermen of La Pirraya” beat Canada and the United States, then prevailed over Costa Rica 6-3 in the final to win the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship .

It was the first time in the five-year history of CONCACAF conducting a qualifying event for the Beach Soccer World Cup that neither Mexico nor the United States earned a berth to represent the region.

But El Salvador’s title didn’t come without delay.

Originally scheduled for April 29-May 3 in Puerto Vallarta, the CONCACAF beach championship was postponed a day before the start when an outbreak of influenza in Mexico forced government officials to close schools nationwide. CONCACAF officials, likewise, postponed the finals of the inaugural Champions League and cancelled the semifinals and finals of the Under-17 Championship ongoing in .

When it was rescheduled for mid-June in the Pacific resort, Mexico and the United States still remained the prohibitive favorites.

Mexico won both its group matches – including a 4-1 win over El Salvador — by a combined 14-1 and, similarly, the United States breezed past Costa Rica and debutante Bahamas by a 12-3 aggregate.

But in the semifinals, despite a partisan home crowd of 3,000, Richard Sterling scored with 5:40 remaining to equalize 2-2 for Costa Rica, and Ticos went on to outlast the Mexicans on penalties 2-1 to earn their first trip to the World Cup.

In the other semi, Jose Agustin scored for a third straight game, tallying twice in the opening four minutes and again with 2:23 remaining to lead El Salvador over the United States 5-3.

A day later, Agustin scored his tournament-leading eighth goal to help Los Cuscatlecos over Costa Rica and its first title since it won the Central American and Caribbean Confederation (CCCF) title during World War II.

“We’ve improved a lot compared to last year,” El Salvador goalkeeper and captain Luis Rodas said. “The experience we’ve had going to Marseille and compete with the best teams in the world helped us a great deal.”

But the glory was short-lived. Come November at the World Cup in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, El Salvador and Costa Rica both were eliminated in three straight games.

Costa Rica was outscored 14-2, while El Salvador allowed a goal with 48 seconds remaining to lose to Ivory Coast 7-6 in its opener and never recovered.

“A World Cup is always a good experience for the team,” El Salvador coach Rudis Gonzalez said. “We have a very young side and we’ve only been working with them for three or four years. We still have a lot to learn and, though the boys have done a good job, we can’t compete against professional players and history.
“We have to keep developing the game so that we can change our role in the future and we need to try and be consistent over the three periods. We always seem to lose our balance. We have to get more experience and games under our belt.”

Concacaf

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Uruguay denies Costa Rica World Cup trip with 1-1 draw

November 19, 2009


Uruguay held Costa Rica to a 1-1 draw Wednesday night, claiming the last berth in the 32-team World Cup field and denying the Ticos a third straight trip to the quadrennial championship.

Uruguay enjoyed the majority of possession and chances and advanced with a 2-1 aggregate victory in the two-leg playoff.

Sebastian Abreu put Uruguay ahead with his 28th career international goal in the 70th, but Walter Centeno restored the Ticos’ hopes only four minutes later.

Costa Rica, which led the United States by two goals with 18 minutes remaining on October 14 in a match where a victory would have earned it a fourth appearance at the World Cup, was 30 seconds from a berth but surrendered a goal 4½ minutes into injury time to settle for a 2-2 draw.

The result finished Costa Rica behind the United States, Mexico and Honduras in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

Wednesday’s result extended Costa Rica’s winless streak against Uruguay to eight with only its second draw.

Uruguay dominated with Nacional midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro, whose two goals helped his country into the second round at last month’s Under-20 World Cup in Egypt.

Lodeiro started in the fourth minute, bending a free kick from 35 yards that bounced just wide of the post, and twice more driving down the middle of the field setting up chances for Luis Suarez in the 34th and one of his own a minute later.

Uruguay’s best chance before Abreu’s goal came in a blast from distance by Diego Forlan that had to be tipped over the bar by Costa Rican keeper Keilor Navas in the seventh minute. Cristian Bolanos had a similar chance for Costa Rica in the 36th that forced goalkeeper Fernando Muslera to dive to his right to push it around the post.

