The Tactics

IF YOU THINK this Costa Rican team will ease through the Hexagonal on the virtue of past strength in the region, think again. As a footballing power, Costa Rica has been gradually waning since winning the Hexagonal in the run-up to the 2002 World Cup. The Ticos did make the 2006 World Cup in a down year for CONCACAF, but finished fourth last time around and failed to get past Uruguay in a play-in.

This version of Costa Rica shouldn’t really be considered a power, even by Central American standards. After winning three straight Copa Centroamericana tournaments, the Ticos have gone without a title since 2007, and have been supplanted by Honduras and, some would argue, Panama, as the power of the region.

Colombian Coach Luis Pinto’s side plays an often-scrambled attacking style, relying on individual playmaking to create danger, a plan which all too often has failed completely. There’s talent enough in an aging-but-veteran side to cause problems for any team in the Hex, but Pinto may need to begin to infuse some young talent–especially the likes of Real Betis striker Joel Campbell–for inspiration.

As for the matchups with the U.S., the home team tends to dominate, with the Yanks finding it nearly impossible to win in Costa Rica. But that could well change this time around, as the Ticos have forsaken the intimidating grounds at Saprissa for the more luxurious national stadium, where the screaming mobs behind barbed-wire-topped fences are a thing of the past.