Costa Rica

Costa Rica will be battling to retain their elite Concacaf status as they compete for one of the two remaining slots at the Copa America 2024 against Honduras at the Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

What to expect

There are six Concacaf qualifiers Copa America 2024 to be played this summer in the US.

Over the past 10 years you would have expected Costa Rica to be an automatic qualifier, but that is no longer the case.

Having qualified for consecutive World Cups in 2014, 2018 and 2020, the Costa Ricans have been struggling with the changing of an old guard of players with Bryan Ruiz, who prolonged and prolonged his career, proving irreplaceable.

Their problem is that in replacing old with new they are not finding the right quality.

At the 2023 Gold Cup they came second in their group to Panama before losing 2-0 to Mexico in the quarter final. Having qualified for the first Nations League final four editions, they missed out this time round losing to Panama in both legs of the quarter finals in a 6-1 aggregate hammering.

Panama have been pushing at Costa Rica’s door for a while, but this was a flattening of it.

Their squad still retains some of the old names when they were in their pomp, including PSG reserve keeper Keylor Navas and striker Joel Campbell who now plays at Ajajuelense in Costa Rica.

There are also signs that they may have found some younger options up front with 21-year-old Manfred Ugalde who plays at Spartak Moscow and Alvaro Zamora who plays in the Greek leagues with Aris Thessaloniki.

Perhaps the biggest edge they have will is not Honduras have available but in who they are missing. With 10 players out through suspensions or injuries, including team talisman Alberth Elis, the playing is levelled in Costa Rica’s favour.

Players to watch

Celso Borges is the latest of the Costa Rican old guard to retire. He is their all-time Gold Cup top scorer with five goals, as well as all-time appearances leader in the tournament, with 25 games – when Costa Rica needed to make something happen it was inevitably either him or Ruiz who stepped up.

Houston defender Julio Cascante and FC Juarez Francisco Calvo are veterans who will martial a tight defence. Herediano midfielder Elias Aguilar along with Campbell  (pictured) have a big task bedding in the next generation of players in front of them. The key will be finding a regular goalscorer. One of Ugalde, Zamora or Anthony Contreras, who plays in Cyprus for Paphos FC, need to start fulfilling their potential.

Coach

Argentine Gustavo Julio Alfaro took over in November 2023 and so far has only had three games with Costa Rica. Before that he was the national team manager of Ecuador having joined them in 2020 after three years with Argentinean club side Boca Juniors.

Schedule

March 22 vs Honduras, Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas. 6.15pm kick off.

Squad