Abreu, who replaced Suarez only five minutes earlier, put Uruguay ahead by out-leaping his marker at the edge of the six-yard box and driving Andres Scotti’s cross past Navas. Centeno finished his chance from just inside the area in the 74th to quiet the crowd at Estadio Centenario.

Alvaro Saborio had a chance in the 87th to give Costa Rica the lead, but his left-footer from inside the area struck the near-side netting.

Uruguay, which lost in a World Cup qualifying playoff four years ago to Australia, will be making its first appearance in the championship since 2002.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay

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El Salvador falls on late goal at Beach Soccer World Cup

November 17, 2009

El Salvador allowed a goal with 48 seconds remaining, wasting a four-goal lead and enabling Ivory Coast to beat the CONCACAF champion 7-6 in the opening game for both Monday at the Beach Soccer World Cup.

Ludovic Ehounou scored three of his five goals in the final 11 minutes — including the winner, for Ivory Coast, after El Salvador jumped ahead 5-1 in the first 10½ minutes.

In another game, Russia scored twice in the first 10 minutes and coasted to a 5-1 victory over Costa Rica.

Ehounou put Ivory Coast ahead after only eight seconds, but Tomas Hernandez equalized less than six minutes later, Agustin Ruiz gave El Salvador the lead by 6:30 of the first period. Walter Torres scored less than a minute later and Frank Velasquez added a pair to put “los Catrachos” ahead 5-1.

After Kouassitchi Daniel scored to get Ivory Coast within 5-2 by the end of the first, Ehounou scored his second midway through the second and Frederic Aka added another to pull Ivory Coast within one. Ehounou then tacked on a pair less than a minute apart to give the Ivorians their first lead by 6:38 of the third.

Torres scored his second to equalize, but Ehounou completed his effort with less than a minute to play to disappoint El Salvador.

“I think we played well but we lost confidence after going four goals clear,” Torres said.

Russia used goals by five different players to take a 5-0 lead over Costa Rica 5:55 into the second period.

Delbert Cameron converted a penalty with 7:37 remaining leaving the Ticos to look toward their next game Tuesday against Argentina.

“The next thing we have to do is go into our next match with the conviction that we can win,” Costa Rica coach Jose Calvo said. “This is our first time in a World Cup, so nerves were a factor at times.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

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Costa Rica returns home from U-17s after 4-1 loss

November 1, 2009


Costa Rica was eliminated from the Under-17 World Cup on Saturday, playing a man down for all but the first 13 minutes and allowing two first-half goals before losing its second straight game, 4-1, to Burkina Faso.

The Ticos, whose older counterparts advanced to the Under-20 World Cup semifinals earlier this month, return home with fellow CONCACAF member and Central American rival Honduras, which was eliminated on Friday.

Adrian Mora was ejected by Uzbek referee Ravshon Irmatov a minute after Zidane Zoungrana  gave Burkina Faso the lead.

Abdoulaye Ibrango doubled the advantage in the 38th and Louckmane Ouedraogo all but sealed the victory with a goal in the 82nd. Juan Golobio pulled Costa Rica within 3-1 in the 86th, but Bertrand Traore restored the three-goal bulge in the 90th.

Burkina Faso had more than twice as many shots on goal as the Costa Ricans (15-7) and earned a second-round match Thursday against the winner of Group E.

Costa Rica finished last in Group D with one point, earned in its opening 1-1 draw with New Zealand, and saw its streak of reaching the quarterfinals in the past four tournaments come to an end.

Mexico already has qualified for the second round and could be joined by the United States, which plays its final group game against the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.

ENUGU, Nigeria

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Costa Rica rallies for 1-1 draw with New Zealand at U-17 World Cup

October 26, 2009


Joel Campbell rallied Costa Rica with a goal in the 35th-minute, giving the Ticos a 1-1 draw Sunday in their opening game at the Under-17 World Cup.

