Ten things you should know about Costa Rica and its football team

Ten things you should know about Costa Rica and its football team

Costa Rica will play the fourth World Cup in history next June. It will do after spending as a second hexagonal, having overcome the always feared Mexico. A good result for a country that many do not know but that has a lot to offer and is positive at all levels. In Hanged For Football, today we talk about the Switzerland of Central America and the national team “tic”, in ten strokes, but without hesitation:

1- Costa Rica, indeed, It is called the Switzerland of Central America. for many reasons. It is a very green place (according to a study of 2009 the one on the planet) and tourist, a country without an army 1948 and one of the oldest democracies in the world. It is cataloged as a place where freedom of expression is total and this facilitates the continuous flow of existing media.

2- It is a very safe place, so much so that politicians often go unescorted or use the public service. Precisely, the political class is well valued, partly because it has a high level of participation by women. Nevertheless, in recent years there have been some notorious corruption cases that have called into question that good reputation.

Image of the capital San José.
Image of the capital San José.

3- Costa Rica has the highest life expectancy in all of Latin America con 79,4 years of hope. Con 65.000 inhabitants in 1824, its over 4 million of today's inhabitants present a mixture of diverse nationalities (estadounidenses, Panamanians, Colombian or Spanish).

4- In Costa Rica there is no censorship in press or television. It is a country with a lot of mountains, with a high literacy rate (94,5%) and with Spanish as the official language. Although there are more and more social differences, there is a tradition that the rich and poor attend the same schools and that anyone can choose to study for a university degree.

The Costa Rican national team at the World Cup in Italy 90.
The Costa Rican national team at the World Cup in Italy 90.

5- Costa Rica has participated in three World Cups, 1990, 2002 y 2006. In Italy 90, the team reached the round of 16 after leaving teams like Sweden by the wayside (2-1) the scotland (1-0). However, Czechoslovakia would separate her from the dream of moving forward by beating her 4-1 in bari. In the rest of the World Cups it did not pass the first phase.

6- Costa Rica has won 3 CONCACAF cups (1963, 1969 y 1989). It is the third power of the confederation after Mexico and the United States and in the World Cup 2009 sub 20 allowed himself the luxury of being fourth classified. Among its most famous players who have worn the shirt is Walter Centeno, Rolando Fonseca (top scorer), Luis Antonio Marin Murillo, Paul Caesar Wanchope.

7- Costa Rica is not a minor selection. Has won combined like Brazil, Sweden, Scotland, Mexico, United States and recently tied 2 with Spain (2011).

Costa Rica qualified after a brilliant Hexagonal.
Costa Rica qualified after a brilliant Hexagonal.

8- The Costa Rican League is the second most important in Central and North America after that of Mexico. Esta compuesta por 12 teams and is played through two tournaments: the summer one (january to may) and winter (June to December). They play 22 days facing each other and the first four play a semifinal. The first against the fourth and the second against the third, in two-legged matches. The final is played by the two winners.

9- Saprissa is the most famous team and the most successful with 29 titles. Deportivo Alajuelense has 28 and Heredian 23 (club with the most followers. These last two teams have never been downgraded. No stadium exceeds 20.000 localities saved the Saprissa in the middle of San José. Saprissa was founded by Ricardo Saprissa, a former Espanyol player.

10- Costa Rica is a team with a great future. A batch of new players who already warned in their youth stage augurs a long future for a country that is considered one of those with the highest happiness rates in the world.

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Julio Muñoz

Journalist, specialist in international football and retro. I write in Colgadosporelfutbol.com and you can follow me at @ juliomv1982

Comments

6 thoughts on “Ten things you should know about Costa Rica and its football team

  1. It's good that they talk about football from other countries, has grown and quality has improved in most. I leave a blog where American football in general was recently posted, I hope you like it: cfripollet.es

  2. The team with the most fans currently in Costa Rica is Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, with around the 44% of the country's fans, followed by Deportivo Saprissa with the 38% and then Club Sport Herediano with the 10%, Club Sport Cartagines with 6% and the 2% remaining between other teams.

    1. Your source seems to me that it is not correct that no club in Costa Rica reaches the 40%.

  3. Thank you for speaking so well of my country!
    clarify some information:
    -The politicians, especially the president uses a significant number of escorts.
    -The political class provokes distrust in the citizens.
    -independence the 15 de setiembre de 1821.
    -We are mostly mestizos, with strong Spanish influence, afro-descendants and aborigines. There are many Nicaraguan immigrants, Chinese and Colombian.
    -More than tradition, there is a Fundamental Law of Education, that guarantees free and compulsory access to public education, in primary and secondary; and ease of access to public higher education for all socioeconomic classes.
    -Rommel Fernandez is Panamanian. historical players: Alexander Morera (played in Barcelona), Joseph Raphael “FelloMeza, Errol Daniels, Eladio Rosabal.

    1. Thank you for the contributions and for effectively correcting the inaccuracies of the date of independence. (1821) and the origin of Rommel Fernández(Panamanian). Regarding the political class and the origin of part of the population, I have referred to the wikipedia source, that although it is usually a trustworthy and highly reliable website, does not always express according to what you say, The absolute truth. In any case, thank you very much for your comment and for giving us another point of view about the wonderful country that is Costa Rica and that I hope one day to be able to visit.

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