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Costa Rica national football team

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Costa Rica
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Ticos
La Sele (The Selection)
AssociationCosta Rican Football Federation
ConfederationCONCACAF
Sub-confederation UNCAF (Central America)
Head coachJorge Luis Pinto[1]
CaptainBryan Ruiz
Most capsWalter Centeno (137)
Top scorerRolando Fonseca (47)
Home stadiumEstadio Nacional de Costa Rica
FIFA codeCRC
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current57 Increase8
Highest17 (May 2003)
Lowest93 (July 1996)
First international
Costa Rica Costa Rica 7–0 El Salvador 
(Guatemala City, Guatemala; 14 September 1921)
Biggest win
Costa Rica Costa Rica 12–0 Puerto Rico 
(Barranquilla, Colombia; December 10, 1946)
Biggest defeat
 Mexico 7–0 Costa Rica Costa Rica
(Mexico City, Mexico; August 17, 1975)
World Cup
Appearances3 (first in 1990)
Best resultRound of 16; 1990
CONCACAF Championship
& Gold Cup
Appearances15 (first in 1963)
Best resultWinners; 1963, 1969,
1989
Copa América
Appearances3 (first in 1997)
Best resultQuarter-Finals; 2001 and 2004

The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States. They are clearly the most successful team in Central America having qualified for three World Cups, reaching the last sixteen on their debut in Italy 1990 and putting on a solid showing in 2002 where they were drawn in the same group as eventual champions Brazil and third-place finishing Turkey. In 2006, Los Ticos qualified for the World Cup in Germany, with their worst World Cup to date, finishing 31st out of 32 teams. Costa Rica has qualified first in the CONCACAF Final Round in both the 1990 World Cup qualification final round and 2002 World Cup qualification final round. The edge in both CONCACAF and UNCAF Nations Cup titles is also significant over regional national teams. Costa Rica have been CONCACAF champions three times (1963, 1969, 1989) and have won the UNCAF Nations Cup six times. The nation has also participated in four Copa América tournaments, making the quarterfinals in *2001 and 2004.

History

Costa Rica has a long-standing football culture and tradition.

The national team made its debut in the Independence Centenary Games held in Guatemala City in September 1921, winning their first game 7–0 against El Salvador. In the final, Costa Rica defeated 6–0 Guatemala to claim the trophy.[2]

The football team of Costa Rica has been characterized above all by its regularity over the years. Well remembered is the selection of this country formed in the late 1940s acquiring the nickname of "The Gold Shorties". Throughout the 50s and 60s, were very much the second strongest team in the CONCACAF zone behind Mexico, finishing runners-up in World Cup qualifying in the 1958, 1962 and 1966 qualifiers. Stars of the side in this period were Ruben Jimenez, Errol Daniels, Leonel Hernandez and Edgar Marin.

However, at the end of the 60s their fortunes would decline as other teams in the region such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Trinidad & Tobago and Canada came to the fore. Although the majority of these participants have had short on points World Cup performances. During the 1970s and most of the 1980s, the Costa Rican team went unnoticed, absent from World Cups. Costa Rica failed to make the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying rounds until the 1986 qualifier. Currently its historical topscorer is Rolando Fonseca with 47 goals.

1980s and early 1990s

Note worthy was the participation of the selection of Costa Rica at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 1984 (Details). With a 1-0 Win over Italy.

Qualifying to Italy 1990

Main article: 1990 FIFA World Cup

After a great campaign in the CONCACAF Championship in 1989, Costa Rica gets its first ticket to the finals of a World Cup where they made a huge showing after beating Scotland and Sweden in the first round. It all started with a tie against Panama. To advance to the qualifying group stage. Costa Rica suffered against the Panamanians in the first game at Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium in Alajuela, and ended up taking a local one to one tie. In the second game at the stadium Revolution (now Rommel Fernández), two goals from Juan Arnoldo Cayasso gave the away victory to Costa Rica 0-2 victory to advanced to the group stage. Costa Rica started the group stage with a defeat in Guatemala by 1 to 0. Then beat the same Guatemala 2-1 at home, goals from Róger Flores and Evaristo Coronado. Then Coasta Rica beat the U.S. in San Jose by 1-0 with a goal from Gilberto Rodden. Then they lost to the U.S. 1-0 in St. Louis - Missouri. Following this they tied in Trinidad and Tobago 1 to 1, the scorer was Evaristo Coronado. Beat Trinidad and Tobago in San Jose with a goal by Juan Arnoldo Cayasso. A substantial away win was next for the Ticos in El Salvador at the Cuzcatlán by 2-4, with goals from Carlos Mario Hidalgo, Enrique Diaz and a double from Leonidas Flores. Finally in the last game a victory over El Salvador in San Jose by 1 goal to 0 signified a trip to the 1990 Fifa World Cup. Pastor Fernandez scored the lone goal. Costa Rica finished first with 11 points in the pentagonal and the United States in second also with 11 points in 8 games respectably both qualifying, but Costa Rica first on goal difference. Mexico was disqualified from this qualifier because of youth player age tampering.

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