Campbell capitalized when a pair of defenders stumbled over one another and finished easily, negating an 19th-minute tally by Michael Built. Andrew Mine was able to hold the ball and feed Built, who finished from near the penalty spot.

Both sides had second-half opportunities but Costa Rica had significantly more possession and twice as many chances, outshooting New Zealand 21-9 in the match.

“I think that every first game in a World Cup is a good game,” Costa Rica coach Juan Diego Samuel said. “Without thinking of winning or losing all the players are very anxious. I think we did a good job. We had a good game, we could have won the game but we are satisfied with the tie.”

Costa Rica next plays on Wednesday against Turkey, which won its opener 1-0 over Burkina Faso.

ENUGU, Nigeria

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Hungary tops Costa Rica on penalties for third place at FIFA U-20 World Cup

October 17, 2009


Costa Rica missed four-consecutive tries from the penalty spot, as Hungary captured third place at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2-0 on penalties, following a 1-1 tie after regular time at the Cairo International Stadium today.

Diego Estrada, Cristian Gamboa, Esteban Luna and Carlos Hernandez each failed to find the back of the net for the CONCACAF champion, while Krisztian Nemeth and Roland Varga were on target for the winners.

It was the first time that Hungary finished in the top three at a FIFA competition since taking the silver medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

For Costa Rica, it was the best finish for a CONCACAF team at the U-20 World Cup since Mexico lost to the Soviet Union on penalties in the final of the 1977 tournament in Tunisia (the game ended 2-2 after extra time).

Intense heat of nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit contributed to a rather pedestrian opening half.

The second half, though, saw Hungary take control of the game and fashion numerous scoring chances.  Costa Rican goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado, however, was in exceptional form, making saves on attempts from Andras Gosztonyi, Varga and Nemeth.

As the half wore on, Hungary continued its stranglehold on the flow of play, but it was Costa Rica that would take an 81st minute lead.

Marcos Ureña made it 1-0 when he sliced his way through the Hungarian defense and took a right-footed shot that that beat Peter Gulacsi.  It was Ureña’s third goal of the competition, a team high.

The young Ticos were only moments away from an historic victory, when Jose Mena committed a foul on Nemeth in the penalty area.  Referee Yuichi Nishimura pointed to the spot and Vladimir Koman converted the resulting penalty to knot the score in the first-minute of stoppage time.  Mena was ejected for his second yellow card of the match.

The teams went directly to penalty kicks, where the exhausted Costa Ricans could not persist with the magic that carried them this far.

CAIRO, Egypt

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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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Injury time equalizer lifts United States, denies Costa Rica World Cup berth

October 15, 2009


Jonathan Bornstein scored with a head 4½ minutes into injury time to give the United States a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica on Wednesday and deny the Ticos a third straight trip to the World Cup.

The goal capped a U.S. rally from a two-goal first-half deficit, with the Americans getting a pair of goals in the final 18 minutes.

The result finished the United States atop the “hexagonal” with 20 points, one ahead of Mexico.

Costa Rica seemed headed for South Africa after Bryan Ruiz scored two goals three minutes apart midway through the first half. But the U.S. rally left Costa Rica with 16 points, same as Honduras but behind on goal difference. Honduras beat El Salvador 1-0 in its game Wednesday night to earn only its second World Cup appearance and first since 1982.

The Ticos have another chance to qualify, advancing to a two-leg playoff against Uruguay, the fifth-placed finisher from South America, November 11 and November 14 for the final berth in the 32-team field in South Africa.

The draw was the United States’ only tie in nine home games in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, having won the previous eight. The Americans were playing 36 hours after learning that teammate Charlies Davies was badly injured in an early Tuesday morning one-car automobile accident in the Washington area in which another person died.

Davies, who suffered facial, leg and elbow fractures and a lacerated bladder, had several hours of surgery Tuesday and was hospitalized in serious but stable condition, U.S. team spokesman Michael Kammarman said. Some teammates wore undershirts with Davies’ name and banners could be seen around the stadium bearing his likeness.

Ruiz scored in the 21st and 24th minutes, with the goals coming against the run of play. Needing a victory to assure itself of a World Cup berth, Costa Rica started with three defenders and five in the midfield, pushing Pablo Herrera up from his right back spot.

Michael Bradley pulled the United States within a goal in the 72nd and Bornstein shed his marker to nod Robbie Rogers’ corner from just outside the six-yard box.

The United States had the better possession early and the first serious chance on a counter when Conor Casey, who scored two in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Honduras that qualified the Americans for the World Cup, shot high despite being unmarked in the ninth minute.

Walter Centeno forced U.S. keeper Tim Howard into a reaction save two minutes later, volleying a looping cross to the right post.

Ruiz put Costa Rica ahead, taking a ball from Michael Barrantes on the left side of the area, turning defender Oguchi Onyewu to get to the byline and then drilling a shot that Howard was able to deflect but not stop.

Three minutes later, Ruiz took his throw-in back from Walter Centeno, took a touch toward the penalty area and then unleashed a swirling left-footer that curled around a stretched Howard into the far-side netting. It was his fifth goal of qualifying, one behind team leader Alvaro Saborio.

With the lead seemingly secure, Herrera dropped back into a more convention 4-4-2 and the United States again dominated possession, but was plagued by poor finishing. Landon Donovan shot high twice and had a weak effort in the 44th with only goalkeeper Keilor Navas, who also thwarted Jozy Altidore a minute later when the American forward’s marker had fallen in the area.

Navas repeatedly raced off his line to punch balls out of danger, defusing several dangerous situations.

The Americans dominated possession in the second half as well and finally converted on a rebound. Donovan settled a flicked on cross and got off a right-footed shot from inside the top of the area that Navas blocked, but couldn’t hold. Bradley banged into the net with a right-footed swipe.

The United States’ chances seemed doomed when Onyewu was carried off after tearing a tendon in his left knee in the 83rd minute, reducing his team to 10 men with manager Bob Bradley having already used his three substitutions.

But the Americans continued to generate chances and hurriedly took a corner that saw Bornstein slip through a crowd and head Rogers’ corner off the right post.

The wild finish was preceded with Costa Rica manager Rene Simoes being ejected in the 89th minute, berating fourth official Haro Delgadillo for what appeared a dispute over a substitution.

WASHINGTON

By Brian Trusdel

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Costa Rica beats UAE 2-1 to reach U-20 semis

October 11, 2009


Marcos Urena scored in the 122nd minute to lift CONCACAF champion Costa Rica to a 2-1 victory over the United Arab Emirates on Saturday and earn a semifinal match against Brazil at the Under-20 World Cup.

Urena ran onto a rebound at the top of the area after Allen Guevara’s shot was blocked by United Arab Emirates goalkeeper Yousif Abdulrahman. Guevara reacted quickly after Hamdan Al Kamali’s header of a long free kick all out of the back didn’t have enough pace to reach Abdulrahman.

Guevara flicked a shot from the middle of the area that Abdulrahman was able to block with his body, but the ball bounded to the top of the area, where Urena volleyed a low shot into the net.

Costa Rica, the last team to qualify for the knockout round and the only team from CONCACAF to advance past the group stage, next plays on Tuesday against Brazil – which has outscored its opponents 13-3 in five games and beat Germany 2-1 in extra time in its quarterfinal earlier Saturday.

The goal came against a United Arab Emirates side that had been reduced to 10 men three minutes earlier when Mohamed Fawzi was ejected for a two-footed tackle that upended second-half substitute Ricardo Blanco. The Emirates created more quality chances in the extra periods, outshot Costa Rica nearly two-to-one in the match and also had nearly twice as many corners and more possession.

The United Arab Emirates took the lead in the 33rd minute when Ahmed Khalil outraced Roy Smith on the right and send a ball across the face of goal, where Ahmed Ali beat David Guzman to redirect it past Costa Rica goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado.

The Ticos equalized four minutes later when Brian Oviedo sent in a cross from the left and Josue Martinez outleapt the UAE defense to drive a header into the top corner.

CAIRO, Egypt

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